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BELLA ROSE TRANSPORT
Owner: Randy BellroseLocation: North Canton, OHRandy Bellrose is a refrigerated hauler who drives a 1999 Freightliner FLD and pulls a 2006 Wabash 53-ft. refrigerated trailer. He runs under his own authority and relies largely on brokered freight.How is maintenance handled? How do you minimize downtime? What are your mileage/time intervals on preventive maintenance?I don’t have a shop, so I job out most of my maintenance other than small things I can handle myself. Major repairs are jobbed out to our local Freightliner dealership. I change the oil and grease every 15,000 mi. I park at a repair shop in Canton, OH, and have them check the trucks as often as possible. If they find a problem, I have them fix it immediately. What are three challenges you face with your maintenance program? How do you resolve each of these?Number one, ensuring that I don’t have roadside breakdowns through scheduled PMs. Number two, I prevent corrosion by going to the truck wash on a regularly scheduled basis (at least two to three times a month) and especially after I’ve traveled through an area where they’ve used road salt or ice-melt spray. The third challenge is tires, which I resolve by keeping a close eye on wear patterns and pressure. I check for proper inflation at least once a week. I also do rotation and alignments regularly.How do you determine when it’s time to replace a truck or trailer?I replace when maintenance costs get out of hand. This can easily be monitored through a good accounting system. What programs do you have in place to ensure CSA compliance for your truck and trailer?Since I’m a one-truck operation at this time, I take care of my own compliance with careful maintenance records, logging correctly, and by keeping up with the changes. I read as much as possible and listen to the Road Dog network on SiriusXM radio.What do you enjoy most about trucking and hauling the type of freight you do? What does your company do best?I enjoy the freedom of hauling the loads I want, at the rate I need and the places I want to go. I ensure the on-time delivery of the products I haul.
