Richard Young and Shannon E. Green, Young’s Trucking Family Tradition, Port Huron, MI
Young’s Trucking Family Tradition has been in business for five years. Richard Young has been driving a truck for 15 years. “We book our own loads and set our own pace,“ Richard said. The company is leased to Tradewinds Logistics in Westfield, MI.
Q: What is the make of your truck and trailer?
A: It’s a 2004 Kenworth W900 with a Cummins and 13-speed transmission. We pull a 53-ft. Great Dane.
Q: What type of freight do you usually haul?
A: We haul anything that will fit in a 53-ft. van. We mostly prefer light loads.
Q: Do you have regularly scheduled routes or on-demand pickup and delivery?
A: We haul on-demand with a preferred broker list and load board freight.
Q: How are maintenance and minor repairs handled?
A: We use primarily TA truckstops for maintenance and minor repairs.
Q: How are major repairs handled?
A: We use Kenworth and Cummins OEM shops.
Q: What are major challenges you face with your maintenance/repair program? How do you resolve each?
A: First is scheduling PMs and major repairs. We schedule PMs at 15,000 miles and work hard at staying on top of the preventive maintenance and small repairs to avoid major repairs. Second is tire wear. We stay on top of keeping the right inflation levels and making sure the tires are balanced and axles are aligned. And third is fuel cost. We keep our foot light on the accelerator.
Q: Do you stock parts for your trucks or purchase them as they are needed? If you stock parts, which ones?
A: I stock extra belts, filters and light bulbs.
Q: What do you have in place to ensure CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) compliance for your trucks and/or trailers?
A: We do the annual inspection combined with an intensive/extensive preventive maintenance program matched with the daily pre- and post-trip inspections. We always try to stay on top of the preventive maintenance as well as the little repairs.
Q: How do you determine when it’s time to replace a truck or trailer?
A: [It will be time to replace] when the cost of repairs gets extreme, and we are losing too much revenue because of downtime.
Q: What do you enjoy most about trucking and hauling the type of freight you do?
A: I enjoy the freedom of the road and the freedom of being self-employed and setting my own pace.
Q: What does your company do best?
A: We show up on time.
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