In this episode of The Diesel Stories podcast, host Peter Cooper interviews Bobby and Bob Chambers from Liberty Fleet Solutions, a multigenerational diesel repair shop in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The father-son duo shares their 35-year journey, starting from Bob's forced entry into business after construction company layoffs in the 1980s. They discuss their evolution from heavy equipment repair to specializing in fire trucks and EMS vehicles, driven by market changes and the 2008 emissions crisis that affected the truck industry. The conversation covers key business topics including employee hiring strategies using personality assessments, the challenges of running a second shift operation, and the importance of owning real estate as a long-term investment strategy. They emphasize the value of building relationships before needing them, particularly in securing owner-financed real estate deals. The Chambers also share insights on creating meaningful work environments, especially how working on critical emergency vehicles motivates their technicians. Their story demonstrates the importance of adapting to market changes, maintaining strong company culture, and viewing the business as a means to build lasting wealth through real estate ownership.

Ashley Sowell from Integrity Fleet Services discusses how she and her husband built a company culture focused on creating a workplace where employees want to stay. The interview covers practical strategies for building shop culture, including gamification, recognition programs, and incentive systems that don't require large monetary investments. Ashley emphasizes how positive culture reduces technician turnover, improves customer service, and creates word-of-mouth recruiting advantages. The conversation also addresses the broader challenges facing skilled trades, including the need for better education and awareness about lucrative career opportunities in diesel technology. Ashley shares specific examples of cultural initiatives like raffles, recognition belts, team activities, and continuing education support that have helped their company maintain low turnover and attract quality technicians in a competitive labor market.

Diesel Stories is back! Peter Cooper sits down with Luke Todd, President of The Service Company, to talk about expanding from one shop to four locations around Ohio. They dig into when it really makes sense to add a second location, how to track efficiency and utilization, and why you have to know where every minute of technician time goes. They also touch on overhead, shop supplies, diagnostic rates, and building a culture where techs and service staff are all bought into the same numbers.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Luke’s story & shop history
• Scaling from one location to many – the realities of adding a second shop, splitting resources, and learning how to share talent and infrastructure.
• The metrics that actually matter
• Efficiency: actual hours on the job vs. billed hours
• Utilization: clocked-in time vs. time on jobs
• Why watching both tells the truth about your shop’s performance.
• Why time tracking is non-negotiable – how untracked minutes turn into lost hours, missed revenue, and higher labor rates.
• Labor vs. overhead – why most small shops lose more money in lost labor than they ever will in brake cleaner, shop supplies, or utilities.
• Using data to manage people – understanding which techs are truly most profitable, how to reward them, and how to set clear expectations.
• Culture & buy-in – how Luke ties compensation, shop KPIs, and accountability together so everyone is aiming at the same goal.

Whether you’re a one-bay operation with two techs or managing multiple locations, this episode will change how you think about time, labor, and profitability in your shop.