Whatever the eventual outcome of the infrastructure bill, any uptick in funding for repairing roads and bridges will have a positive impact on Blue Max Trucking. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company operates a fleet of 325 dump trucks and tractor-trailers to transport aggregate, equipment, stone, pre-cast concrete and building supplies for public and commercial construction projects throughout the Carolinas and in bordering states.
“We actually haven’t had a slow period in quite a few years,” said Denton Williams, the company’s owner. “We’re keeping our equipment busy with our footprint in different markets because we can shift trucks to where they’re needed.”
Like many trucking operations, noted Jeremiah Williams, vice president, Blue Max Trucking can be affected by the driver shortage. “We’re at capacity now, but we can just as easily be limited by the number of drivers we can hire,” he stated. “It’s been a problem in the past so we work hard to stay ahead of the curve.”
One of the main selling points that Blue Max Trucking has for attracting and keeping drivers is the nature of its operation, which has every driver returning home every night. Offering competitive pay and benefits packages helps as well, along with fielding comfortable and reliable equipment.
“We’re running automated transmissions in all of our trucks,” Williams related. “It not only seems to be the way the industry is moving for fuel economy and safety; operating automated transmissions allows us to recruit from a larger pool of drivers.”
Blue Max Trucking was also one of the first fleets to add the Paccar 12-speed automated transmission with vocational-specific calibrations that provide higher full throttle upshift points to enhance acceleration, and higher power downshift points to prevent speed loss on grades and higher resistance surfaces. The calibrations are designed for applications up to 110,000 lb. GVW.
The company specified the transmission in the Kenworth T880s used in its dump division, including trucks with 405 hp Paccar MX-13 engines and tractors with 455 hp MX-13s. The T880s are primarily used on-highway and on maintained dirt roads.
Denton Williams also reported that Blue Max Trucking’s specifications have been yielding an improvement in fuel efficiency without sacrificing power or agility, especially when its drivers need to navigate unpaved roads on job sites. At the end of the day, he added, the fleet’s choice of an integrated powertrain has led to an increase in uptime as well, which translates into higher levels of both driver and customer satisfaction.
Reducing downtime
With loads expected on job sites on time by customers, related Keith Crouse, service manager at Blue Max Trucking, the entire maintenance team understands the importance of reducing downtime for routine service as well as preventing breakdowns and unscheduled repairs. The operation he heads up includes eight technicians who are on duty daily, and four or five each night. The staff also operates a fleet of service trucks if issues arise that can be handled on the road or at a job location.
“Our preventive maintenance schedule is very exact and we make sure we stock a large variety of parts so there’s little or no delay in making repairs,” Crouse said. “We also focus on training because there are continual advances in technology and we have to learn new things.
“We try to do 100% of the service work our fleet needs in house to minimize downtime, but when we need assistance we rely on MHC Kenworth – Charlotte,” Crouse continued. “In those instances, they’ve been a great partner and have played a big role in ensuring our trucks are always rolling by getting our equipment in and out of the shop quickly.”
The amount of equipment being handled by the Blue Max Trucking service operation has also been growing and is poised to do so again. Currently, the company has been discussing adding 20 to 25 more units to its operation and is working with dealers to specify that equipment. Recently, it established a flatbed division that provides services throughout the southeast.
The dump and flatbed divisions of Blue Max Trucking operate out of Charlotte and Wilmington, North Carolina; Pageland, Conway and Charleston, South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia. Looking ahead, as road and bridge construction eventually ramps up, the company will be well positioned to take advantage of new business opportunities.
