Cole Brennan (Fictional)

Army mechanic turned civilian fleet shop lead: six years out, twelve years keeping trucks rolling.

Veteran · 6 years out★ Mission Ready

02In their own voice

No intro video yetA sixty second introduction, in their own words, sits here once they record one.

03The record

Shop Lead, Fleet Maintenance
Kessler Freight Lines
2023 - now
Leads a four-tech bay maintaining a 60-tractor regional fleet: PM program, DOT inspections, hiring and training.
Transferable skillsTeam leadershipPM program ownershipDOT compliance
The full picture
Why this move“Moved for the lead slot and the bigger fleet: wanted to build a PM program from scratch the way the motor pool taught him.”
Fleet Technician
Fox Valley Freight
2020 - 2023
Diesel and brake work on Class 8 tractors and trailers; earned the night-shift lead slot in year two.
Transferable skillsDiesel diagnosticsBrake systems
The full picture
Why this move“First civilian job out: picked a regional carrier close to home so the family could finally stop moving.”

Military service

Shop foreman, 6 mechanics
U.S. Army
Military title: Shop Foreman, Motor Pool (E-6)
2017 - 2020
Ran a six-mechanic shop: the maintenance schedule, quality control on every job, and training every new arrival.
Transferable skillsShop leadershipFleet readinessTraining and mentoring
The specialty, in civilian terms
Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic · MOS 91B · Twelve years as an Army wheeled vehicle mechanic (MOS 91B) means this person spent over a decade owning the mechanical readiness of tactical truck fleets, including a period running a multi-mechanic motor pool shop as the person responsible for scheduling, quality control, and technician development. That is directly comparable to a shop foreman role in a commercial fleet environment. Six years in civilian freight has extended that into back-to-back roles at regional carriers, where the pattern is consistent: he moves toward bigger problems and more ownership, not just bigger titles. He built a preventive maintenance program at Kessler Freight Lines from the ground up, drawing on what the motor pool taught him about keeping equipment available rather than chasing repairs after failure. The foreman role he took was specifically to solve a backlog problem, and his fix was structural, rebuilding the PM schedule so trucks arrived for service before they broke down.
Vehicle maintenanceDiagnosticsPreventive maintenance
The full picture
40
truck tactical fleet
95%
readiness for his
Kept a 40-truck tactical fleet above 95 percent readiness for his final two years.
Why this move“Took the foreman slot to fix the backlog problem: rebuilt the PM schedule so trucks came in before they broke, not after.”
Recognition from this chapter
Army Commendation Medal
Fleet readiness above 95 percent for four consecutive quarters
Kept a 40-vehicle fleet available for work at a rate most commercial fleets never reach.
Diesel mechanic, wheeled vehicles
U.S. Army
Military title: Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic (E-3 to E-5)
2012 - 2017
Line repairs to full rebuilds on tactical trucks: diesel, brake, hydraulic, and recovery work, at home station and in the field.
Transferable skillsDiesel diagnosticsHydraulic systemsRecovery operations
The full picture
Earned the promotion path by being the mechanic other bays borrowed.

3 more stories in their words

Walked intoKessler ran trucks until they broke: 30 tractors deep in backlog, drivers stranded twice a month.

What they didBuilt a PM schedule from scratch the way the motor pool taught me, and put the board where every driver could see it.

AfterBreakdowns on the road dropped by half in six months, and the board still runs the shop today.

Walked intoA tractor kept derating on grades and three techs had already thrown parts at it for two weeks.

What they didSpent one night with the data log instead of the parts catalog and traced it to a chafed harness grounding out under load.

AfterForty-dollar fix, truck never came back for it, and the shop adopted logs-before-parts as the rule.

Walked intoGot a 19-year-old private in the motor pool who could not torque a wheel to spec without help.

What they didPaired him with me for the first hour of every shift, one system a week, until the checklist was his.

AfterHe made sergeant, ran his own bay, and trained the next two soldiers the same way.

04What they bring

Top five skills · rated by them

Diesel engine diagnosis and repairExceptional
Preventive maintenance programsExceptional
Hydraulic and brake systemsExceptional
Shop leadership and schedulingStrong
Parts and inventory managementStrong

Their own rating. Not a score.

Also from their experience

Team leadership
PM program ownership
DOT compliance
Diesel diagnostics
Fleet readiness
Training and mentoring
Recovery operations

05Beyond the résumé

A good day: “Trucks staged before sunrise, one gnarly diagnosis nobody else could crack, and the whole line rolling out by end of shift.”

Beyond the work

Hobby: Rucking and trail running, three mornings a week · Rebuilding a 1978 F-250 with his brother
Also: Assistant coach, youth football

06The practical picture

Career interests

open to Milwaukee, WI, Appleton, WI

Where they are at

Availability: Veteran · 6 years out
Lives in: Open to relocating
Would move to: Milwaukee, WI, Appleton, WI

Education, training, and certifications

EducationDiesel Medium/Heavy Truck Technician certificate (in progress) · Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

Military trainingWheeled Vehicle Mechanic (MOS 91B)

07Other formats

Résumé version Federal format

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