Diesel Stories is back! Peter Cooper sits down with Luke Todd, President of The Service Company, to talk about expanding from one shop to four locations around Ohio. They dig into when it really makes sense to add a second location, how to track efficiency and utilization, and why you have to know where every minute of technician time goes. They also touch on overhead, shop supplies, diagnostic rates, and building a culture where techs and service staff are all bought into the same numbers.

In this episode, we sit down with Rocky Sickmann, Senior VP Budweiser Accounts at Folds of Honor. Rocky talks about the work that Folds of Honor is doing and how to support them. Plus, he details the 444 days he was held captive during the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979.

In this episode, Jennifer Maher, CEO TechForce Foundation, shares her thoughts on what is causing the technician shortage, how we as a society can fix it, and what TechForce is doing to make diesel a field the next generation wants to be apart of!

In this episode, Jamie Irvine shares how he got started working in potato fields, then moving on to living in a warehouse and becoming a mechanic. He worked through a drug addiction and criminal charges, and remembers that when he needed mentoring the most, the “salt of the earth” people in the heavy-duty industry were there for him, helping him find success as a podcast host and successful consultant.

On today’s episode, Sebastion is joined by Truck Yoo co-host and lead technician Jose Hernandez, who also was inspired by his trucker father. Their combined passion to improve the reputation of the industry and provide excellent service makes for an insightful (and exciting!) episode.

Troy Willich, CEO and Co-Founder of TDI Fleet Services, began his journey wrenching in the National Guard. He eventually became a successful reefer tech with so many side jobs he needed to decide if he wanted to work for a fleet or for himself. He chose the latter, starting up a reefer repair business which evolved into handling trailer repair. At the moment, he and his business partner, Steve, run a repair shop and are strong advocates for preventive maintenance and safe fleet management.

Tim Hawes got into wrenching as a kid, seeing it as a fun way to spend time with his grandfather and his brother Lyle. After serving as a medic in the Army, Tim became a master mechanic and now leads and trains other technicians. In this episode, Tim shares his expertise and insights about techs and the trends he sees in the industry!

Don Doty, Vice President of Vendor Relations at FleetNet America, went from a technician to experimenting in the mortgage industry, and then spent some time fuel hedging. He shares how the experiences, and relationships acquired while working with so many different people have shaped his extensive understanding of what it takes to find success in the heavy-duty repair space.

We talk to Jay Goninen, founder of Find a Wrench and host of Beyond the Wrench Podcast. In this episode, Jay shares his story of working in his dad’s shop from a young age because they couldn’t afford to hire someone. After completing tech school, he realized he wasn’t a good tech, but he still wanted to be involved in the repair world. His desire to help people made him wonder if he could connect technicians to repair shops. Find a Wrench was born, and the rest is history!

In this episode, we visit with Laura Cyrus, Director of Corporate Engagement at Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT). She shares about TAT's work to engage the trucking, bus, and energy industries to help combat human trafficking in North America. She also speaks about her passion for this issue and shares how personal experiences motivated her to get involved in the work. Listen in and learn more about human trafficking and how those in the transportation industry can get involved in TAT's work. We hope you will be encouraged to be a Change-maker, no matter where you find yourself!

David Saline is a former repair shop owner and VP of Sales at DRIVE, a company whose sole purpose is to help shop owners to better their business. In this episode, he draws on his decades of experience to share the kind of tips shop owners need. Learn how to drive efficiency, grow your business, and more!

We talk to Robert Palm, Founder of Truckers Final Mile, an organization committed to helping trucking families through the agony of losing their loved ones. You’ll hear first-hand about a series of traumatic trucking incidents that led him to start TFM.

Listen to Jacob Findlay, Co-Founder and CEO of Fullbay, describe how he went from thinking he didn’t have what it took to grow a business, to walking away from a high-paying job with six kids at home to build a product and company he believed in. He went from taking a huge risk to making a huge impact in the diesel world!

Ray Clark, Director of Training & Development of Truck Country and Stoops Freightliner, was introduced to the world of wenching and solid work ethic at a young age. He talks about being a young hockey player in New York and being recruited to a diesel training school. With projects always available in his dad’s shop, Ray inherited a passion for repair and teaching stemming from exposure to excavating work. In this episode, he goes into detail about flat vs. hourly rate and how time is money.