Providing Solutions

Providing Solutions

For 50 years, HUB Truck Rental has been meeting the needs of its customers with a range of detailed and innovative vehicle and maintenance programs.

For 50 years, HUB Truck Rental has been meeting the needs of its customers with a range of detailed and innovative vehicle and maintenance programs.

Established in 1957, HUB Truck Rental was born of necessity. The company, which today is Long Island New York’s largest full-service commercial truck leasing company, found its niche when a customer whose truck was in for repairs asked about a comprehensive, all-inclusive service package to enable him to keep his business going. From that day forward, says CEO Bob Slater, HUB has been providing solutions aimed at meeting the needs of customers in a wide range of urban delivery and service industries.

Headquartered in Farmingdale, N.Y., HUB operates from six locations, providing a variety of services to companies on Long Island and across the metropolitan New York City area.

“Our largest group of customers is in the food and beverage industry, followed closely by providers of building supplies,” Slater says. “Many companies can lease you a truck but HUB, which has been providing reliable, economical commercial vehicles for 50 years, maximizes transportation productivity and provides more than just a vehicle.

“Every day, we strive to offer a comprehensive program of transportation management support that allows customers to get away from dealing with vehicle issues and concentrate on running their businesses,” Slater says. “HUB provides highly trained experts who assist in selecting the exact type and size of vehicle needed, which are designed to lower the overall cost of transportation for customers.”

HUB also offers its READY-TO-GO vehicle lease program that puts hard-to-get specialty vehicles on the road just days after they are requested. The company maintains a short-term rental fleet consisting of trucks capable of handling a full range of applications for local truck users and for lease replacements.

The HUB fleet of 1,500 Class 3 through 8 trucks is entirely diesel powered and consists of Class 3, 4 and 5 Mitsubishi Fuso and Isuzu models and Sprinters that were recently added. Class 6 and 7 trucks in the fleet are Hino, International and Freightliner Business Class units while International, Freightliner, Sterling, Mack and Kenworth make up Class 8 vehicles.

When it comes to body and accessory products, HUB tries to standardize on suppliers. For example, Kidron provides the majority of dry and refrigerated truck bodies. George Hirn and Graywell, two local companies, supply flatbed models. In addition, the fleet has more than 400 refrigeration units, split between Thermo King and Carrier. Its primary lift gate supplier is Anthony Liftgates.

Working closely

Due to the metropolitan area many of its customers serve, HUB trucks are not usually high mileage units and are generally leased for a six-year term. Mitch Blane, HUB’s vice president of purchasing, is directly involved in vehicle purchasing for the fleet, and much of the input he uses about vehicle types, makes, models and specifications comes from a variety of sources.

“It all starts with customers, who provide information on required carrying capacity, travel lanes, quality of drivers and anticipated mileage,” he says. “We also work closely with the staff at all of our branches, and with OEMs and dealers. It’s important we place our customers in the right equipment to serve their needs.”

Perhaps the largest single source of vehicle input is from HUB’s own operation, and in particular Hayes Conn, vice president, maintenance. Conn says HUB maintains extremely detailed records on every vehicle it has operated and regularly performs cost per mile analyses by individual vehicle, class, model year and OEM, and compares them to similar vehicles in the same class that HUB runs.

“Our CPM data takes into account the initial purchase price, but we find that there’s not too much of a spread between manufacturers on similar vehicles,” Conn says. “We account for warranty repairs and driver abuse and weigh in new features, such as the automatic transmissions. In the end, we can generate a fair comparison and accurate maintenance and operating costs to determine which truck is best for every particular customer and our operation.”

The information at Conn’s disposal is based on data entered into a legacy system using ATA VMRS codes.

“The original software was the Comet system that has been modified over time by our own programmers to meet our needs,” he says. “Everything is coded using the VMRS system and entered into the database. This data is utilized to assist us in establishing costs for our vehicle rating purposes.”

Sharing information

HUB’s extensive database also contains information on warranty repairs, lifecycles and failure patterns for truck and body systems and components. “Our goal is to eliminate breakdowns, so we routinely share that information with manufacturers,” Conn says. “Showing engineers patterns of failures or repeated repairs can lead to solutions. We’ve also been involved with many tests of new technology for the same reason. Because we have such accurate data, OEMs regularly seek our help.”

In particular, Conn notes HUB’s 20-year relationship with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, whose engineers travel annually from Japan to visit its facilities and discuss issues of mutual concern. After one visit where brake problems were discussed, the manufacturer supplied new rotors and pads for the fleet to evaluate. In another instance, data on transmission bracket replacements led to the development of new technology.

“Suppliers like Mitsubishi and others such as International, Hino and Anthony Liftgates stand out because they are willing to listen to our feedback and provide a better product,” Conn says. “When we decide on an OEM we put a lot of value into the amount of support they will provide. One very good example is Anthony Liftgates, whose willingness to keep coming back with answers to our questions stands out. They’ve even sent out engineers to follow our trucks and videotape delivery operations so they can better understand how their equipment is used. We can’t ask for better service than that.”

HUB’s interest in long-term supplier relationships also includes parts management and technician training needed to keep its six full-service maintenance facilities and 55 mechanics prepared to meet every need, from routine maintenance to major repairs, Conn said. HUB also is part of the NationaLease network offering its customers national protection when traveling out of state, and provides similar services for customers of other NationaLease affiliates traveling in its region.

