Shed Hauler Outfitters, LLC. We understand deliveries.
From the Owner —
“Sometime in 1997 while sitting at the breakfast table the phone rang. My dad answered, and I quickly discerned from his side of the conversation that I was the topic of discussion. I soon figured out someone was asking me to work for them. It turns out Byler Barns of Stuarts Draft, VA was hiring and I was a candidate. I panicked because my skill set was strictly farmer boy up to that point, and I had no clue how to build a storage barn. I soon learned I didn’t need to worry. They expected to train me and they trained well. I learned how to build a barn from start to finish plus I was the delivery helper. While I enjoyed my work in the shop I began to realize that I anticipated the moment the boss would come through the shop telling me we’re going on a delivery. Deliveries were fun. Deliveries meant driving and getting out and seeing places I’d never been to. Deliveries meant a new challenge every time. I loved challenges. I loved being able to hand motion the driver, while thinking to myself that I can back this truck into place just like operating a remote control.
Working as a Delivery Driver in Texas and California
In 2002 my family moved to TX where I began to work as a local barn company’s first delivery driver. My delivery rig was a 1999 Dodge and a shop built roller trailer with a winch. I thoroughly enjoyed driving all over TX delivering sheds, and while a difficult delivery was not entirely fun in the moment, I felt the rush of satisfaction once I overcame the seemingly impossible obstacles, and had a happy customer.
From 2007 to 2009 I delivered sheds in CA for my brother in law. There I began by hauling loads at night from the manufacturing plant near Bakersfield to a new sales lot in Sacramento. After a number of months, I was asked to take the dispatching job at the office. I enjoy organizing and efficiency so I loved getting loads organized for the drivers and doing what I could to make their job as smooth as possible.
After the economic downturn I moved back to TX where I again worked as a driver for the same local barn company. While I did some of the small deliveries I soon landed in the driver’s seat of the cabin rig. Delivering cabins was a whole new set of challenges. While I was doing cabin deliveries the company was getting the other drivers Mules to do deliveries with. I scoffed a bit at the idea. I couldn’t remember ever having a delivery that I couldn’t do without a Mule. In fact, how was a person supposed to do an “up and over” with a Mule? See, using a trailer only for deliveries is much better.
Mules Make a Difference
I changed my mind on Mules the first day I loaded a 53’ trailer with my days’ worth of deliveries, and never had to come back to the shop to reload. I began to like the Mule idea, but one day I when I started my Mule after a heavy rain it started raising the mast all by itself. Suddenly I realized I knew nothing about how this machine operated, and I knew no repair shop would know. I began to peer with glazed eyes into the guts of the machine, and quickly gave up. I called the number on the back of the Mule and to my amazement a live person answered the phone and he already knew exactly what was going on with my Mule and why it was acting the way it was. He got me going right then and there. I was impressed!
After approximately 12 years of hauling sheds and cabins, picking up rental returns, scheduling, dispatching, building barns in the shop and on site, I knew I was ready for something different. I knew I would miss the long roads doing deliveries, but I anticipated the satisfaction of servicing equipment for the shed haulers so that they could keep doing what they do best. In 2014 I opened up a small shop, and took in almost any kind of auto repair work. Very soon I was working on shed hauling equipment, and it grew from there. We soon became a Cardinal dealer, and serviced any brand of shed trailer, Mules, and trucks. I worked day and night to get shed haulers back on the road. I had been a hauler and dispatcher. I knew the headache of re-scheduling loads. I kept thinking to myself “We gotta get them back on the road.”
Whatever it Takes
One of the things I did not realize when opening up shop was all the time it would take to locate all the custom parts needed to keep a shed rig going. The local auto part stores do not stock these parts. All the manufacturers are many states away, and I need parts now. I knew there had to be a better way. After putting all the time in on the phone and online looking for parts, I decided to redeem that time, and make parts available online for all shed haulers. So not only do we sell parts online, but we have experience with installing these parts, and often have the knowledge of why these parts fail. We service any type of shed equipment that comes through our doors, and get to keep up with shed haulers from all over. Although I don’t haul sheds every day anymore, one thing has never changed. I still enjoy a good challenge. From solving an elusive problem on a Mule or trailer to finding the last part in stock in the country I will do what it takes to get that rig on the road.” –Mark Miller