RENTAL CLASS

The Blue Mountain Equipment Rental Corp. (BMERC) is neither the biggest in its field, nor is it the least expensive.  But if you ask COO Nick Onderko and CEO Jim Jones, no local competitor offers a better value to heavy equipment rental customers than their three-year-old company, headquartered in Clairton, Pa.  And at the core of their roster of rental equipment that includes skid steers, man lifts, back hoes and bulldozers is a fleet of late-model Peterbilt trucks, mostly  Model 335s in dump configurations, as well as a couple of Peterbilt Model 367s.

For Blue Mountain’s customers, a diverse group that includes some 900 contractors and business operators, they wouldn’t have it any otherway. Jones says premium dump trucks weren’t always available to renters in thismarket until BMERC came along.  “Our customers understand value,” says Jones. “Price is certainly part of  the equation that determines value, but service and quality are part of it as well. That’s the true measure of themodel we provide.”

Understanding their needs

In careers that startedwith a large equipment rental firm, Onderko and Jones learned that equipment renters have many of the same needs that equipment buyers have. They require dependability out of their equipment, and they understand that the equipment they operate is part of their branding experience as well.   “Equipment availability is very important to our customers,” notes Onderko, who says he will continue replacing lesser trucks in the BMERCdump fleetwithModel 335s andModel 340s due to customer demand.

“If they need it,we’ve got to have it, and it’s got to be ready to go to work.  “And another important factor to them is the image they present to their customer.  They understand that they need to look professional to their clientele. Peterbilt equipment helps them present that image, whether they actually own it or not.”  If Onderko and Jones soundwell-versed in explaining the value of operating Peterbilts to their customers, understand that they also apply the same reasoning to themselves as end users. All of the equipment they rent out has some service agreement in place, and that can require BMERC to run out to a customer jobsite to service some of their equipment since most of it is not easily transported back to the shop. For this they’ve specially outfitted four Peterbilt Model 335s as service trucks, carrying everything from a 10,000-lb. crane, to 55-gallon drums of lubricants and fluids, to the service technicians’ tools.

PACCAR engines

These Model 335s, just like the dump configurations they rent, are outfitted with Eaton six-speed transmissions and PACCAR PX-6 engines. A light weight Peterbilt chassis is also a benefit, according to Onderko, since their service techs can simply loadmore gear aboard and stay under the 26,000-lb. GVW.  The company also operates its own Model 367 tractors for delivery of heavy equipment to its customers’ worksites.  While the company may be young, both Onderko and Jones have their focus well down the road. They say they’ll look at turning over their equipment at about 60 months, when they expect to get a high return on all their Peterbilt  equipment, and continue providing the level of service their customer base has come to expect.  “We’re not a discount store and people know that, but with that first class reputation come  expectations that we have to meet,” says Jones. “We run a lean ship. We put our money into quality equipment rather than things that aren’t important.  Customers can appreciate that.