Daniel Horne, President of Terrahawk, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, likes to move dirt, but not just any dirt, he prefers projects that are complex, technical and difficult, ones that most contractors won’t touch. And with a graduate degree in civil engineering, Daniel knows what he’s doing. He approaches equipment purchasing with the same analytical mindset and for him, owning and operating Bell trucks just makes sense.
“It’s just a smart truck,” he said. “For us, we found that when you put Bells side-by-side with competitors, they will out cycle them all day long.”
After renting Bell trucks from May Heavy Equipment, Daniel was impressed with their dealer support, reliability and the numerous standard features. Features such as engine protection, speed control, tip safe, retardation and more make Bell trucks, in his words, “dummy proof.”
With the current construction labor crisis, having a truck that doesn’t allow the operator to make huge mistakes is crucial. He likes that he can put someone without extensive training and experience behind the wheel of a Bell truck and know that in a couple of days, they will be proficient enough to make production.
“We were really impressed with the reliability of the truck and the technology that doesn’t allow the operator to screw the truck up,” he said. “With the current labor crisis, pretty much anyone can be put behind the steering wheel, so the smarter the truck is, the less chance you have they tear the truck up or flip it over.”
Daniel’s truck operators also prefer Bell trucks because of the operator-focused comfort features. Part of combating the labor shortage is keeping your workers happy, and when a cab is designed for doing just that, it’s an important part of the equipment buying decision process.
When they have to operate their Bell trucks in less desirable job site conditions, he says the trucks do fine with rocky, wet terrain and “they are just good trucks, a good product.”
Before Bell, Daniel used Volvo and CAT trucks, but he says Volvo dealer support isn’t good, repair time is too long and CATs are hard on fuel, not productive, and there are always problems with transmissions.
“That’s what really interested me about the Bells,” he said. “They are more productive, and we had CAT trucks before, but Bells are faster, handle better in rough conditions, have better cycle times and are more fuel efficient than the CATs.”
Terrahawk’s focus in on site development for both public and private infrastructure sectors, including clearing and grubbing, mass earthwork, grading, utilities installation, street construction and erosion control.
“We do anything with a lot of dirt,” he said. “We try to chase anything with technical projects, projects other people are afraid to do, something with a lot of technical challenges to pull it off.”
As a 3rd generation civil contractor, Daniel excels at challenges and his fleet of smart Bell trucks helps him do just that.