Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/699963
quality driven and customer-focused. "Hilco and TransSource help each other build and maintain the best vehicle we can, and we, in turn, share our knowledge with other folks in the industry," Louder- milk says. "We try to be on the leading edge. That is what separates us at the top of the trucking fleet — having the best equipment for our drivers and community. When one of our trucks drives through your community, it's well-maintained and is using the latest technology on that equipment to be safe and efficient." Often, Loudermilk is among the first to know about Mack's new projects. Hilco has served as a Mack test fleet since 2011, so they get to try next generation engines, software and components before anyone else. When the first mDRIVE became available, Loudermilk was already an enthusiastic convert, vowing that future pur- chases would feature the automated manual transmission. After all, his fleet had spent months testing the mDRIVE. He knew how it alleviated driver fatigue and in- creased fuel savings. He knew how it made for smoother, more efficient turns. And there was another advantage, too: Switching to the mDRIVE widens the pool of po- tential new drivers, many whose sole experiences have been with automated transmissions. Today, more than 60 percent of his Macks use the mDRIVE, and he is closely watching Mack's 2017 lineup, which continues the company's dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions without throttling power. "It appears Mack is going to be a leader over the next few years," Loudermilk says. "We like what we're seeing and think it's a great improvement — a step in the right direction." Hilco also anticipates continued growth, but no mat- ter how big the family-owned company becomes, some things will remain the same. Safety will always be paramount, with the company taking advantage of every safety feature available, from collision avoidance to adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, side view cameras and extra mirrors. Employ- ees will still be expected to wash their trucks every other week, whether they are away from home or on the road. And the bright yellow trucks — officially known as "Big Bird Yellow" — will continue to roll. Hilco Transport City, State: Greensboro, North Carolina Number of employees: 380 (at all locations, including drivers) Markets served: Transport of waste, aggregate, liquid asphalt, propane and petro- leum and dump trucks One of Hilco Transport's 2016 Mack Pinnacles hauls jet fuel to a customer in Greensboro, North Carolina. For more solutions from Mack Trucks, go to Equipmentworld.com/partner-solutions/mack.