Currently, the company is an approved in-house warranty facility with International, Mitsubishi, Freightliner, Ford, Isuzu, Sterling, Mack, Volvo, Kenworth and Hino.

Routine training

HUB technitians routinely take part in OEM training programs, both off-site and in-house, and are scheduled for time to work on computer-based learning systems. The entire staff is ASE certified, complies with section 608 & 609 of the Clean Air Act and hold either Class A or B Commercial Drivers Licenses, the company said. HUB’s mechanics, 40 percent of whom have been with the company for 10 years or longer, are New York State certified to perform heavy-duty safety and federally mandated annual inspections, and are federally certified to inspect and repair heavy-duty brake systems.

HUB maintains a full service heavy-duty collision repair facility to offer its customers around-the-clock collision repair service. On staff to expedite collision repairs are New York State licensed heavy-duty collision appraisers. Services offered at the facility include structural fiberglass repair, structural aluminum and steel fabrication, heavy-duty aluminum and steel Mig welding, heavy-duty body component additions and removals and chassis repairs, used body refurbishing and refinishing, and body remounting. The body shop staff members also are Dupont certified paint refinishers and paint mixing technicians.

HUB said it offers a road service program that is considered second to none. Its central road service department is staffed with breakdown experts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In service are seven radio dispatched, four-wheel drive service vehicles stocked with tools, diagnostic equipment and parts. On stand by is a state-of-the-art wrecker with chassis lift and heavy-duty recovery capabilities, and a heavy-duty commercial tire repair truck.

“We’re fully committed to service,” Conn says. “HUB is the only heavy-duty full-service maintenance company to offer a 60-minute road service guarantee in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk counties. The idea is to ensure uptime for our customers, enabling them to complete their daily deliveries. HUB does whatever it takes to serve our customers.”

Outsourcing

For that reason as well, according to Conn, HUB outsources select services including some warranty and major repairs to local dealers, and maintains major component swing units which it rebuilds in house. Alignments and repairs on refrigeration units also are outsourced to qualified vendors.

Parts for the HUB fleet are sourced primarily from OEMs and are purchased with extended warranties when available. Tires are purchased directly from manufacturers, including new tires from Michelin, Bridgestone/Firestone and Goodyear and retreads from Bandag.

“We keep mounted tires in inventory at all our facilities, giving us the ability to get trucks back on the road quickly” Conn says. “We also have a tire technician who works at the locations and performs failure analysis on every tire that is removed.”

HUB supplies fuel for its customers, buying diesel in bulk at the most favorable prices based on daily price monitoring. The service brings trucks in more frequently between scheduled maintenance, which lets HUB perform safety checks regularly, obtain updated odometer readings and talk to drivers about concerns they might have with the equipment, Conn says.

“It’s all about being committed to providing better service,” Slater says. ”Our success is based on the partnerships we have with suppliers and our customers, so they can serve their customers more effectively and efficiently. Our niche for the past 50 years has been in providing the highest quality service so our customers have the competitive advantage they need to succeed.”


HUB Truck Rental Specifications

Mitsubishi Fuso FE

GVWR: 17,995-lbs

Engine: Mitsubishi 4M50;

4.9-liter, 4-cylinder;turbocharged, intercooled;175 HP @ 2700 RPM, 391 lb/ft@1600 RPM

Transmission: Aisin, 6-speed overdrive automatic, thermostatically controlled cooler

Front Axle: Reverse Elliot, I-beam

Front Suspension: laminated leaf springs, shock absorbers, stabilizer bar

Power Steering: integral hydraulic power

Rear Axle: full floating;5.285 ratio

Brakes: hydraulic, dual caliper disc; ABS; vacuum actuated exhaust

Parking Brakes: drum/driveline,internal expanding shoe

Rear Suspension: laminated leaf springs, shock absorbers,stabilizer bar

Wheels: 17.5-in. disc

Tires: 215/75R17.5 radial

Air Cleaner: dry paper element

Batteries: (2) maintenance free, 799 CCA

Starter: 12-volt

Alternator: 100-amp

Starting Aid: individual ceramic tipped glow plugs

Lighting: halogen headlamps, daytime running lights

Fuel Tank: 33 gallon

International 4300

GVWR: 25,999 lbs

Wheelbase: 254 inches

Engine: International DT466; 210 HP, 520 lb/ft @1400 RPM

Transmission: Allison 2200 HS, 5-speed overdrive automatic

Front Axle: International I-100SG

Suspension: Vari-Rate springs, shock absorbers, auxiliary rear rubber springs

Power Steering: TRW Ross TAS-65

Rear Axle: Dana Spicer 17060S, single; 5.57 ratio

Wheel Seals: Dana Spicer Outrunner

Brakes: air, S-cam; 16.5×5-inch front, 16.5×7-in. rear; MGM Long Stroke chambers

ABS: Bendix

Wheels: 22.5-inch steel disc

Tires: 11R22.5 radial

Air Compressor: Bendix Tu-Flo 550 13.2 CFM

Air Dryer: Bendix AD-IP, heated

Fan Drive: Borg Warner SA85, viscous

Batteries: (3) maintenance free, 1950 CCA

Starter: Delco Remy MT-41

Type 450

Alternator: Delco Remy 23 SI, 100-amp

Fuel/Water Separator: Fleetguard

Mirrors: Lang Mekra

Driver’s Seat: National 2000, air

Fuel Tanks: dual 50 gallon

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