The Hoosier Motor Club can trace its lineage back to 1902, when it was one of many local motor clubs across the country. Back then, some people even called it the “flat tire club,” referring to one of the original reasons for its formation. It was a social construct of people who had automobiles just helping each other out when they went from one place to another. A variety of social clubs and car owners’ clubs, including the Hoosier Motor Club, affiliated with an organization that in 1902 became the American Automobile Association.
While the national association has its own administration, local clubs follow the same model. Doug Smith, the director of fleet operations at Hoosier Motor Club, says “There's a board here as well. That board is more localized, they understand the local market, and they are local business leaders themselves. They handle a lot of financial and performance reports, but just like the rest of us here, they try to keep the focus on that member who needs rescued from the side of the road. At its core the Hoosier Motor Club has been and always will be a provider of roadside service to its members. To put that in perspective, in Indianapolis alone we run about 350 of those service calls every day.”
Smith’s own career is a kind of personal timeline of the Club’s modern-day progress. He was an ASE Certified Master technician when he was hired 36 years ago to serve as the approved auto repair program guide. “After that, I ran the communication center, the dispatch center,” he says. “I was a field rep. And I was here in 1990 when they started talking about having our own fleet of service vehicles. We did that in 1992. As the years have gone by, I've served as the manager then director of fleet operations here in Indianapolis for the past 12 to 13 years.”
Doug can personally attest to the fact that the Club is continuously and purposefully working to improve itself. He believes one of the best ways to do that is to listen to feedback from the drivers and equipment operators, and act on what you hear. That philosophy led to their transition, beginning in about 2008, to Jerr-Dan as their exclusive supplier of towing and recovery trucks. The Hoosier Motor Club in Indianapolis currently runs six Jerr-Dan MPL-NGS wreckers mounted on five F-550s and one F-650. They also run a total of 23 Jerr-Dan low profile XLP carriers. Their trusted supplier is Jerr-Dan distributor Tipton’s Sales and Parts of Hebron, Kentucky.
“We did our due diligence before we made that change,” Doug said. “We had a couple of guys spend hours going over and under and through that first truck, making sure that we were actually upgrading our capabilities.”
At their Indianapolis location, their overall fleet currently stands at 66 vehicles, with a few more due to come online in the coming weeks and months.
The Club’s commitment to being better every day extend to services offered as well. They offer battery testing and installation to members at the members’ locations. The popularity of that service has led directly to a to-your-door tire replacement service. They are starting with seven of these “My Pit Crew” mobile tire vans and expect to have no trouble keeping them busy.
“We’re at 122 years of service to members now,” Smith says, smiling. “I would give a lot to see what we look like at 200!”