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Louisville Switching Blog

What are Drivers Saying about the Ottawa Yard Truck?

Posted by Donald Robinson

Nov 7, 2012 3:09:00 PM

In the video below, Louisville Switching's Chris Troutt sits down to talk about some of his experiences with Ottawa Yard Truck drivers.

Diagnosing Your Yard Truck, Diagnostics For Your Ottawa Truck

Posted by Donald Robinson

Oct 17, 2012 11:55:00 AM

With all the new diagnostic capabilities, we can diagnose your yard switcher in record time. Simply connecting our laptop loaded with Ottawa and Cummins technology, we can determine very quickly what is wrong and make the repair. Occasionally there will be error codes that will flash in your cab but they are easily forgotten or erased and without that code, there are lengthy processes mechanics have to go through manually to find out what is wrong.

A few weeks ago one of our mechanics, Kory Swenson, took one of our mobile repair vehicles to diagnose and repair an Ottawa Yard Truck for one of our clients. The trailer spotter didn't know what was wrong except that there was power failure. Without the computer diagnostics, it would have been a two hour turnaround to determine and repair the problem. 

Kory hooked up the laptop to the Ottawa Truck and determined quickly that there was a problem with the OEM. There is an Ottawa oil pressure send unit and a Cummins oil pressure sending unit. The diagnostic pinpointed that the fault was a Cummins oil sending unit. Kory said, "I saved hours of not having to read through the Cummins manual, having to go through every step to figure out what the problem was." 

He replaced the part, the symptom went inactive, and the yard truck experienced no power loss. Hours saved are dollars saved for our clients. We are dedicated to saving them time and money. Thank you Kory for a job well done!

Request An Ottawa Yard Truck Demo! It's FREE!

Posted by Donald Robinson

Sep 14, 2012 9:26:00 AM

The best way to see the superiority of an Ottawa is in person. We will bring an Ottawa yard truck to your facility and show you in person the efficiency and overall superiority of an Ottawa switcher first hand. A video is a great way to show you the basics, but when you see an Ottawa in action in person, you will know for sure all the quality that goes into the engineering and manufacturing of these yard trucks. 

When you invest in equipment you need a guarantee that it will deliver what it promises. When you step into an Ottawa cab, then move and spot a trailer in a third of the time of a road truck, you will wonder why you didn't make this move sooner. Often referred to as yard horses, the Ottawa Switcher is the Thoroughbred of yard horses. Based in Kentucky, Louisville Switching is centrally located to provide products and services to all the areas surrounding the bluegrass state, both timely and professionally. We have clients in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and beyond.

Call Chris Troutt today and request a demo. Be warned now that Chris on many occasion has been pleaded with to leave the Ottawa on site by the drivers. One of the great things about working with Louisville Switching is we don't simply sell you a yard truck, but we provide high quality, on going maintenance and 24 hour on call servicing. Time saved is money saved. Call us today for your free demo at  502.935.5838.

Safety Is Number One With Louisville Switching

Posted by Donald Robinson

Aug 24, 2012 10:58:00 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ottawa terminal trucks have some great features that are a huge hit with our customers. The Ottawas have bright yellow platforms to designate safe stepping areas and will undoubtedly cut down on injuries. Two of the top injuries in trailer yards are caused from cranking legs up and down on the trailers and climbing in and out of the cab. Drivers who are missing out on the hydraulic lifting capability of a switcher have to manually lower and raise the legs on each trailer by hand. Using a switcher quickly removes six steps out of the old process.

1. Getting down on the ground
2. Cranking the legs up
3. Climbing back up in the truck
4. Getting down on the ground
5. Cranking the legs back down
6. Climbing back up in the truck

Think of the toll you are eliminating from your drivers. That much climbing in and out of cabs and cranking legs will wear you down and eventually result in more injuries. The brightly-painted steps on Ottawa Switchers makes it easier for drivers to clearly see where you can step, and where you can’t. This is a simple solution to a common injury that occurs from mis-stepping. On top of being a good steward of your human resources, fewer injuries will affect insurance premiums and should result in lower costs due to fewer worker’s compensation claims.

On a recent demo for a customer, a manager in the human resources department saw us from their office window and rushed out to greet us. They recognized immediately the advantages of the Ottawa as an injury reducer for the drivers. Not only are there brightly-painted platforms and steps, but also strategically-place hand rails that are brightly colored to stand out against the white color of the cab. If the 3 to 1 time efficiency of Switchers to semi-trucks was not incentive enough, the added features on Ottawa Switchers to reduce injury should be high on the list of reasons to go with Louisville Switching.

When buying a car or truck, be sure you’re getting the service you deserve

Posted by Donald Robinson

Apr 3, 2012 3:20:00 PM

The start of the new year for many people means beginning the long and dreaded process of hunting for a used vehicle. I don’t know one person who enjoys car or truck shopping. Visiting dealer after dealer, making deal after deal, and sometimes having to deal with haggling car salesmen all equal a huge headache.

