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Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance shop makes the wheels go ‘round

  • Published
  • By Howdy Stout
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  "For as old as they are, they don't have many problems," says James Estep as he pulls the clutch plate from the transmission of a two-and-a-half-ton truck. "The military got their money's worth."

An auto worker with the 72nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Mr. Estep is one of the dedicated -- and often times long-serving -- government and civilian workers who make sure that when the Air Force is on the ground, it has the wheels to move.

"We maintain over 1,500 vehicles," explained Eddie Allen, chief of vehicle and maintenance operations for the LRS. "Anything from the sedan and pick-up truck to the larger materials-handling vehicles."

The LRS maintains vehicles for most of the tenant organizations at Tinker. That work includes anything from scheduled maintenance on cargo trucks to unscheduled repair work on forklifts and aircraft tugs. Whether it be repainting a 5-ton truck or replacing a tire, the LRS does it.

"Whatever you can think of with vehicles, we do it," Mr. Allen said. "We're a one-stop-shop for vehicles."

Leonard Payne concentrates as he replaces a brake cable on a forklift. Without batting an eye he can list half-a-dozen or more forklift types he has worked on. His favorite, of course, is the one that is reliable. And he has worked on most of them in his 25-year career at Tinker.

"It's been a fine place to work," he said.

Outside, overlooking the construction of new base housing, Darrell Cooks parks a bus in the washing bay. A relative newcomer with four years experience, Mr. Cooks checks vehicle fluid levels before washing and cleaning them inside and out. Many of the vehicles are for "U-Drive" service or VIPs. Once the vehicles are returned, they are again checked and cleaned.

"We try to clean them three times a week," Mr. Cooks said. "But with the construction, we've been doing it almost every day to keep them up and ready."

Taking deploying Airman to the airport or collecting VIPs from the flight line is also part of the unit's responsibilities. A dispatch center arranges vehicles for units on base and for arriving airmen. In certain cases, drivers are provided for distinguished visitors, such as visiting Gen. Donald Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command.

"The dispatch office operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Mr. Allen said. "And it's busy."

Mr. Allen credits the seamless cooperation between government and civilian employees as being one of the reasons for a smooth-running operation. Good transportation, he said, helps keep the base moving.

"Transportation is the key to success to any operation," Mr. Allen explained. "If this base didn't have ground transportation, where would we be?"

A veteran with 40 years of transportation experience, including 21 years at Tinker, Mr. Allen has seen a lot of change; the introduction of computers to keep track of vehicles and the increasing use of alternative fuels to power those same vehicles. And automatic transmissions.

With its manual transmission, the veteran M35 truck that Mr. Estep works on is a rare animal. Introduced in 1951, the M35 -- the fabled "deuce-and-a-half" -- has kept America's military moving. Some M35 trucks have nearly doubled their mileage under constant use in the last few years, Mr. Estep said.

Like many veterans, it has given a lifetime of service.

"I've been working on them for 40 years," Mr. Estep says with pride, before adding with a smile, "Well, nearly. Thirty-nine years."