Louisville Switching Blog

We had a great time at this year's Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville, Kentucky. We had two Ottawa Yard Trucks on display. One yard truck was a tandem axle with a standard cab, and the other was a single axle with the new Skycab. This was well received for several reasons. When drivers enter and exit the cab they often have to duck in and out, depending on their height. With the new Skycab feature they can stand upright without their head touching the ceiling. This new feature will save the backs of spotters who are making dozens of switches a day. Chris Troutt said, "If you are 6 foot tall you may need to duck a little bit, but it is the perfect height for the average height spotter." The floor to ceiling height is 69 inches so it makes it much more comfortable for the drivers to come in and out of their cabs.

This year's Mid America Truck Show was a tremendous success. Our brand new and spacious cab was on display. This cab is known as "The Skycab" and once you see it it will become apparent how this name was applied to this design. 

Timing is often the most important thing when it comes to getting your yard truck parts. The quicker you get what you need, the faster you are getting your spotter trucks up and operational again. With the Louisville UPS hub just minutes from our office, we can ship just about any part you need "next day." If you are located within a two-hour distance from Louisville, it is common place for your parts to get to you the next day via UPS ground, so you are able to save even more money.  

We were talking about some pretty interesting repairs we have made in the past, and one of the stories we told was when we had to replace the hydraulic pump on an Ottawa Yard Truck. It was peak season for one of our clients and they could not afford to have one of their yard trucks down. Here is the catch: it was pouring rain and the repair was done on-site at our client's truck yard. I went with the mechanic and held an umbrella over him the entire time to ensure he could safely and more efficiently work.

We recently had a client call who had requested some help. They tried "saving" some money by having another shop service their yard truck. To this point they had already spent $1500 and the truck had been down for two weeks. The customer asked if we could take a look at it. We agreed and sent Gordon, one of our mechanics, over to service the truck. Within one hour Gordon had the yard truck running good as new.

Chris Troutt was recently in Atlanta, Georgia working with a client. Chris loves talking with the drivers of the yard trucks to get their input on what they think of Ottawa. The other thing Chris loves to do when he's talking with the drivers is to ask if he can see inside the cab. This one particular driver agreed and showed Chris the cab of his Ottawa. It was as clean as a brand new yard truck. Chris asked him how he kept it so clean and the driver said, "I spend 12 hours a day  inside this truck and I want to make sure I keep it clean. It is my office."

We don't just carry the standard Cummins engine parts or only Ottawa yard truck parts. We have a full line of accessories and even carry batteries for your yard truck. You do not have to try and match up missing reflectors, dead batteries, or even the headlights. Schedule an appointment with our mobile repair service to change your oil or some other routine maintenance item and we will inspect your yard truck for missing accessories. We can be sure your switcher truck is up to snuff on reflectors and other safety items.