Mobile repair- Who uses it?

Experience tells you where or what fuel to buy or additive to use.. Lots of people who don't know or their company doesn't approve anti gel still have it happen to them. I'd think some of them change companies after that experience. I learned the hard way in 2008 in North Dakota. Never again.

 

Tires are a good selling point actually, seeing you are in oregon. If the price is competitive I try to buy them there to dodge the sales tax. I don't have any of the national account programs. Credit card program for me..

 

When the truck breaks down, I start with Google, call the truck stops for referrals and lastly the scales for referrals. The big truck stops suck because they want the mechanics to pay a monthly fee for referrals. A couple of times I've gotten referrals from after hours tire guys I called to see if they did mechanics work.

90% of my routine stuff gets handled by a local mobile mechanic, and he gets quite of bit of work from the bulletin boards at the Inkom scale. Guys get put OOS, and he gets them rolling again.

 

IMO tire guys are a dime a dozen anybody can be a tire guy. I agree with ya if your wanting to mechanic don't mess with tires. Other then taking them off to do brakes wheel seals etc. again just my opinion if you show up to say replace my blown turbo and it takes you 30 minutes to move the 20 different tires your rig is packing to get to stuff you need. I'm not gonna be impressed. But that's just me.

 

Honestly if you are good and you just want to do make money, setup for a mobile oil change and lube service. a lot of trucks are brought into a shop where they just do a marginal amount of work and don't care what happens after that. A lot of fleets are sitting on the weekends, and it is a good time to get PM done and some simple repairs.

 

Im now a owner op/ but have worked in the truck service industy longer than driving. Advertise on ntts. Offer tires. If you dont you do not even have a chance to make that sale. Pair up with a tire distributor, and a salvage yard. Buy good used take offs. Tires can be ypur largest source of income. So you get a service call from fleet X. Brakes looked up. You show up fix it and hey you need 4 tires. Better call someone else or do you tell the company you have 4 used virgin tires at a great price but just need to go to shop to get them? Make the sale. Keep them on the clock to go get them. Still cheaper for them because you will have the truck up and running before they could get another vendor on site. Grow a great partnership with local towing company. They can help, whos number do they give out when they are busy or dont offer repairs. Have a assortment of checks tcheck, com data, efs. Good as gold. Do not allow large companys to carry a open account. They will pay in 60,90, or 120. While your bills are due in 30 days. Yes the large fleets will give alot of work if they have a open account, but you will go broke from carrying them. The big orange fleet loves to not pay there vendors. I have 15 years in that field. You can make money. Some times wished truckers understood how much money it takes to run a operation like that and why the prices are so expensive. I allways had a road service rate and a shop rate. If you bring it to me Ill charge less. If I come to you its more. The large companies are not only trying to screw truckers. They try to screw everyone.

 

I never got into it. But RidgeLine has a good point. Mobile oil changes. I have seen the need. Just never expanded to that. Did do alot of mobile trailer service at local plants. Grease, lights, tires. Another good place for tire sales. I never sold someone something they didnt need. Not even the big fleets where you could of. Its way to easy to make money offering honest service to mess up a service contract for acouple bucks. Work hard, be honest, trust no one.