Testimonials

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Ronnie Mayer of Atlanta is a large towing and recovery company based in Chamblee, Georgia in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. The founder and owner, Ronnie Mayer is an outspoken supporter of UD TRUCKS in the towing application because they provide a positive impact on the company’s bottom line. The low operating costs, high longevity, and resale value, and phenomenal driver acceptance add up over time, and these are the major reasons Ronnie has purchased UD TRUCKS’ 19 foot car carrier chassis exclusively since 1987.

The fleet is decidedly different from traditional tow truck operations. Mayer specializes in dealer transfer work, and specialty vehicle transportation, with very little accident or true recovery work. “In many ways, what we do is just as demanding as conventional recovery work. We have to maneuver in and around crowded dealerships, where one false move means we’ve scratched or dented a new car in the dealer’s stock. Most of the time, the car we’re delivering is a sold unit, and its owner is waiting with his checkbook. Any damage to the car we’re transporting, and the customer doesn’t want it at any price. We’ve got the same customers to keep happy as anybody else, ours are just a little more demanding.

Another difference is the miles we accumulate in a year’s time. We run far more highway miles than traditional operators, and higher mileages on the odometer add up to a shorter replacement cycle than most people use. In the beginning with UD, we’d keep the trucks six to eight years, but now we sell our own used trucks to smaller towmen across the Southeast, and buy the new units outright. We have a reputation for a high quality preventative maintenance program, and the units we sell, even with 350,000 miles or more have a lot of life left in them.

In the early eighties, we ran domestic conventional cab trucks because at the time, there were no alternatives. If a unit went 15,000 miles before a brake job, we were happy. Today, if we don’t see 150,000 miles on the odometer before we do a brake repair, there’s something wrong with either the driver or the PM on that particular unit. In the eighties we thought 125,000 miles on an engine was exceptional, but now we expect 350,000 or more, and we get it every time. The cabs and interiors are so much more driver friendly when comparing the UD TRUCK with its domestic competition that drivers notice the difference immediately. The UD has visibility and maneuverability that allow it to negotiate turns that a long bed pickup truck can’t make in one pass. A driver that is comfortable in the truck and confident driving the truck does a better job of customer service. I don’t see my customers every day, but my drivers do; if they’re happy, my customers are generally happy too.

Steve Ryder, the company’s operations manager has said in the past that “…if a UD isn’t running today, I can tell you what’s wrong without even looking at the truck. The driver didn’t show up”. Operations and dispatch are the areas in a towing company where uptime and reliability are noticed and appreciated the quickest. The legendary reliability of well maintained UD TRUCKS is a big part of the ever present smile on Steve’s face. If the trucks are working they’re making money, and if they’re making money, we’re doing what any business, large or small must do and that’s turn a profit. UD TRUCKS are a major factor in our profitability and our growth plans for the future.