Perdido Trucking Service, LLC, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, is an aggregate hauler serving many customers throughout the state, as well as the Florida Panhandle, Mississippi and Louisiana. Established in 1982, the company is known for its timely deliveries and exemplary customer service, as well as its focus on safety and reliability.
With a fleet of 145 trucks (mostly Kenworth), aluminum and steel dump trailers, and dry bulk pneumatic tank trailers, Perdido relies on its dedicated employees to provide superior customer service and on-time accident free deliveries.
“We run predominantly Kenworth day cabs, T880sand T800s,” says Perdido President Huston Hollister. “Our new T880s are driver friendly, no question about that. Drivers are very pleased with all the creature comforts, especially the extra roominess in the cabs. We have extremely low driver turnover and that’s due in part to the quality of our equipment.”
As an aggregate bulk hauler, Perdido specs every truck and trailer to maximize weight savings, equipping many T880s with the PACCAR MX-13 engine. “We don’t buy any units off the shelf,” says Hollister. “Everything is to our specifications. We work as a team with our Kenworth dealer. They really understand our business.”
Since 2011, when Perdido purchased its first T800, the majority of its truck purchases have been Kenworth. “The knowledge of our dealer, Truckworx Kenworth, has been key,” says Hollister. “We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time with them analyzing our telematics data. They show a genuine interest in understanding our business and that’s important to us. Whether we’re spec’ing trucks or servicing them, Kenworth finds ways to save us money.”
Because of the demanding nature of aggregate hauling, Truckworx Kenworth operates a specialized maintenance program for Perdido. “There’s just real good chemistry between our two organizations,” says Hollister. “They want to get to know our business, and that’s what I appreciate. They understand maintenance programs and aftertreatment systems. Probably 40 percent of our maintenance time deals with aftertreatment. We have more than 130 units running all the time and our fleet managers are in constant contact with the Kenworth shops every day.”
While Perdido services the majority of its equipment at its own maintenance facility in Mobile, it relies on the Kenworth dealer network throughout the company’s service area. “Our trucks operate out of several locations in northern and southern Alabama, as well as the Florida Panhandle and the Mississippi coast. Truckworx Kenworth maintenance shops are located in all those areas, in Birmingham and Dothan, Montgomery and Mobile, among others. We’re in constant communications with all of them, all day long. Kenworth understand the needs of our fleet managers and that’s indispensable to running our fleet and business.”
While the Kenworth dealer network helps keep Perdido trucks up and running, Hollister credits the company’s success to the dedication and professionalism of its people. “Our drivers have been with us a long time and are extremely dedicated,” he says. “They understand our system and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Going forward, Hollister says, the company business plan calls for purchasing about 30 new trucks every year. “We’re working on a four-year trade cycle. Once we reach four years and 350,000 miles, our cost of operations at that time, in our application, makes it the right time to trade. The resale value of Kenworths make that an easy decision for us,” he says. “We get excellent resale value with our Kenworth trucks.”
