Construction Equipment Guide
470 Maryland Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
800-523-2200
Mon September 10, 2012 - Northeast Edition
Mark Warsofsky likes to create good news.
The man who began his trucking career as a driver for the Boston Globe has built M&M Transport Services of Quincy, Mass., into a regional powerhouse with more than 350 power units, 1,100 trailers and 485 employees.
He and his staff have done that through a combination of superior management, great employees and spec’ing the right equipment.
“One of our keys to success is great customer service,” Warsofsky said. “We are heavily focused on technology. Our dispatch system is state of the art. All of our trucks have onboard computers and all drivers are on e-logs. We install GPS tracking on all of the trailers. We’re also starting to put automatic transmissions and the latest driver comfort upgrades in all of the trucks. With newer equipment we don’t have as many breakdowns so our on-time performance is well into the 98.5 to 99.5 percent range.”
Warsofsky discovered that newer equipment from Mack Trucks Inc. attracts bigger contracts as well as better drivers.
“We recently won a five-year dedicated contract worth in excess of $50 million,” he said. “We went up against bigger carriers. At the end of the day we offered the customer quicker decision-making, better customer service and the newest technology.”
Enter Mack and McDevitt Trucks of Manchester, N.H., where GM Joe McQuaid and sales representative Shawn Rainsford brokered a deal for 150 Mack Pinnacle models. The line is split between tractors with 415-hp MP8 engines and a mix of sleeper and day cabs running 365-hp MP7 engines with 10-speed transmissions. M&M also has ordered several tandem-axle day cabs with 395-hp MP7 engines.
Two of the rigs feature Mack’s new mDRIVE 12-speed automated manual transmission, with another 10 on the way. The orders are in addition to the company’s fleet of 250 Pinnacle models.
“Right now we’re having excellent luck with the two mDRIVE vehicles. There’s less wear and tear on the other components. We’re seeing a lot fewer drivetrain issues. We’re getting more miles out of our brake shoes. We feel the driver is more productive and less fatigued when he gets to his stop. The drivers love the trucks and it should increase the vehicles’ resale value.”
While equipment is vital to the company’s success, M&M believes that drivers are the biggest factor.
“Being a former driver who still maintains his CDL, I remain focused on the drivers,” Warsofsky said. “When I visit facilities I make a point of introducing myself to the drivers and mechanics in the shop.”
That hands-on approach has contributed to success as much as the new rigs.
“What makes me extremely proud is that there is virtually no turnover in management and less than 10 percent annually with the drivers.”
That’s the kind of news Mark Warsofsky likes.