BENLEE has it roots going back more than 50 years, when Bill Wolok began working in the Scrap Industry. He later had a fleet of trucks including roll off trailers and had 25 to 30 trucks in operation at any one time. Soon, inquiries came in from scrap and waste businesses in need of truck and trailer parts, used rolloff trailers and trucks and various other equipment. Each time a new need became apparent, Wolok found a way to meet it. By the 70's roll off trailers and rolloff trucks were becoming popular, so Wolok became involved in the distribution end of a friend's rollon/rolloff business. About a year into that endeavor, Wolok said to his friend, "I've got more orders than you can build in the next year." That's when the blueprints were handed to Wolok, and the business built its first rolloff in 1974.

At first, Wolok found fabricators to make roll-offs for BENLEE, but it became apparent that quality control would be significantly better if Wolok took full control of fabrication and assembly. In order to do that, BENLEE opened a Roll off and Dump Trailer and Truck manufacturing facility in Romulus (near Detroit), Michigan, very close to major Interstates I-75 and I-94, where quality is now monitored up close. BENLEE sits on 12 acres and has about 32,000 square feet of facilities that house manufacturing, 5 Service bays, 2 Frame Straightening bays, a Spare parts business, as well as a Rental operation. In-house manufacturing was the most important turn for BENLEE because it brought together a highly experienced crew of trailer and truck experts that Design, build, service and support the Best RollOffs (Trailers & Trucks), Dump Trucks and Trailers, as well as Crushed Car Trailers and other specialty vehicles.

Creating a team that can produce superior results was born of Wolok's principle that no one should hold a position with this company without related experience. You will not find anyone at BENLEE who does not have first hand experience in some end of the transportation business. Brian Gearhart, the original Chief Designer, ran a plant that put together units for NATO. Sales Manager, Steve Doughty, was a driver for eight years and an owner/operator for five years. He also worked as a sales rep with a trucking company. Brian Lucas, Service and Parts Leader, was a Mechanic for 4 years, before he became the Parts leader and has since become involved in Service as well. Each spoke helps turn the wheels, which Wolok would like to roll unobstructed in the future.

Having knowledgeable people running the company from every corner ultimately, of course, benefits the customer. He says, "We spend a lot of time explaining to people what they need in trailers." That is not a high powered sales pitch either. Instead, says Doughty, "We help spec out the best trailer or truck for their particular application." This is done by knowing what is going to be hauled, the size of the containers, the destination, the gross vehicle weight, axle weight laws, federal bridge laws, etc., and therefore being able to recommend the right unit for the job. "If it is not in our existing inventory, we will design the trailer or truck that best meets their needs and now we have rental roll off trailers for our customers," states Doughty.

In addition to doing quite a bit of custom design work, new designs are always being tested to be entered into the market. BENLEE’s current list is extensive and includes seven trailer and truck styles, 33+ models. They offer everything from 26 to 53 foot trailers and trucks, two to eight axles, and one-box and two-box rolloff models. BENLEE is not only in the manufacturing business, they also sell used trailers and trucks. Many of these units are trade-ins. Because of the wealth of experience represented at Benlee, they are able to take most makes as trade-ins. Another important aspect of the company is the Service operation. BENLEE not only services what they sell, but they also repair and upgrade competitors' Rolloffs and Dumps from companies such as Accurate, American, Dunright, ESP, E-Z Pack, Galbreath, Galfab, G & H and McClain vehicles. Together with the Nationally recognized Parts operation led by Brian Lucas and Carol Kazensky, this means BENLEE has three Integrated Departments:

1) Design and build of Roll off Trailers, Roll off Trucks and Dump Trailers and Trucks, as well as Crusher Car Trailers

2) A major customer based service operation that does everything from a simple brake job to a complete rebuild after a competitor's or BENLEE unit has been in an accident

3) A Nationally recognized Parts operation that has a complete line of Rolloff and Dump parts including lift and reeving Hydraulic cylinders, sheaves/pulleys, etc.

The company has become a leader in the Scrap industry and is gaining position in the Trash industry, due to their great products that have very high Uptime and are supported by a Parts operation that ships 99%+ of their orders within hours. This support makes BENLEE’s customers highly profitable, because they can rely on Benlee to support them and keep their vehicles running. Based on this world class support, BENLEE keeps Scrap and Trash companies like Commercial Metals Company, Gershow Recycling, Metal Management, OmniSource, Republic Waste and Waste Management, up and running. BENLEE also keeps trucking companies like Berner Trucking, TLC and TMS Trucking, among the best in the industry, due to the great reliability and Uptime of BENLEE products.

BENLEE is one company that needs few words to further their proven quality track record. In fact, as an example they were chosen to build eighteen specially equipped trailers to assist in an eight-year government clean-up project. Although they were not the cheapest in the line of bids, their reputation spoke for them. Those eighteen units were shipped 2,400 miles to the site. Along with their U.S. customers, BENLEE trailers also reach Thailand, South Africa, Middle East, Puerto Rico and South America. Because the demand is always increasing, they now have entered into the rental business for Roll off trailers. Rent Roll Offs from Benlee or their partner Premier. Wolok also moved quickly to support his customers when a Federal Law began, requiring increased containment of crushed cars, as they travel the highways. The team developed a Crushed Car Trailer, with either gates or a BENLEE Patented Tarp system that is now being made by Mountain Tarp.

Besides offering quality trailers, custom designs, taking trade-ins, and providing rental roll-off trailers, BENLEE takes customer satisfaction one step further. Most of their customers are 'truckers'; however, when someone does not know much about operating one of these vehicles, BENLEE offers training. BENLEE will personally train individuals or groups. Training videos are also available. Doughty says, "We want to make sure their drivers have the proper training. You buy a new unit, you get training."

As 2005 rolled around and Wolok became 75 years old, he met Greg Brown, a veteran of the Automotive industry, dealing with the highest quality companies supplying vehicle parts and equipment to assemble vehicles. His customers were not only the "Big Three", but other companies also known for quality such as Toyota and Mercedes. As Brown says "Bill and I hit it off right away. Bill's drive for customer responsiveness and delivering the best quality product possible is the way I was trained while working at companies like GE and Honeywell. As someone once said, I liked the company so much, I bought it". Brown continues with, "Our focus remains on the customer and how we can improve their profitability by developing new products and services that surpass their needs. It is about keeping our customer's costs down and improving their Uptime".

Wolok remains a key member of the team and together Wolok and Brown are bringing the company to new levels of Customer Service and Productivity. Lastly, through smart engineering and customer input they are creating product enhancements bringing even more value to their customers. BENLEE is a Growth and Value story supporting thousands of units built over the past 30 years and looking forward to the next 30 years.

UPDATED FROM AMERICAN WASTE DIGEST