RDI Power’s fleet work began on the road between Brooksville and Tampa. Before the shop on Donto Way opened, owner Ryan Bethell ran a mobile unit that kept fleets running along that route, fixing trucks where they parked. RDI Fleet, our fleet maintenance program, is that same idea with a plan behind it, and Brandon, one of the largest communities in the region at 114,626 people in 2020, is the kind of place it was built for: a base with roads leading everywhere.
Brandon as a base for fleets that work all of Tampa Bay
Brandon sits 11 miles east of downtown Tampa and 14 miles southwest of Plant City. I-75 runs through its western side, I-4 passes about 4 miles north, and the Selmon Expressway ends at I-75 here, giving a direct expressway run toward downtown. The I-4/Selmon Connector, opened in 2014, adds exclusive truck lanes into the Port of Tampa, and Causeway Boulevard leaves US 301 for Brandon Town Center and the port.
If your trucks fan out from a Brandon yard, they may spend one day on the interstate and the next on local streets. A good maintenance plan accounts for both, which is why RDI Fleet sets intervals unit by unit instead of using a single schedule for the whole yard.
Duty cycles from the Brandon interchanges
Interstate legs pile up miles at steady speed, which is easy on brakes and keeps exhaust aftertreatment hot. Suburban routes do the opposite: lots of braking, lots of idling, short trips that never let the diesel particulate filter get warm enough to clean itself. A unit that splits its week between the two needs a plan that watches both kinds of wear.
For those trucks, we set PM on whichever comes first, miles or engine hours, measure brake linings on every visit and check DPF and EGR health before a derate makes the decision for you. Highway tractors go mostly on mileage. Trucks that idle for long stretches go mostly on hours. Our transportation page explains how we work with delivery and carrier fleets.
The diesel side of a mixed Brandon fleet
Plenty of fleets run more than one kind of fuel. Hillsborough County’s own school bus fleet is a mix of diesel, propane and electric buses. RDI Power is a diesel shop, and we say so up front: an RDI Fleet plan covers the diesel trucks, diesel buses and trailers in your yard, light, medium and heavy duty, and does not cover gasoline vehicles. In most mixed yards, the diesel units are the heaviest and hardest-working trucks, and the costliest ones to have parked with a fault.
What RDI Fleet sets up for a Brandon yard
A Brandon fleet account comes with:
- A plan written for your operation. Built around your routes, budget, fleet size and vehicle types.
- Scheduled preventive maintenance. Oil, filters, fuel system service, brakes, tires, belts, hoses, chassis lube and fault code scans, done at your yard by technicians from Brooksville.
- Inspection dates on the same calendar. Each unit’s annual DOT inspection is booked with its PM.
- Priority service. When a unit breaks between visits, fleet accounts go to the front of the line.
- Photo-backed records. A digital inspection after every visit, building a service history per unit.
Major engine or transmission jobs that need a bay are planned into the Brooksville shop on a date you agree to, so a truck never leaves the yard without a reason and a plan.
Cooling systems and summer traffic around Brandon
A diesel that idles in an SR 60 backup on an August afternoon is asking a lot of its cooling system. Fans, fan clutches, radiators, hoses and coolant all work hardest when the truck is barely moving, and a cooling failure is one of the fastest ways to turn a small problem into an engine repair. Every RDI Fleet visit includes a look at coolant condition, hose and belt wear and the radiator face, and the plan schedules a full cooling system service before the hottest months. Our radiators page covers what that service involves.
Getting a Brandon fleet onto a plan
Setup starts with a conversation about how many units you run, what they do and what keeps breaking. Next comes a walk-around at your yard to inventory every truck and trailer by VIN, engine, mileage or hours and condition, with problem units flagged first. From that inventory we set intervals, line up inspection dates and share a schedule that shows what is due and when.
After-hours coverage and the fleet warranty for Brandon units
Repairs on Brandon fleet units are backed by a 2-year / 24,000-mile warranty. Fleet customers also get roadside assistance 24/7, so a truck that stops on the Selmon at night or on I-75 on a Sunday is covered by people who already know its history.
Our RDI Fleet maintenance overview covers the program end to end, Brandon or anywhere else. For yards farther south off US 301, see fleet maintenance in Riverview. Call (352) 433-3800 and bring your Brandon unit list, or let us build it with you.