I joined SmithCo in 1998. Since then, I have been working specifically with side dumps, but have been involved in the trailer industry my entire career. I first started out as a welder. Throughout the years I’ve held many positions, including welder/leadman, in which I manufactured trailers and supervised coworkers, and production foreman, in which I supervised all production on my shift. At SmithCo, I worked as an engineer manager for 20 years, and recently made the move to a sales engineer/product development role.
In my current role, I support our sales department to make sure we offer our customers the best product to meet their individual needs. In some cases, this means developing drawings for a new trailer design if one of our standard models doesn’t quite fit their requirements. Each state and country have different regulations to contend with, and we design appropriately to maximize gross weight for the trailer.
Creating Trailer Design Solutions
The design of an all-new trailer can take weeks or months to develop depending on the complexity of the customer’s wants or needs. Conversely, adding a new feature to a standard trailer can generally be done in a shorter timeline, sometimes in as little as a few hours.
The newest side dump trailer designs are highly influenced by the laws regulating the design of trailers in the USA and Canada. These laws are complicated and seem to be ever-changing, which is why SmithCo employees become experts in dealing with these details. Lift axles, disc brakes, self-steering axles, and custom trailer lengths are some of the popular options we are being asked to incorporate into designs, often to meet these regulations.
Another challenge is designing trailers for specific environments such as arctic and hot desert regions. They each have their own specific design criteria to take into consideration. At SmithCo, if we don’t already know how to solve a problem, we won’t stop until we find a solution.
Being Part of the SmithCo Family
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing a new idea or job-specific trailer become a finished product that performs exceptionally for the customer. Customer care is part of our business philosophy. Instead of selling a product to a customer and forgetting about them, we will always try to take care of them and provide the best customer service. If they have any issues with our products, even after the warranty period has ended, we will work with them to make things right.
The customer becomes part of the SmithCo family when they buy one of our trailers, and that extends to our entire company. What I like best about SmithCo is the feeling that I’m part of a family, and not just an employee. They bend over backwards for you to try and help you succeed. The friendly atmosphere here was one of the reasons I became interested in joining SmithCo over two decades ago. If you’re interested in seeing how we could design a trailer that fits your needs, please reach out here. When I’m not at work, I enjoy hanging out with my wife, watching movies, riding my motorcycle, and playing with the grandkids. I’m also kind of a science fiction buff. My favorite movie of all time is Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford.