Show me your truck: Ricardo Ortiz, Mac Tools

June 3, 2016

This 24’ wide body Freightliner provides extra room for inventory and customers.

Erica Schueller

Toolbox storage. Ortiz can fit three large toolboxes on his truck, with one of the positions high enough to fit a box and hutch combination. Seen here, two Mac Tools tool carts are stored in the area where one larger box would fit.

On-truck air. Ortiz has an air compressor stored on the outside of his truck, providing him the ability to demo pneumatic tools right on the truck.

Distributor name: Ricardo Ortiz

Affiliation: Mac Tools

Location: El Monte, Calif.

Sliding pry bar storage. This compact storage solution pulls out to neatly display Ortiz’s pry bar selection, and tucks easily away.

In February 2016, Mac Tools distributor Ricardo Ortiz officially updated his ride to a 2016 M2 Freightliner 24’ wide body after working with Summit BodyWorks to come up with a customized design and layout for almost two years.

The truck utilizes many outside compartments for additional storage, including a battery storage slideout, a Cummins air compressor and 8 kW Onan diesel generator, along with an additional 48" lighted external storage box for other items.

Battery storage slideout. The truck features a lighted external battery box with slide-out tray.

Ortiz's route, based in El Monte, Calif., is a predominantly Hispanic area and nearly all of Ortiz’s customers speak Spanish.

Ortiz got his start fixing cars in high school, where he took automotive classes along with college courses. “I was doing that to stay out of trouble. The school would pay for all my stuff. I grew up in a hard neighborhood,” Ortiz explains. “The easiest way to get an education faster was I would take college classes in high school, and the school would pay for my books, and I would get credits to graduate.”

Front and center product. Ortiz made sure to position cordless tools on the shelving customers first see when they enter the truck because the product category has been selling well. “As soon as you walk in, you’ll notice all the cordless tools. Then to the right of it, you’ll see all the air tools, hammers, prybars. I thought that was kind of cool.”

Ortiz worked at a repair shop for two years, until he decided to pursue the mobile tool business. August 2016 will mark 10 years on his route.

Pop-up display. This pop-up display, currently featuring a screwdriver set, showcases a specific product Ortiz has available on the truck. He complements the specials included in this pop-up by featuring a video about the product on the TV behind the display.

About the Author

Erica Schueller | Editorial Director | Commercial Vehicle Group

Erica Schueller is the Editorial Director of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group. The commercial vehicle group includes the following brands: American Trucker, Bulk Transporter, Fleet Maintenance, FleetOwner, Refrigerated Transporter, and Trailer/Body Builders brands.

An award-winning journalist, Schueller has reported and written about the vehicle maintenance and repair industry her entire career. She has received accolades for her reporting and editing in the commercial and automotive vehicle fields by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA), the International Automotive Media Competition (IAMC), the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards and the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) Azbee Awards.

Schueller has received recognition among her publishing industry peers as a recipient of the 2014 Folio Top Women in Media Rising Stars award, acknowledging her accomplishments of digital content management and assistance with improving the print and digital products in the Vehicle Repair Group. She was also named one Women in Trucking’s 2018 Top Women in Transportation to Watch.

She is an active member of a number of industry groups, including the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), the Auto Care Association's Young Auto Care Networking Group, GenNext, and Women in Trucking.

In December 2018, Schueller graduated at the top of her class from the Waukesha County Technical College's 10-week professional truck driving program, earning her Class A commercial driver's license (CDL).

She has worked in the vehicle repair and maintenance industry since 2008.