We often celebrate our crews for projects well done, but have you ever thought about the unsung heroes who help jobs get completed?
Meet Yancey Smiley, our Indianapolis area Fuel and Lube employee. Yancey has fueled our jobs since 2014. Before that, he spent 29 years as an operator. A day in Yancey’s life starts out much earlier than the crews’, planning his route for the 10-15 jobs where equipment needs to be refueled The amount of logistics and strategy that goes into this takes dedication, and that is exactly what Yancey delivers.
We asked Yancey about the skills it takes for this position, and we learned it takes a wide variety. First and foremost, he described self-motivation and self-management are key. Yancey is always on-call, ready to go wherever superintendents determine he’s needed. It is then up to him how he goes about the request. Yancey said this take being flexible; if there is a job that needs fuel more than another at a certain moment, he might need to adjust his entire route.
Trust is an absolute must-have. Superintendents need to trust Yancey will be where he says he will – and they do. During his nine years, Yancey has been able to build those relationships and be a reliable asset to our jobs.
Yancey says he is always thinking forward. Jobs are constantly moving forward each day, and Yancey proactively plans his day based on where he knows crews will be working.
Although, it can get quite chaotic to fuel 10-15 jobs at a time, Yancey says the most rewarding part is being able to see projects come to life. Each day is an opportunity to see asphalt laid, bridges built or concrete poured, and Yancey gets to see each job in action when coming to refuel.
Yancey, thank you for being a behind the scenes hero. Because of you, we make lives better one road and bridge at a time.