Bulldog

Vol. 2 2016

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2 0 1 6 V 2 | B U L L D O G | 2 1 One of Hilco Transport's 2016 Mack Pinnacles hauls jet fuel to a customer in Greensboro, North Carolina. Loudermilk says. They are not just vendors; they are partners. Together, they have created a corporate culture that remains cut- ting-edge, 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," Loudermilk 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 tech- nology 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, soft- ware and components before anyone else. When the first mDRIVE became available, Loudermilk was already an enthusiastic con- vert, vowing that future purchases would fea- ture the automated manual transmission. After all, his fleet had spent months testing the mDRIVE. He knew how it alleviated driver fatigue and increased fuel savings. He knew how it made for smoother, more effi- cient turns. And there was another advan- tage, too: Switching to the mDRIVE widens the pool of potential new drivers, many whose sole experi- ences 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 green- house 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 matter how big the family-owned com- pany becomes, some things will remain the same. Safety will always be paramount, with the company taking advantage of every safety feature avail- able, from collision avoidance to adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, side view cameras and extra mirrors. Employees will still be expected to wash their trucks every other week, whether they are at home or on the road And the bright yellow trucks — officially known as "Big Bird Yellow" — will continue to roll. "Mack's Uptime Center is second to none for issues on the road. With GuardDog Connect, it's invaluable." Jeff Loudermilk, vice president of maintenance for Hilco Transport

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