Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/668965
2 0 1 6 V 1 | BULLDOG | 2 3 Adding to Mahler's concerns was the coun- try's then-struggling economy, which experi- enced a recession and industry slowdown. It was an inopportune time to be making a big investment so Mahler wanted to be sure to invest in the best equipment while doing what made sense economically for his company. A Mack rolls into town It may have been small consolation to Mahler at the time, but his dilemma was just the lat- est of many challenges Graniterock had faced in its 100-plus years in business. Nevertheless, the pressure was on, and Denny Mahler started doing his homework. "Because of the new CARB rules all the engines changed. Basically we had to start over," he said. The big question on Mahler's mind was a simple one: Who has the best product out there? "Based on everything I had read, studied and heard, I felt like the Mack ® engine was the best platform for what we needed." Just about the time that Denny was coming to this conclusion a Mack ® Pinnacle™ truck rolled in through the company's gates. Adam VanderBee is the new truck sales manager for TEC Equipment in Oakland, some 90 miles or so to the north of Graniterock's Aromas, California, facility. "Graniterock is a renowned road builder," VanderBee says. "Anyone in the industry knows its size and scope." TEC also knew about Graniterock's considerable transporta- tion business, hauling aggregate materials, such as rock, sand and gravel, as well as bulk cement and hot asphalt oil throughout the central coast and San Francisco Bay areas. TEC wanted that business. "We felt that with the Mack we had a good story to tell them," VanderBee says. So they drove a Mack demo truck south to Aromas and offered Denny Mahler a test drive. The test drive clinched it for Denny. Graniterock bought its fi rst Mack in 2012, and Mack became Graniterock's truck of choice. Since then, the company has purchased 17 more. The current fl eet of 18 includes a vari- ety of Pinnacle models, and Graniterock plans to add four more Macks in the future. Thanks to Mahler's research and TEC's timely visit, Graniterock met the CARB emis- sions on deadline, and Denny had solved his problem. Yet the emissions issue, though important, was just one factor contributing to Mahler's decision. "Safety Before All Else" is the com- pany's mantra and it is proudly declared, clear and bright, on the forest green livery of every truck in the fl eet. It undoubtedly informed Mahler's decision making. He points out that for safety reasons he pre- ferred Mack's use of steel rather than alumi- num as used by some competitors. He also spec'd proximity sensing and anti-roll technol- ogy to better safeguard his drivers on the road. The virtues of the mDRIVE™ automated transmission factored in too, and its impact was immediate. "We had a guy doing our oil pickup run to Bakersfi eld," Mahler said. "Bakersfi eld's a pretty long haul for us, and he was in an older truck. He'd get back exhausted with all the clutching and shifting. So we put him in an mDRIVE and the fi rst time he got back from his run in that truck he was smiling from ear to ear and looked so refreshed I knew I had made a good decision." Most of their Pinnacles have mDRIVEs. Mahler says the Macks on the Bakersfi eld run perform very well. Fuel economy from that section of the fl eet averages a little over 7 mpg, while the combined fl eet average is 6.11 mpg. "That's excellent for what we do, and much better than what we were getting before." The connection between TEC Oakland and Graniterock has grown strong since that day TEC rolled into Aromas in a Mack. VanderBee says they are great customers with high expectations. "Based on everything I had read, studied and heard, I felt like the Mack ® engine was the best platform for what we needed." Denny Mahler, operations manager for Graniterock Company's Transportation Division I n 2010 Denny Mahler, operations manager for Graniterock Company's Transportation Division, had a problem. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) had announced the implementation of new and tighter emissions regulations, and Mahler knew his aging fl eet couldn't pass the new tests.