From Truck Repair to Yard Dogs (Terminal Tractors)
Celebrating 15 Years!
With the pandemic starting to slow down, there is a lot to celebrate and appreciate. Here at Turbo, we are adding our company’s 15th anniversary to the list of good news in 2021.
Yes, we’ve been in business since 2006, but we look a whole lot different today than when we started at our current facility on a 65-acre campus in Gainesville, Ga. Back then, we were a full-service truck repair shop, working up to our elbows in grease and grime for a wide variety of trucks passing through our Northeast Georgia region from across the country.
From that base of experience – along with our sister company Syfan Logistics – we discovered a niche in servicing terminal tractors, the proud workhorses of the ports, DCs and warehouse industry. Initially, we diversified our operations into the repair and refurbishment of these tough vehicles, often better known by their slang names like yard dogs and yard jockeys, as well as offering truck trailers for sale and rentals.
Then, our CEO Jim Syfan – acting on his keen business instincts – gradually went away from truck repair all together to focus entirely on sales and leasing of terminal tractors along with trailers. And that’s where we are today, a national terminal tractor and trailer dealership with one of the largest inventories of terminal tractors and terminal tractor parts anywhere in the country.
While we deal with a wide assortment of brands, we are now America’s largest TICO terminal tractor dealership for sales, rentals and warranty repair work.
We’ve grown a lot in the last 15 years and are now one of the largest terminal tractor dealers in the country.
We recently held a 15th anniversary celebration with food trucks on our campus for lunch.
Chris Smith, our General Manager and Vice President of Dealer Operations, says our founder Jim Syfan always wanted to be a dealer “for any equipment that had rubber tires and an engine.”
“We originally started leasing trailers in addition to truck repair,” Smith said. “When we decided to add a quality terminal tractor brand to our inventory, TICO was our first choice. Over just the last six years, we not only have become one of the largest terminal tractor dealers of any brand but also the largest privately owned terminal tractor leasing company in the nation.”
We are very proud of our company’s relatively brief history – and even more excited about our future as we look to expand to other locations in the Southeast. Thanks to all our loyal customers and friends for your support!
TSL General Manager Chris Smith shows off one of our new Turbo Red lease units.
LOOK OUT FOR OUR NEW ‘TURBO RED’ TICO LEASE UNITS
Out with the orange and in with the red – Turbo Red, that is.
For our TICO leasing customers, we’ve begun transitioning our standard leasing vehicles from the longtime orange bumpers and trims to our bold chili-red company colors – as a not so subtle way of promoting Turbo’s brand across America.
Turbo’s red-hot chili color will eventually be added to all our long-term leasing vehicles in 2021. We love the new look and we think you will too – and we certainly know you won’t miss it out there in the storage yards.
Terminal tractors are the dependable, durable workhorses of the warehouse and distribution industry. So they deserve to be dressed up with a little more attention and respect, don’t you think?
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: MICHAEL TRUMP SERVICE MANAGER
Michael is the Service Manager at Turbo Terminal Tractors and is on his “second tour” here, as he previously was a technician from 2012-2016.
Michael grew up helping his dad work in a diesel shop, and from a very early age knew that he wanted to spend his career in the industry.
“I have been fortunate enough to spend the last 12 years of my professional career in the transportation industry, and I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Michael says. “A little more than a year ago, I was blessed to be given the opportunity to call Turbo home once again.”
Michael and his wife, Denyse, have a 1-year-old daughter, Everly. Michael loves spending time with his family of girls.
“Our life has changed so much with her being at the center of it and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Michael says. Michael adds when Everly reaches out for him to pick her up, it is one of his favorite dad duties.
He also enjoys woodworking, hunting and target shooting. Michael says his favorite woodworking project was a rolling kitchen island he built for his mom a few years ago.
MAINTENANCE TIP:
GIVE YOUR TERMINAL TRACTOR A FULL INSPECTION
As we leave the cold weather behind, it’s spring-cleaning time with a thorough check of your terminal tractor to ensure smooth performance.
• Check tires for dry rot.
• Check tire pressures — as heat can cause pressures to change.
• Check all belts.
• Check cooling systems, A/C system, air filters and cabin filters.
• Keep air system drained as high humidity will cause water to build in air tanks.
• Test batteries and clean cables because high heat can cause a weak battery to go bad.
• Check all air lines for dry rot.
• Check wiper blades.
• Keep your 5th wheel greased.
It’s important to ’spring-check’ your terminal tractor to keep it running all summer.
PEANUT BUTTER: GETTING CREATIVE WITH TERMINAL TRACTORS
South Georgia peanut farmers used TICO terminal tractors to harvest their crops.
Terminal Tractors are best known for moving trailers around a storage or manufacturing facility. But with a little creativity, these versatile units are capable of much more.
We have several customers using our TICO terminal tractors in unique ways.
One great example is some innovative South Georgia peanut farmers, who use our vehicles to help harvest and transport their peanuts.
Our hard-working yard dogs are big peanut butter fans, and Turbo is proud to support our Georgia farmers.
FEATURED TERMINAL TRACTOR:
GEORGIA BULLDOG ‘YARD DAWG’
We like customizing our TICO terminal tractors for customers. For this one, we outfitted a yard dog in University of Georgia red and black. It’s another fun feature of our fleet leasing program.
