Fleet First

06/27/2026

Part two of the simple brake job

06/23/2026

Estimate Policy

At Fleet First, we try to make this very clear up front: detailed estimates are not free on RVs, horse trailers, travel trailers, and similar units.

This policy has always been in place and is not a new charge, surprise fee, or added cost after the fact. Estimate work takes real technician time, and that time is billable.

Standard automotive estimates are often included as part of the repair process. RV and trailer work is different. These estimates can take several hours of technician time before any repair is approved or started.

Preparing an accurate estimate may require inspection, measurements, sourcing parts, pricing flooring, pricing lumber or structural materials, making phone calls to suppliers, checking availability, and calculating the labor needed to complete the job properly.

Fleet First is a multifaceted repair shop, and RV/trailer repairs often involve more than basic mechanical work. These jobs may include electrical, structural, flooring, fabrication, sealing, suspension, brake, bearing, lighting, and general repair work. Because of that, estimating these jobs takes real time and resources.

Specialty work, custom work, classic car restorations, restomods, fabrication, and unusual repair projects may not always be possible to estimate as a fixed-price job. In some cases, these jobs must be built and billed as time and materials due to unknown damage, hidden issues, parts availability, fabrication time, and changes that may come up once the work begins.

For that reason, RV, horse trailer, travel trailer, specialty, custom, and restoration-related estimates are billable. The estimate charge covers the time spent inspecting the unit, researching parts and materials, contacting suppliers, and preparing a proper repair estimate.

We try to make this clear before estimate work begins so customers know that technician time spent researching, sourcing, measuring, and preparing an estimate is billable time.

06/19/2026

This week had a little bit of everything — engine installs, injection pump work, diesel troubleshooting, and a backhoe brake job that turned into full axle-out shop work.

06/14/2026

Catching up on service calls today

06/05/2026

Exhaust manifold to egr cooler repair took some time to drill though the titanium alloy bolt but it still ended up saving the customer a substantial amount of money.

05/18/2026

Important update from Fleet First

I’m going to be straight with everyone.

Effective immediately, we will no longer be doing service calls. I’m already working 60+ hours a week in the shop, and adding service calls on top of that is no longer sustainable. Because of that, I will also be selling both service trucks.

We will also no longer be working on chainsaws, side-by-sides, quads, vacuum cleaners, random equipment, or anything else that gets brought here simply because nobody else in town wants to touch it. Those jobs take up too much room, parts are hard to get, and they pull us away from the vehicles we are actually set up to repair.

Another hard one: we will no longer be working on friends’ vehicles as a favor or dropping everything to squeeze someone in. If you’re a friend, I hope you understand. I value the friendship more than the business, and I don’t want rushed repairs, waiting times, or money to get in the middle of that.

Going forward, Fleet First will be focused on auto, diesel, RV, and fleet repairs only.

Please understand there are literally two of us here. We will get to your vehicle as soon as we can, but that may mean it sits for several days before we can even look at it. I do not want my lot overloaded, and I do not want vehicles dropped off without us knowing what is coming in and when.

I also want to be clear about hiring. I am not going to just hire bodies to make the schedule look better. My name, my reputation, and my responsibility are attached to every vehicle that leaves this shop. A lot of you bring your vehicles here because you do not trust other shops, and I take that seriously. But that also means I cannot just pull “mechanics” from the same pool that created the problem in the first place.

I would rather be slower and do the job right than rush, overload the shop, and send unsafe or half-fixed vehicles out the door.

We appreciate the customers who understand what we are trying to build here. We are not trying to be everything to everybody anymore. We are tightening up, focusing on what we do best, and protecting the quality of the work that leaves this shop.

At the end of the day, I have to protect the shop, my reputation, my sanity, and the quality of work our customers depend on. That means some things are changing. Not everyone will like it, but it is what has to happen for Fleet First to keep doing the job the right way.

04/24/2026

Shout out to Dylan parker @ 3d fabrication for helping us install a hitch in this new trailer for a customer!

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

Truck came in for a bad turbo. During teardown, we found a broken exhaust manifold bolt.

Instead of automatically turning it into an exhaust manifold replacement with added hardware, added labor, and more cost to the customer, we used our EDM equipment to safely and efficiently remove the broken bolt.

Better tools. Smarter repairs. Less unnecessary cost.