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HOME-GROWN
Derby's second new technician, Dale Latrelle, can probably be counted on to stick around for a while, because he rose up out of the ranks of the company's drivers.
On staff at the company's Rockford facility, Latrelle approached Derby when he got wind of Derby's plans to expand and upgrade the maintenance program.
"He came to me and said he'd really like to be involved in the maintenance program," Derby says.
On the day Fleet Maintenance visited the garage, Latrelle was helping to strip down the old Penske lease trucks that are being replaced by the new Petes from Paclease.
"We're getting him involved slowly," explains Derby. "He's doing inspections and things like that. He had a slow day driving today, so he ran a trailer up here and he's going to spend the day in the shop. That's how we train: hands-on."
SHORT-HANDED
Eventually, Derby sees himself with a staff of eight to ten technicians at the company's three locations, but after the hiring then losing the Toyota technician, it's fair to say that he and Christel are being a little more choosy.
"I think in addition to attracting people to a job, we're interested in attracting uniquely qualified people that not only are excellent mechanics, but are a great for us because they can think in the way we think: we can do more; we can be different," explains Christel. "That's a pretty good attractor for us, for people who are highly motivated."
