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Owner: Thomas J. SissonLocation: Indianapolis, IN Thomas J. Sisson drives a 2008 Freightliner Cascadia with a 2015 Great Dane trailer. He has been in trucking since 1999 and got his authority two years ago. He pulls a dry van and “if it fits in the box,” he hauls it.
Q: How are maintenance and minor repairs handled? Do you use an OEM shop (truck dealer or engine manufacturer shop) or an independent truck repair shop?
A: I job out my maintenance and minor repairs to T/A Petro shops because of its national warranty program. I use Clarke Power Services in Indianapolis to handle all my major repairs.
Q: What are three challenges you face with your maintenance/repair program? How do you resolve each?
A: Timing is my greatest challenge; repairs tend to happen at the most geographically and financially inconvenient place and time. To resolve this, I don’t skimp on my pretrips. I build strong relationships with the shops I use frequently, and I try to be at home . . . when having any major repairs done.
Q: Do you stock any parts for your trucks or purchase as needed?
A: With one truck and trailer, I purchase as needed.
Q: What do you do regarding maintenance and repairs to minimize downtime?
A: I follow manufacturers’ guidelines. I do complete pretrip and post-trip inspections to catch things before they become a problem on the road.
Q: How do you ensure good mileage from tires?
A: I monitor and maintain consistent, correct tire pressure in all my tires and do a walk-around tire inspection every time I stop. I use Goodyear 399s on my steers and Yokohama 517s on my drive tires.
Q: How do you determine when it’s time to replace a truck or trailer?
A: Cost of repairs and downtime.
Q: What are your specifications for your trucks? Are you able to find these on the used market? Do you purchase used and customize them to your specs or order new?
A: I’m just now starting to learn what I need to do to replace my current tractor, which is seven years old. With all the new fuel and emissions technology, some of which works and other technologies which don’t, there’s a lot to learn.
Q: What do you have in place to ensure CSA compliance for your truck and trailer?
A: I do a lot of training through NASTC (National Association of Small Trucking Companies). I stay on top of the maintenance and repairs, and I don’t let anything slide.
