TRUCKS' MOBILE SERVICE * USA - On the Road Again

Mechanics take to highways in buses to help get truckers rolling again

Evansville,IN,USA -The Evansville Courier & Press/The Gleaner, by CHUCK STINNETT -August 31, 2008: -- Since January, Don Caudill has operated a mobile service from his home near Robards, Ky., that provides emergency roadside repairs for diesel vehicles such as semitrailer trucks. Caudill's Diesel Service answers the phone and responds 24 hours a day, seven days a week... A diesel mechanic for the past 10 years, Caudill last year bought two used school buses. He and former co-worker Butch Smith, a mechanic since 1971, painted the buses white, removed the seats and began installing tool chests, work benches, vises, parts bins, generators and other equipment to convert them into rolling mechanic's shops... Those buses make repairs go much more smoothly, Caudill said... (Photos by Mike Lawrence: 1 . The Gleaner Don Caudill uses his converted school bus to provide emergency roadside repairs for diesel vehicles such as semitrailer trucks - Photo 2 . Butch Smith, left, Irena Blum and Don Caudill stand in front of the two converted school buses they use to operate a mobile diesel repair service)