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11/04/2026

Cash flow problems demand profit checks.

In this episode of Diesel Stories, moderators John Wittet and Peter Cooper lead a shop owner roundtable on profitability, cash flow, and the cost of funding large repair jobs.

Check your margins before treating a cash shortage as a bank problem.

Compare what you bring in with what it costs to earn it.

Look for work habits that leave too little profit behind.

Give stronger profits time to improve your cash position.

Big repair jobs need funding first.

Include loan interest when weighing the cost of taking a large job.

Match your job commitments to the cash you have available.

Wait on oversized jobs when borrowing is not your path.

Use earned profit to build your capacity for larger work.

Separate your ability to do the work from your ability to fund it.

10/30/2026

Weak repair notes hide your value.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, hosts Patrick McKittrick and Amy Newman are joined by Brandon Staley, CEO of Transwest Mobile/Nauman Hobbs to discuss customer-ready repair notes, AI cleanup, and canned jobs.

Show your customers what the bill covers, not just the task.

Treat your technician's shorthand as input, not finished copy.

Give your customers useful detail without a wall of text.

Use AI cleanup when your repair notes need clearer wording.

Your repeat jobs deserve consistent descriptions.

Build a canned job for work your shop performs repeatedly.

Keep your customers' detail consistent across technicians.

Choose your tool by the problem, rough wording or repeat work.

Support your customer relationships with clear billing value. 🔧

10/29/2026

Your best technician isn't every expert.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, hosts Patrick McKittrick and Amy Newman are joined by Brandon Staley, CEO of Transwest Mobile/Nauman Hobbs, to explore specialized shop roles, business ownership, and the customer experience.

Don't turn your diagnostic expert into your default accountant.

Assign marketing to someone with the skills to own it.

Treat a management role as a new job, not a reward.

Give your technicians room to focus on repair decisions.

Your customer experience needs business expertise.

Put your business decisions in hands trained for that work.

Make your handoff from repair to customer care intentional.

Build your service experience with return visits in mind.

Define your responsibilities before taking on another hat.

Judge your shop by both the repair and the customer experience.

10/28/2026

Heavy-duty shop owners and fleet pros in Las Vegas for The SEMA Show: we're bringing the Heavy-Duty Roadtrip to Topgolf on Tuesday, November 3.

Short, practical sessions. Then golf, dinner, and drinks with people who do the same work you do. No cover charge.

Save your spot at the link in the comments!

Running a commercial repair operation or maintaining a fleet often feels like operating on an entirely different world. That’s why getting out of the shop and meeting other people doing the same work is so important. They understand the challenges you deal with every day. They know what the life i...

10/28/2026

Your techs need more than speed.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, hosts Patrick McKittrick and Amy Newman are joined by Brandon Staley, CEO of Transwest Mobile/Nauman Hobbs, to explore technician earning opportunities and finding shop managers outside the industry.

Recognize that flat rate appeals to some techs, not everyone.

Don't make beating the clock your team's only path to extra pay.

Build your bonus program around meaningful earning opportunity.

Compare pay options by what they offer your techs, not the label.

Management talent exists outside your industry.

Widen your candidate list beyond familiar repair-shop circles.

Watch for a hiring pool that just moves people between shops.

Judge fit for your shop, not just experience at somebody else's.

Don't reject a candidate solely for coming from another industry.

Learn from a poor fit instead of repeating the same search.

10/23/2026

Your bonuses set your team's priorities.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, host Patrick McKittrick is joined by Peter Cooper of Ascend Consulting and the team from Bascom Truck and Auto to discuss technician distractions, team leadership, and production-based bonuses.

Give your team leaders a stake in the team's output.

Keep your individual production bonus alongside the team reward.

Treat phone distraction as a workflow issue, not a character flaw.

Put team support on your leader's agenda alongside their own jobs.

Team accountability is more than surveillance.

Ask your technicians where they're stuck before pushing for speed.

Make your check-ins offers of help, not just progress checks.

Keep your team close enough for leaders to spot trouble. 🔧

Plan your team layout around the space your shop actually has.

Include work quality in your check-ins, not just output.

10/22/2026

Your shop culture outranks extra revenue.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, host Patrick McKittrick is joined by Peter Cooper of Ascend Consulting and the team from Bascom Truck and Auto to explore staff retention, toxic hires, and tool theft.

Put behavior on your hiring checklist alongside repair skills.

If your people keep leaving, examine the environment they face.

Don't let an empty bay excuse a hire who harms your crew.

Weigh today's billable work against keeping the team you have.

Your team's tools deserve real protection.

Ask about past workplaces before judging a locked toolbox.

Give your technicians tool security without constant vigilance.

Make tool theft a firing offense, not a warning to be careful.

Don't mistake your crew's caution for distrust of your shop.

Let your daily standards show that protecting employees matters.

10/21/2026

An open door is not enough.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, host Patrick McKittrick is joined by Peter Cooper of Ascend Consulting and the team from Bascom Truck and Auto to discuss employee feedback, monthly “eat and meets,” and building a culture where technicians feel comfortable speaking up.

Give your team a recurring forum, not just an open invitation.

Make employee questions part of your monthly eat and meets.

Balance your shop updates with space for team suggestions.

Record concerns so your team has a clear follow-up agenda.

Your lead techs make speaking easier.

Use your lead techs' close team contact to encourage feedback.

Offer reassurance to employees who hesitate to approach you.

Turn your team's suggestions into specific issues to work on.

Aim to address concerns before your next monthly meeting.

Keep your follow-through visible, not just your availability.

10/16/2026

Emergency fleet customers need direct outreach.

In this episode of Diesel Stories Podcast, host John Wittet is joined by Peter Cooper of Ascend Consulting and guest Bobby Chambers, President of Liberty Fleet Solutions, to explore certification, local connections, and earning emergency fleet repair work.

Treat fire, EMS, and police as a distinct customer group.

Keep your digital marketing, but add personal outreach.

Start with public fleets where you already have a connection.

Make your first contact a service offer, not another ad.

Your training is a competitive advantage.

Plan for the time commitment before you pursue this niche.

Give departments a concrete credential to evaluate your shop.

Include a nearby military base if you have a connection there.

Look for training gaps among the shops serving your market.

Judge your outreach by customer work, not online attention.

10/15/2026

Chicago, thank you for coming out to HD Roadtrip.

Vegas, you’re next. We’ll be at Topgolf Las Vegas on November 3 from 5 to 9 p.m. If you’re in town for The SEMA Show, come swing a club with the heavy-duty crowd. (Sign up link for the free event in the comments.)