Since Simon’s logic dictates that elite personnel should operate elite equipment, the Grand Island fleet is well into a transformation to the Peterbilt Model 387, both in day cab and sleeper configurations.  “In this business, we have to cater both to our customers and our drivers,” Simon adds.  “That’s why we run Peterbilts.”

Simon’s career in fuel delivery started in 1973 upon his military discharge, when he bought a truck and a tank-trailer from an old army buddy, and began servicing a single account.  “From there, it was just hard work,” says Simon.  True, but Simon also displayed plenty of business savvy along the way, as he started operating on both ends of the business. In addition to delivery, he began opening up a number of gas stations, peaking at 13 in the late 1980s. But as environmental regulations made it tougher to make a profit on the retail side, Simon returned his focus to servicing retail fuel sellers. Accounts now exist within about a 100-mile radius of Buffalo. The company also hauls other petroleum-based products, such as liquid asphalt and propane.  “I stuck with trucking because it was insurable,”  he says. “The retail outlets were becoming hard to insure and the regulations were making it tough to operate.  “SoI soldthem,but I became very aware in the process of what my customers were up against everyday. I understood what they needed, and how best to service them, because I was once one of them.”

Simon also understood that while his drivers were important to customer satisfaction, sowas his equipment.He had long been loyal to one make of truck, but by the late 90’s had finally had enough of that make’s mechanical breakdowns. In a business where dependable delivery was crucially important, Simon knew he couldn’t afford undependable equipment.

So he switched to anothermake of truck.Generally speaking, the dependability issues went away but a lot of his drivers were uncomfortable working out of the confined cab.  So in 2006, he tried another. This onewas a PeterbiltModel 387, and the early  driver reviews were excellent.  “One of our senior drivers neverwanted to get out of his old ‘96,” says Simon. “He said the cab of the newer trucks just weren’t big enough.Well, when we saw we could get a Model 387 with a lower roof (to fit a low garage opening), we ordered one right away, and I told our driver, ‘I’ve got something you’re really going to like.’  “He loves it. That cab is enormous. One of the things you don’t realize is that the driver’s seat is so far outside the frame rails that you’re really sitting close to your mirror. You can look right down the length of the trailer. That’s an important safety benefit.”

When Peterbilt began offering a Model 387 day cab, that also became a popular choice among Grand Island drivers, since most of their routes don’t require a sleeper. Simon and fleet manager Don Burrows also get considerable input from drivers when spec’ing trucks. Their package today includes a Cummins ISX engine, 40,000 pound-rated rear ends, 12,000- pound fronts, and an 18-speed Eaton transmission. “We ask our drivers about what they like in the equipment all the time,” says Burrows. “It’s so important to get these trucks spec’d right.”

The package also helps the company save on fuel consumption.  “You’ve got to have the horsepower, but if you can stay under 1,800 rpm in this package, you can really save on fuel,” says Simon. “Last summer, when we were paying $4.50 a gallon for diesel here, we really concentrated on that.  “And the aerodynamics of the Model387, it’s the smoothest truck there is cutting through the air. That’s definitely a part of it, too.”