While it doesn’t reach the triple digit temperatures of nearby Tucson, Arizona, Vail, Arizona does climb into the high 90s during the summer. Those hailing from cooler parts of the United States might be surprised to know that the Vail Transportation Department operated in those temps for years without air conditioning.
Deana Haggerty, the school district’s transportation dispatcher, was responsible for bus and maintenance vehicle care as well as keeping the drivers of her 216-vehicle fleet cool during the summer without the benefits of central air. She also needed to find a solution that was cost-efficient. So how did she do it?
Keeping an Old Ice Maker Alive
Icy beverages and hydration go a long way toward keeping people cool in hot weather. Haggerty encouraged employees to hydrate with ice cold beverages and even supplied incentivized them with water bottles and coolers. However, access to enough ice became a problem.
“We had a small commercial ice maker before Easy Ice and it would run out by 10 in the morning,” Haggerty said. “We have 115 employees to keep cool in transportation, and the ice machine just couldn’t keep up.”
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Not only was the ice maker failing to perform as needed, it was also becoming a financial drain as costs to maintain and repair it added up. This is a common issue for organizations that own their ice machines; they face not only the original purchase price but all ongoing maintenance, cleaning, and repairs costs.
Finding parts for the dated ice machine was getting more difficult, causing long delays for repairs. While the machine was awaiting repairs, the ice had to be supplemented from convenience stores, a cost that added up quickly.
With summer temperatures up to 110F, a reliable source of ice for drivers to take on the road isn’t a luxury, it’s practically a lifeline. Ultimately, Deana realized hobbling along with the owned ice maker was losing battle.
Searching for the Solution: Ice Machine for Vehicle Fleet
Responsible for the fleet drivers transporting 10,000 students among 16 schools, Haggerty went into overdrive to find a solution.
She made calls to colleagues, performed online cost comparisons, and spoke with industrial ice machine dealers in her ice machine for vehicle fleet search. Each effort helped her understand the importance of having the proper size ice machine, regular maintenance, and a trusted repair technician and began to reveal that neither buying nor leasing an ice maker would be the ideal solution.
Now a self-proclaimed ice machine expert, Haggerty was pleased that her outreach led to a call with another Vail school district department that got their industrial ice maker through an Easy Ice subscription. Their satisfaction with the subscription finalized Haggerty’s decision to choose Easy Ice for her department’s new industrial ice machine.
Easy Ice Reputation Wins Another New Customer
Although research steered her toward Easy Ice, speaking to a colleague currently using Easy Ice tilted the scale for Haggerty. Knowing her colleague was happy with Easy Ice and never had to deal with an ice machine problem weighed heavily on her decision as her existing ice machine seemed to be in repair more than it was operational.
Today, Haggerty says she and her colleagues are happy they chose Easy Ice. She said, “We now have an industrial ice maker that produces 600lbs of ice a day. We finally have enough ice to get us through the day!”
Let Easy Ice Be Your Guide
If you’re looking for the best industrial ice machine for your transportation business, our comprehensive guide is here to help. You may discover a subscription is the perfect ice solution for the transportation industry. We include biannual preventive maintenance, cleaning, and repairs with the ice machine for a single monthly payment. If there is ever an issue with your ice maker, we maintain a 24-hour ice machine service line, so you can get help when you need it. We even supply backup ice if your machine is down for repairs.
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An Easy Ice subscription is how you get an ice machine for vehicle fleet and never have to worry about your ice supply again.
As the Co-Founder and COO of Easy Ice, John Mahlmeister has been working in the commercial ice machine industry since 2009. Co-headquartered in Phoenix, AZ and Marquette, MI, Easy Ice is the only national provider of full-service ice machine subscriptions in the industry. Since Easy Ice was founded, the number of ice machines under its management has grown to over 30,000 units across 47 states, with no signs of slowing down.