Photo courtesy of Thunder Creek

AMS began in 1982 with a focus on concrete and asphalt work, but expanded its services to include field excavation, foundations, site preparation and soil stabilization.

AMS Company Inc. is more than a construction company. It is a company that invests heavily in its employees. AMS has more than 65 field sales representatives and 10 office employees who collectively bring hundreds of years of experience to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The emphasis on training and innovation has contributed to its success and ability to consistently bid and win contracts.

Photo courtesy of Thunder Creek

“We probably have 30 open jobs and then another eight or 10 waiting to get started,” said Gary Gilliam, general manager at AMS. “And some of them aren’t big jobs, but some are huge. Most of the jobs are private, like housing developments and warehousing, but we also take on local jobs for school districts.”

AMS began in 1982 with a focus on concrete and asphalt work, but has expanded its services to include field excavation, foundations, site preparation and soil stabilization.

Completing large projects requires a well-maintained fleet of equipment, from bulldozers and excavators to track loaders, compactors and more. AMS found alternatives to its previous fuel and service methods with Thunder Creek trailer and truck conversions and has since increased efficiency and saved costs. It has also overcome its labor challenges.

Meeting fuel needs

Gilliam handles all maintenance of AMS’s trucks, tractors and other equipment, including managing a preventative maintenance plan to minimize unexpected downtime. Along with AMS President and Owner Chad Allen, he selected the first piece of equipment Thunder Creek after seeing it at ConExpo-Con/AGG in Las Vegas: the No-HAZMAT tank and service trailer – in this case the MTT 690.

The MTT 690 allows operators to transport diesel fuel in large quantities in many cases without having to have a hazmat certification or a commercial driver’s license (CDL). This benefit was attractive to Gilliam and Allen because it is difficult to find qualified labor. The company’s previous tanking solution was a large tandem axle truck that could carry 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel and had only a limited number of employees who could drive it.

“When we were at the show, we had a couple of drivers with HAZMAT and CDL certifications,” he said. “We thought the trailer was pretty cool. And then when we got into a tight spot and had certified drivers, we thought this trailer would be just the thing for us. And it was a good choice.”

The MTT 690 features a multi-tank solution that reduces HAZMAT and CDL requirements. It consists of six separate 115-gallon diesel fuel tanks connected to a commercial-grade pumping system through a common manifold.

Photo courtesy of Thunder Creek

“The trailer expands the pool of people we can have operating this machine, and that’s helpful,” Gilliam said. “If we have a guy who knows the mechanics and the procedures for maintenance or fueling, we can put him in there and he can start working today.”

In addition to simplifying staffing, the MTT 690 AMS has brought other benefits – namely cost savings and efficiency.

“The total cost of the trailer is much lower than our previous tank solution. If you buy a big truck and put a complete tank and lubricant bed in it, that’s an expensive part,” Gilliam explained. “But if you go back to that trailer, we’re significantly reducing our costs right there.”

According to Gilliam, AMS supplies fuel to 80 to 90 earthmoving machines and 25 to 30 trucks every day.

“Our entire business depends on diesel fuel. I can’t explain enough to our fuel supplier how important they are to our daily operations,” he said. “We use about 2,300 gallons a day and it’s critical that we can get fuel to the plants in a timely manner.”

With a capacity of 690 gallons of diesel fuel and the ability to drive to the facility to refuel, Gilliam and the AMS teams have been able to increase their efficiency. They can easily refill the tanks either at their facility or at their fuel supplier. They added a Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) tank, which also simplifies refueling.

“The trailer works really well. We hook it up to a one-ton truck and tow it wherever it needs to go,” Gilliam said. “As of now, we have reserved the trailer for our tree chipper and tree cutter crew and they tow it with them to fuel their equipment.”

Advantages of truck conversions

AMS has added another Thunder Creek unit to its daily fueling operation. With the purchase of a No HAZMAT Fuel & Service Truck Upfit (MTU), AMS has the same advantages in terms of driver pool as with the MTT 690. This truck has the same multi-tank diesel fuel system, so drivers do not need a HAZMAT certification or CDL license. It has two more 115-gallon tanks, giving it a total of eight tanks and a capacity of 920 gallons. It is mounted on a medium-duty truck chassis, making it easily maneuverable on job sites.

“We like the ease of use and the ability to get around the metroplex with all the traffic,” Gilliam explained. “For daily operations where we visit six to eight job sites with this truck, it’s easy to get around the city.”

In addition, MTU offers Gilliam and the crew flexibility, which is greatly appreciated when working under unpredictable circumstances.

Photo courtesy of Thunder Creek

“We need to be able to shift and change fueling plans throughout the day. A plan we have at 6 a.m. probably won’t last until noon,” Gilliam said. “Because we have our own fuel truck, I just call or text, change our driving pattern, and we’re off. If we need to go to a specific job first because we’re running low on fuel, we can do that.”

To support its equipment maintenance needs, AMS invested in a Thunder Creek Service and Lube Truck Upfit (SLU), which it purchased from Trademark Truck & Equipment in New Boston, Texas.

“We worked with Brian Craig, our representative there, and he’s a really responsive, nice guy,” Gilliam said. “We went through everything and ordered everything and he got us the truck we wanted.”

The SLU provides AMS with a comprehensive mobile service solution on a medium-duty truck chassis and enables the company to perform preventative maintenance at multiple locations on a daily basis. It can carry service fluids such as coolant and oil and can also contain recovery tanks for on-site oil changes. It can also contain daily fluids such as top-up diesel, grease and DEF; AMS uses the SLU exclusively for service work, not for refueling.

“We tried servicing our equipment with a lube sled for a while, but it only had three different compartments. With the SLU, we carry seven different fluids that cover pretty much every brand of equipment we have,” Gilliam explained. “We can schedule our maintenance, but we can provide the fluid when it’s needed. A machine might suddenly stop running. If it needs a fuel filter, we can get it running again.

You can’t make money by waiting.”

Like the MTT and MTU, the SLU does not require the driver to have a HAZMAT and/or CDL endorsement, maximizing the number of available drivers.

Gilliam and the crew appreciate the comfort of both the MTU and SLU trucks and their easy maneuverability on the job site.

“There’s nothing complicated about it. If someone drives a pickup truck to work, they can get in this one and drive out, make money for a day and then come back, get their pickup and drive home. It’s all pretty much the same,” he said.

I am looking forward to

AMS has been so impressed with the Thunder Creek equipment that it has ordered another MTU to further supplement the equipment’s fueling capabilities. Gilliam says the benefits he and the crews have realized with their current MTU, the MTT 690 and SLU, have made the investment worthwhile.

“This is a good thing that Thunder Creek came up with, and they’ve exceeded expectations. So we’re going to keep running it,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll ever go back to a full-size tanker or grease truck. We’re going to Thunder Creek.”