Technician celebrates 30 year milestone

Steve Bristow, senior technician at our Witham branch recently celebrated 30 years long service. Three decades. That's not something we see everyday in the commercial vehicle industry. And for him, it's always boiled down to the same things; care, expertise and reputation.

When he first came to the branch, it was nothing more than a warehouse with a small office and single bay door. The vision initially, to transform the space to serve a local customer as a VMU (Vehicle Maintenance Unit) before expanding our services to other operators in the area. Steve was the first on site, liaising with the builders and helping to get the workshop up and running. Working with what was then Ro-trucks management, he was key in getting foundations in place, setting early standards and building relationships in Essex. 

Now, that same site has grown into a six-bay operation with a 24-strong team. The tools have changed. The trucks have changed. But Steve? His approach has stayed the same. 

"It's about doing the job properly and caring about the fleets like they were your own," he says simply.

Expertise that others lean on. 

Steve started as as apprentice in a fleet workshop, before moving onto fleet engineer roles across Essex. By the time he joined TruckEast (then Ro-truck), he knew his way around a truck inside and out. Bringing both hands-on knowledge and technical skill, he was the go-to person for complicated jobs. 

Still today, his expertise is golden. He's the person that not only technicians turn to when something complicated comes in. But he's trusted by operators across the region for his guidance and advise. 

Care in every job.

Over 30 years, it's fair to say that you build up a lot of memories. Some jobs just stick with you. For Steve, there was the V8 boat engine in Brightlingsea - six foot swells and rain lashing down. The engine had to come out, be stripped down, transported and rebuilt. He did much of it alone, in the dark. 

Then there was the hay truck. Too high to get into the workshop. And with an urgent delivery to Wales looming, the team knuckled down together. With the driver rearranging the load so that it stacked above the building at the rear, the cab could fit in to the workshop, where four technicians changed the clutch in two hours and got it back on the road. 

"Knowing a vehicle came in with a fault and you've resolved it properly, that is a great feeling," he comments. "When you are working on a truck, it's your personal reputation as much as the company's. You have to care about what you are doing."

Relationships and working together. 

A familiar face for technicians, operators and drivers across Essex, Steve has built long-standing relationships with customers, many of whom he's supported for decades. Now he's working with the next generation of business owners and transport managers. 

"It's always been about relationships in this industry. That hasn't changed," he adds.

Equally proud of the technicians he'd mentored over the years; watching apprentices grow into confident and capable technicians is something he finds hugely rewarding. And his advice, that's always the same to those starting off in the trade. 

"Spend a few minutes with the truck first. Look at it. Listen. Think about what may be wrong and causing the fault. Then use the diagnostics. That's how you really learn and become the best technician you can be." Steve shares. 

30 years on and still loving the job.

After 30 years, Steve's motivation is simple, he enjoys what he does. The challenges, the problem solving, the satisfaction of resolving something complex, this has always been his drive. 

In those early years, his favourite job would be stripping engines. Now, having moved away from the heavy work, he favours challenging tacho jobs. The similarity? Despite three decades passing, Steve still loves to get stuck in and find the root cause of a failure. 

As a business, TruckEast offers long service awards on regular milestones including 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. And over the last 18 months alone, that has included 50 members of our team.