Shawn Smalley (right) supervises one of his employees at Mobile Diesel Service in Sutherlin, Oregon.Photo: Mobile Diesel Service
Post-secondary schooling can be the ticket to a successful service truck career. But Shawn Smalley of Mobile Diesel Service in Sutherlin, Oregon, is a fan of the school of hard knocks.
The shop’s three trucks are fitted with laptops and service everything from logging machines to road-building equipment. Two Ford F450 trucks have welding equipment and a small compressor, while a Ford F550 has an 8,000 pound crane, hydraulics and large compressor.
Some of the shop’s seven technicians — including Smalley and his brother Jason, who are co-owners — have attended college or university, but none of their diplomas or degrees is automotive or diesel related.
“Pretty much the school of hard knocks, all my guys,” Smalley tells Service Truck Magazine. “I hired my two best guys when they were 20 or 21. I’ve had them both for over 15 years and have taught them everything I know.”
Not that Smalley avoids outside learning. The shop’s employees participate in educational offerings that manufacturers offer. “We go to classes and three-day schools quite often to try to keep up with the new stuff coming out,” Smalley says.
Still, he recalls his own start in the family business when his father and grandfather owned Smalley Trucking. “I was born and raised in that company and could build a 400 Cummins by the time I was 14 years old.”
Smalley’s advice?
“Sometimes if you’re taught by a book or in a super clean classroom it’s not the same as diving into a garbage truck. You’ve got to know the nuts and bolts from the bottom up, then work your way into building an engine, and then work your way into emissions, wiring and modules.”
While technology is ever-changing, Smalley says he loves the way of life.
“It’s a lot of long days, working in the shop all day, running calls all night, but it’s very satisfying when, after 20 years, you still have a lot of the same customers coming back to you. It’s been an absolute great livelihood for me.”
— Saul Chernos