You may begin to wonder if you’re getting the best deal, can trust the people you’re working with, whether the used car or truck you’re purchasing is in good condition and will last you a long time, and even if you’re getting the service you deserve.

We understand how frustrating that process can be. That’s why we’ve made it a priority here at Louisville Switching to make car buying something you can actually enjoy. We do internet sales with our customers, which means that we have thousands of vehicles for sale. The customer can tell us what they would like to purchase and we will search hundreds of dealers’ inventory to find that vehicle.

One thing that sets us apart from every other car dealership, is that we’re not out to make the biggest profit. In fact, we think treating our customers the right way is more important than making a sale. We’ll work with your budget and can even help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

Shopping for a used vehicle can be a pleasant experience. Contact us if you’d like to learn more or are ready to start searching for your next car or truck.

Some thoughts on the 2012 Mid America Truck Show

Posted by Donald Robinson

Mar 28, 2012 3:30:00 PM

Every year I look forward to the Mid America Truck Show held in Louisville, KY. We have been exhibiting there for the last 11 or so years. We spend a lot of time thinking about the upcoming show starting at the close of the current year show. As the show gets closer, the pace picks up and then during the week prior to the show, we are operating at full speed. There are final arrangements to be made. We have trucks to clean and shine and our booth to set up. We almost always have industry associates to welcome to town and with whom we coordinate our plans. Other dealers and factory representatives are always here. We love to work with them and also enjoy some social time with them.

When the show opens we can always count on many friends and customers to stop by and visit with us and discuss the latest trends in the industry. This is always enjoyable. We relive old memories as well as discuss the newest innovations with the Ottawa Trucks. As the days of the show roll on, the satisfying weariness of the pace begins to settle in. By the close of the show on Saturday afternoon, there are some sore feet and tired backs and we get a chance to relax again for a few days before we start thinking about next year’s show.

During the relaxation that follows the end of the show, I always relive the show in my mind and think about the recurring theme that played out in the conversations of our customers. Some years it has been new emission standards that are about to kick in. Other years it has been a slow economy that has affected our customers operating methods. This year had a different theme that encouraged me greatly. As I thought about the conversations carried out in our booth, a common story that we heard was about how the drivers had memories of driving an Ottawa Truck 30 or 35 years ago. These conversations were all contemporaneous in a relaxed and casual setting. We didn’t ask for testimonials, but this is what the drivers wanted to talk about.

The fact is that Ottawa Truck is the original terminal truck. The Ottawa Truck has endured much since the beginning in the late fifties. Many competing brands have come and gone in those years. The Ottawa brand has flourished through all of these times and attempts to unseat it as the premier terminal truck. Even now we see occasional upstarts that claim to be as good as the Ottawa Truck. The Johnny-come-latelies will build a knock off of our truck and then brag about being cheaper. The initial cost is sometimes cheaper but the cost of ownership is never less. Once you have ownership of a truck made by a company that is out of business or no longer making the trucks, then the question is always, where do you get parts and customer support? If the life expectancy of your off brand truck is half of that of an Ottawa Truck, then maybe a small initial savings in purchase price is not as sweet as it seemed at the time.

You can bank on your future with a truck that has proven itself for years and offers the absolute best in service and customer support over the long haul, or take a chance on a knock off brand that may or may not even exist next year.

This is the free market at its best. The strong survive and the weaker brands disappear into the night, taking your hopes for a positive ROI with them. I can think of at least 7 or 8 brands that have taken your hopes with them into the refuse pile of dreams that were based on “We are cheaper to buy” or “We have more glass” or “Our plastic cabs save fuel” or “Our trucks are GREEN” or “Our battery powered trucks are good for 20 minutes before a charge is needed.” Sometimes one of these claims will catch the attention of an unsuspecting buyer and then the disappointment starts to creep into the soul of the buyer as reality sets in.

The Ottawa brand has withstood the test of time. No one has built as many terminal trucks as we have or for as long as we have. The truck of choice is “Made in the USA,” by Americans, in Ottawa, KS. We are here to stay.

What a great show we had this year! It has only been closed for 3 days and I am already looking forward to next year’s show and wondering what common theme that we will be discussing. Well, back to the more mundane tasks that accumulate on my desk while I am out of the office. So long for now.

Does Your Kalmar/Ottawa Truck Look Like This?

Posted by Donald Robinson

Feb 14, 2012 11:37:00 AM

Does your truck look like this?

People are downloading our Ottawa Kalmer Users Guide lately- have you?

Posted by Donald Robinson

Feb 3, 2012 3:45:00 AM

About a year ago, we introduced a free guide on our website called the Ottawa/Kalmar User Guide. You can download it for free here.

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