The Mobile Overachiever: Sean Wilkin, EMS Technician, Fleet Services by Cox Automotive
Fleet Maintenance selected an Overachiever for six different categories based on reader nominations. This is the winner of the Mobile Technician category. You can view the Technician category, the Trainer category, and the Supervisor category here.
The best way to gauge if you’re achieving a good work-life balance is when you can pull an 80-hour work week, leave home at a moment’s notice (even in the middle of the night), and your spouse doesn’t resent you for it, but instead takes the time to nominate you as an Overachiever. That’s what happened in the case of Sean Wilkin, an Indianapolis-based emergency services technician for Fleet Services by Cox Automotive, whose wife Kylie wanted to recognize him for his work.
Wilkin, who learned to repair diesel engines at WyoTech in 2005, has had several jobs, including handling truck stop service at Petro, maintaining Walmart’s fleet, and managing road repairs for the now-defunct megacarrier Celadon. He started working at Fleet Services in June 2023.
Wilkin has to strike while the iron is hot, or more specifically, the engine is cold.
“We don’t have scheduled work, so it’s all emergency breakdowns,” he said.
Each available Fleet Services mobile tech gets the same alert to their app, similar to how Uber drivers operate, making it a competitive landscape. When his work order app is toggled on, Wilkin will drop what he’s doing, hop in his service truck, and head out to rescue some down-on-their-luck trucker. When he spoke to Fleet Maintenance, he was headed back from a call that took him nearly three hours away.
These calls can be to troubleshoot a check engine light, repair an air leak, or most commonly, to get a truck to start. As for that last one, he said that “nine times out of 10,” a bad battery is the culprit. These are usually degraded due to lack of maintenance, as evidenced by the corrosion all over them.
He likes that most jobs present a different challenge, but leaving the house can also provide something of a personal challenge.
“That work-life balance that you have to master … it’s not always easy, for sure,” Wilkin admitted. “There’s times where we’re getting ready to sit down for dinner and the phone goes off, and I gotta go on a job. And my kids are real good. They understand.”
Read more: On the road: What life is like for a mobile technician
Both of Wilkin’s parents were truckers, so he also understands the sacrifices it takes to work in trucking. As such, he keeps both a personal and business cell phone and knows when to shut the latter off. Even so, if the dispatcher calls him when off duty, he answers.
“Nobody wants to be broke down, especially on the side of the road,” Wilkin said.
“Sean is always ready to run, and his willingness to help others is something to be commended,” said his manager Daniel Fuimaono, who added Wilkin is often at the top when it comes to monthly completed calls.
The Wilkins also have a weekly family night. It may shift from Friday to Saturday or Sunday if a job comes up, but this personal PM does get done.
We were already familiar with Wilkin from his large presence on LinkedIn, where his safety tips and maintenance memes are equally on point.
“I started doing it mainly because there’s just so many fake people on there, just out of touch with what day-to-day life was really like,” he said. “You see a lot of brokers and a lot of carriers, but you don’t see a whole lot of stuff from drivers and technicians.”
This advocacy put him on Fleet Services’ radar, and a secondary role has him going to the company’s Indianapolis facility to train new hires. His experience is a huge boost to the orientation process, according to Bob Thalls, Fleet Services manager of learning and development/training.
“Our senior technical instructor shares theory and allows for practice, but Sean brings the instruction to life with real-world examples, and he shares relevant, timely examples from the field,” Thalls noted.
Used to helping people out of jams, Wilkin will also fill in when other trainers are out, teaching new hires about PPE and safety, as well as how to properly fill out DVIRs and maintain their service truck.
Thalls is also a big fan of how Wilkin trains others via social media.
“He’s a gifted communicator, and the passion for his work flows from his words,” Thalls said. “Sean’s stories transport me into the roadside repair, almost as if I’m part of the story.”
Fleet Maintenance would also like to thank our generous sponsors of the Overachiever Awards.
Fleetio: Fleet management software provider Fleetio donated Yeti cup and $50 Amazon gift card.
Fullbay: Shop management software Fullbay is giving each winner a Yeti Gear Case, Gerber Box Cutter, and backpack.
Milwaukee Tool: Milwaukee Tool has given the six Overachievers an M12 Fuel Stubby 1/2" Impact Wrench.
Red Kap: Red Kap has gifted each winner a Performance Work Hoodie.
