Transportation’s Graveyard Shift Keeps Our Vehicles – and the PUD – Humming Along

The PUD is a 24/7 operation, working constantly to ensure smooth operation.

This includes a dedicated team working through the night to make sure every PUD vehicle is inspected, maintained, and safe.

From 10:30 p.m. until after 8 a.m., our Transportation Department’s graveyard shift whisks PUD vehicles away from community offices – and sometimes employees’ homes – for inspection and preventative maintenance, returning them before anyone wakes up.

“Those guys do phenomenal work,” said Mark Stephens, PUD Transportation Manager. “They sacrifice having more of a ‘normal life’ to make sure our fleet operates at the highest level. They’re a key part of what keeps our department – and all PUD vehicles – running smoothly.”

In all, the PUD has about 800 vehicles and 1,100 pieces of equipment – including trailers, bulldozers, and woodchippers – that the graveyard shift helps maintain. The team heads out around 11 p.m. to pick up that night’s assignment and bring it back to the shop.

The evening’s task can be anything from specialized equipment at a community office to a serviceman’s truck parked in a driveway.

“We have to work well with all of the shifts so it can keep rolling 24 hours a day.” –Shop Foreman Bart Higgins

“I appreciate the hard work and sacrifice of all of our employees who work around the clock to keep our operations going, including the Transportation team,” said Colin Willenbrock, PUD Chief Operating & Legal Officer. “When many of us are asleep, the Transportation employees are working to make sure our vehicles are safe and ready when needed. Their incredible work ethic and attention to detail give me confidence every time I’m riding in a PUD vehicle.”

Once the inspection is complete, the team performs preventative maintenance to keep vehicles running smoothly for as long as possible. This includes changing oil, rotating tires, greasing chassis, replacing wiper blades, cleaning windows, and vacuuming – along with any repairs that arise during the safety review.

“Even though it’s a lot of preventative maintenance, there’s still a good variety,” said Jacob “Lindy” Lindemulder, Journeyman Mechanic. “I view it as a big puzzle. You get that little endorphin hit when you find a problem and solve it.”

“We work on everything,” added Journeyman Mechanic Doug Hustad. “If it’s got a motor on it, we probably work on it. The goal is every rig gets back out before we go home. It’s not always possible, but we’re pretty good at it.”

Occasionally, larger repairs require pulling a vehicle from service until the issue is resolved.

“Sometimes you get lucky with an easier job,” said Westin Saunders, the graveyard shift’s Mechanic Assistant. “Sometimes an ‘easy’ job gets less easy pretty quickly. Different vehicles mean different things to keep track of.”

The late-night work fosters a close bond. It’s quieter on the night shift, with fewer distractions. The group collaborates to diagnose unusual issues and get vehicles back on the road.

Some team members have been on the graveyard crew for years; others, just a few months.

“It’s like a family. We probably see each other more than our real families,” said Transportation Shop Foreman Bart Higgins, who’s spent eight of his 18 years at the PUD on the graveyard shift. “We’ve got a good group of guys. They try to help each other out – and other shifts out. We have to work well with all of the shifts so it can keep rolling 24 hours a day.”

The group eats “lunch” together every day at 1 a.m. Early every Friday morning, the graveyard shift hosts a team potluck, filling the Transportation break room with the incredible aromas of homemade dishes like ham hock soup and buttermilk pie.

They share treats while discussing the night’s work, often with episodes of Longmire playing in the background.

“Everybody here is great,” said Ben Matney, Journeyman Mechanic, who is about to finish his first year at the PUD and contributed that buttermilk pie to a recent potluck. “The group lunches are cool. Everybody gets along well.”

For Robert “Bobby” Fisher, Journeyman Mechanic, working for the PUD’s Transportation team has been a goal years in the making.

“I grew up just down the hill from our Operations Center. I drove by here a million times growing up,” Bobby said. “I always thought it would be cool to work here. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life back then, but once I knew I wanted to be a mechanic, I knew I wanted to work here.”

The shift does take a toll on the body. There are different strategies for handling the unusual hours. Some wake up right before work, do their shift, head home, and sleep in the early afternoon. Others wake up in the early afternoon, take care of things before their shift, then go to bed immediately after work.

“Sleeping is the hardest part,” said Doug, who has spent most of his 10½ years at the PUD on the graveyard shift. “Everyone would tell you the same thing. You figure out what works for you. There’s something to be said about the calm, though. It’s quiet. You can show up and do your work. It’s kind of the forgotten shift.”

“There are some perks,” added 15-year graveyard vet Brian Vanhulle, Journeyman Mechanic. “It’s pretty much the opposite schedule of most people in society. You can go grocery shopping or run errands on your way home. Traffic is easy too! You have a lot more of your day that you can plan stuff around. If you don’t care about sleep, you can get a lot done.”

The group is respected among the other shifts in Transportation, who come in before and after the graveyard shift and work with the team to ensure a smooth transition throughout the day.

“It’s the unsung hero work,” said Transportation General Foreman Shawn Miller. “But it’s necessary. They’re a big part of catching things that are problems before they’re problems.”