Seventy-Three CAT® Trucks & Counting For Kentucky Construction Firm

If you want to know how the Cat® On-Highway Truck performs in a rough, tough hauling environment, there’s no one better to ask than Fernando Messier. His Louisville, Kentucky-based firm has purchased a total of 73 CT660s since 2013—and has put them to the test on a variety of challenging construction, demolition, roadway, bridge and concrete projects.

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“I am 100% confident that I put my trucks to work in the roughest, toughest conditions, and the CT660s have been up to the task,” Messier says. “We’re a heavy-duty company—hauling anything and everything—and they’ve taken it, no problem.”

A “Stellar” Reputation

A civil engineer by training, Messier started Messier & Associates, Inc. 15 years ago, focusing initially on consulting. About eight years ago, the company branched out into construction—and today, construction hauling and trucking is Messier & Associates’ biggest line of business. With a fleet of more than 60 vocational trucks, the company hauls asphalt, dirt, sand, aggregates, stone and more to and from construction sites in Louisville and across the region.

Today, 46 of those trucks bear the Cat logo. While shopping for some heavy construction equipment in early 2013, Messier learned about the Cat Truck from his sales representative at Cat dealer Whayne Supply and was intrigued.

“Caterpillar’s reputation has always been stellar,” he says. “We had very high hopes for our Cat Trucks from the beginning.”

Excellent Horsepower, Driver Comfort & Technology

Those hopes quickly turned into reality. Messier & Associates purchased 27 CT660s in 2013 and in June 2015 traded those units in for 46 newer models. Why? Messier says Cat Trucks are built solidly and deliver the horsepower he needs. Plus, his drivers love them.

“They love the logo on the front of the trucks—they all know the reputation Caterpillar has,” he says. “And they tell me they’re intuitive and easy to operate, and they really like the ride.”

As a business owner, Messier likes the technology built into Cat Trucks—specifically Product LinkTM, Caterpillar’s asset and fleet management tool, and its web-based user interface, VisionLink®.

“It provides ongoing diagnostics on the trucks in real time, which has helped us identify problems before they end up costing us a lot of money,” he says. “It’s a very proactive system, which is a good thing in this type of business.”

The Best Service Out There

In addition to purchasing his Cat Trucks from Whayne Supply, Messier relies on the dealership to keep them up and running.

“Three years ago, I had 10 trucks—today, I have more than 60,” he says. “Our business has grown rapidly, and we don’t have the shop or technicians to handle that much equipment. So we have a Customer Support Agreement in place with Whayne for all of our Cat Truck maintenance. They have a very good reputation and do good work.”

Messier acknowledged he experienced some “growing pains” with his first batch of Cat Trucks, which wasn’t unexpected for a new product.

“But even when there’s a problem, Cat service is still the best out there, bar none,” he says. “I’d encourage anyone to give the Cat Truck a try. Take it on a test drive. Do a demo. I can tell you they’re running laps around my old trucks, and I’ll absolutely go back to Caterpillar when it’s time to replace them.”