Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/488002
with such rapid growth came a fleet development strategy that was, by necessity, more reactive than proactive. When director of transportation Chris Sturgeon joined the com- pany three years ago, he set out to streamline, simplify and standardize fleet operations. Among the company's most important steps were a recent single-source commitment to Peterbilt — both with the Class 8 Model 579 and the medium-duty Model 337 — and its PACCAR engine platform. "We needed a better quality truck and one with better residual value, so we went shopping," says Sturgeon. "We needed to straighten out the fleet." Started with a handshake Back in 1976 when Robert May started the firm, "he got and kept business with a handshake," remembers his wife. "The boys run things the same way, as much as they can." Such an honest, simple approach to business wasn't as common as you might think. In the 1990s, R&M was sold to outside ownership, and more than half of the customer base left during the new ownership's three-year tenure. After the sons petitioned their father to buy it back, the family soon did regain ownership of the company and returned to premium levels of customer service and treat- ment. About 90 percent of their original accounts soon returned, according to Margaret. In that context, such steady — and in some cases, explosive — growth for the company is no surprise. The 2009 acquisition of Jeff's Fast Freight, a 40-truck fleet in Milwaukee, also boosted revenues. Today, R&M's workload can be separated into three categories: Street delivery, where 27 Model 337s out of an 80-truck fleet in both straight truck and tractor configu- ration work locally; Rail, in which 12 Model 579s in the 60-truck fleet have recently debuted; and Airport, in which cargo is shuttled to and from nearby O'Hare by an 80-truck fleet. Most of their operations occur within about a 100- mile radius of headquarters. Some trucks on the airport side will work busily all day but accumulate no more than 10,000 miles a year. Others will push closer to 100,000 miles annually, but in any of R&M's applications, the work is heavily stop-and-go, often in tight quarters and on roads that will challenge any sus- pension. "We had trucks here that were only a year or two old and they looked like they were 10 years old," says Sturgeon. "It's difficult work but we had some things like fenders breaking apart and it looked bad. "That had to stop for two reasons: One, in the interest of safety, it's not good for the driver or the motoring public. And, two: Image. Image is everything." The company committed to a maintenance program that wouldn't allow even cosmetically damaged equipment out on the road. They also committed to Peterbilt Model 579s and 337s that could endure some wear and tear better than the fleet equipment he had been running. They took delivery of the first Peterbilts last year. Another 12 are soon to be deliv- ered as they cycle out old equipment and replace it exclusively with Peterbilts. Driver pride The new Model 579s have been awarded to the senior drivers, says Sturgeon. "They take pride in them," says Sturgeon. "You'll see them out there polishing their trucks. You never saw that with our past equipment." Those drivers have also posted some eye-catching fuel economy figures. Only limited data is available so far, but Sturgeon reports incidents of the Model 579, PACCAR MX-13 engine, Eaton Fuller 10-speed and a well-trained driver achieving 10 mpg on certain line-haul routes. For David May, the end result of Peterbilt ownership is performance that can help preserve relationships and promote growth with both new and long-time customers. And while the Peterbilt image might mean more to drivers than to his customers, he knows there are other factors that will keep this family-run company treating customers like family. "They may not know it's a Peterbilt delivering their product," he says. "But what they do know is the job is getting done every time, on time. They can depend on us, and that's because we can depend on our equipment." FC FIRST CLASS l 17 "Drivers take pride in our Peterbilts. You'll see them out there polishing their trucks. You never saw that with our past equipment." — Chris Sturgeon