Freightliner Dealers Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
Freightliner Trucks Severe Duty Newsletter
"At the end of the day, a lot of trucks are similar. It’s the dealerships that stand out and make the difference. [Freightliner of Austin has] stood out from the rest in terms of taking care of our group and delivering results." — Brandon Smith, Vice President of The Wheeler Group
The Wheeler Group, an Oldcastle company, provides asphalt and ready-mix concrete for construction and paving projects ranging throughout Central Texas. They serve this market with seven asphalt plants, eight concrete plants, and a growing fleet of Freightliner® 122SD heavy haul tractors, 114SD super dumps and 114SD mixer trucks.
The Wheeler Group first added Freightliners to its fleet in 2013 and has continued ordering trucks through its dealer, Freightliner of Austin.
“The best feedback I’ve received is from the drivers,” said Brandon Smith, vice president of The Wheeler Group. “This year when we asked what you’d want to change [about the trucks] they said absolutely nothing. The trucks are smooth and comfortable to operate.”
The durable trucks perform reliably on The Wheeler Group’s projects, including work up and down the IH-35 corridor, a major interstate stretching from Texas to Minnesota.
“The trucks have been fantastic,” said Smith. “We’ve got them on line performing extremely well in the fleet. The Freightliner brand is exceeding our expectations.”
The trucks all have an 114SD chassis with a Detroit® DD13® engine to provide great fuel economy, easy serviceability, consistent horsepower and robust performance. The Wheeler Group spec’ed Allison® 4500 automatic transmissions and were upfit by Truck Bodies & Equipment International (TBEI) with OX bodies and a Silent Drive stinger axle to maximize payload.
The mixer trucks are also on an 114SD chassis with a Detroit DD13 engine and Allison®4500 automatic transmission. The barrels were upfit by Beck Industrial, which was able to save the weight of the ready mix units so The Wheeler Group could haul an added 1,100 pounds per load. One of these mixers will be on display at the World of Concrete show in Las Vegas in January.
Carlton Hempel, vice president of Freightliner of Austin, worked with The Wheeler Group to get their trucks the best upfit and reduced chassis weight, “to achieve more payload capacity without giving up strength,” said Hempel. These trucks feature all aluminum wheels, centrifuge brake drums, aluminum air tanks, and aluminum hubs.
“At the end of the day, a lot of trucks are similar,” said Smith. “It’s the dealerships that stand out and make the difference. [Freightliner of Austin has] stood out from the rest in terms of taking care of our group and delivering results.”
