Our Story

Myers Diesel

Myers Diesel Company History

Ken Myers comes from humble beginnings as a young boy of 12, washing trucks for his uncle to growing his company into a nationally respected truck repair company in Bakersfield, CA.

With a long history of working as a diesel truck mechanic from the age of 12, his experience is second-to-none. Myers Diesel Repair is a family-owned business.

At 12 years old his uncle didn’t want to hire Ken. Ken simply wanted to buy a bicycle so he set off to find some work with his uncle who was resistant. So Ken went out and made it for himself.

His uncle had a rule that after work every day, his employees had to pull around the back of the shop at the time and wash their trucks.

But as you can imagine, those drivers were tired after a long day and hated doing this. So Ken thought of the brilliant idea of earning some money by washing the trucks for the guys after work. Back then there were no labor laws and the truckers were tired.

So Ken grabbed a 5-gallon bucket, grabbed some Dawn dishwashing liquid and a scrub brush, and started washing trucks for $5 a piece.

Back then that was a lot of money. The only problem that Ken had was he didn’t know how to drive the truck off of the wash rack after he was done because he was so young.

Finally they taught him how to drive the truck, so that’s when business got really good for Ken. Ken had an entrepreneur mindset at a young age.

His uncle took notice of that, and finally took his nephew under his wing and had Ken start working on tires, from there, brakes, and then services and then kept going from there, assisting on overhauls, clutch jobs. After a few years he was no longer assisting.

By then, Ken started working after school as much as he could to bring home a check to help his mother with living expenses, as she was a single mother with three boys.

Ken moved directly to full-time at about the age of 16 for his uncle. He was unable to go to high school because he was too busy learning the diesel mechanic trade. His uncle was the one who raised him and taught him everything he knew for over 10 years while he worked for him.

Ken finally got his own apartment and had enough money to buy his first car, an AMC Pacer, so that he could drive back and forth to work to his uncle’s shop. Things were moving now for Ken and he was gaining valuable experience.

At 22 Ken got married to Lisa Myers, and they are still happily married today. Then at about 23 Ken went to work at Phillips Grain in Delano CA. They had about 30 trucks that he was in charge of. He immediately moved up the chain because of the incredible amount of experience he had because he started so early.

Through hard work and good old fashioned savings, Ken kept working and finally started Myers Diesel Repair in 2001. Ken’s first investment was an $1800 service truck that he could use to service his customers. And this was the beginnings of Myers Diesel Repair.

At this point he had no shop. People were simply calling him and having him come out to their location to do the repairs. He actually had a stroke of luck because RMC Transportation helped him by letting Ken use his shop.

RMC Transportation wanted Ken to work for him on the side. The owner let Ken use the shop to work on his trucks as well as work on the trucks for RMC Transportation. Just as long as Ken did the work for RMC Transportation first, then everything was good.

A turning point in the business was when Ken was going up the grapevine, and the engine of his old truck almost fell out, so he had to go down and buy a new service truck the next day. So Ken bought a beautiful new truck and business took off to a whole new level!

Ken Gets a New Shop

Ken absolutely had to rent a new shop because he was growing too fast. He hired 2 mechanics and they took off! The guy who he rented the shop from was $1500. But what happened, is Ken was doing so well, that the owner started demanding a higher rent.

So finally, Ken decided enough was enough, and he contacted a commercial realtor in Bakersfield to start scoping out the area around Shafter to build a shop. After some searching, Ken found the perfect location to plant some roots and eventually build the shop of his dreams on a five-acre parcel of land.

In February 2005, his new 8000 sq. ft shop was completed. At that time, Ken needed a place for his parts and so he put four sea trains alongside his new shop, which became his parts warehouse. But as fast as he was growing he had to build another shop in the back to accommodate all of the business.

Then he started thinking he could build another warehouse so he could buy them wholesale for when his customers came in.

Who We Service

96% of the trucks that Myers Diesel services today are semi-trucks and large fleets. The rest is equipment such as tractors and dozers, and farm and ranch vehicles. Basically, if it’s a diesel Myers Diesel Repair in Bakersfield will work on it.

Myers Diesel does complete fleet maintenance in Bakersfield now and takes pride in the knowledge and expertise that comes with over 30 years of experience.

Nothing is sent out. All trucks are worked on right there in Ken’s shop. He’s the only one in Bakersfield that can say that.

Trusted Truck Repair Company

Myers Diesel Repair services several different industries such as oil, agriculture, industrial, construction, industrial, as well as snowbirds with motorhomes.

We were proud to be named a Meritor Service Point Partner in 2017, and we stand behind our reputation and quality of work.

Truck Repair Technology

The technology that Myers Diesel has is top of the line that you can’t find anywhere else. Ken invested heavily in the technology and equipment needed to diagnose any type of problem that you bring to their shop.

Now, Ken has 5 service trucks and about 20 employees that he runs and is always available to service any truck that needs work.

Our goal is to get you back on the road, we have over 30 years of experience. Our prime location, the center of all major truck routes in Kern Country, means a faster response time to you.

Our service trucks are fully equipped and available 24/7, from LA to Fresno, holidays too!

We specialize in PM’s, tractor, truck, and trailer repairs, as well as major engine and drive-train repairs and we are also A/C certified.

Our parts department stocks all your tractor, truck, and trailer equipment needs and we deliver.

We are a family-owned business that knows what downtime means, so give us a call today and let us show you what real service and wholesale pricing is all about.

We know that the best way to stay in business is to have our own customers recommend us and we will do everything we can to ensure your complete satisfaction.

Get In Touch

9606 Enos Lane, Bakersfield, CA 93314

ap@myersdiesel.com

Send A Message

Trusted Diesel Repair Company

Myers Diesel Repair services several different industries such as oil, agriculture, industrial, construction, as well as snowbirds with motorhomes.

We were proud to be named a Meritor Service Point Partner in 2017, and we stand behind our reputation and quality of work.

Services

Diesel Repair • 5th Wheel, RV's & Tractors

DOT & BIT Inspections • Brakes & Alignments

Truck & Trailer Repair • Axle Repair & Maintenance

Certified AC Specialists & Cooling Systems • Transmissions & Electrical Systems 

Contact Us

9606 Enos Lane, Bakersfield, CA 93314

ar@myersdiesel.com

 

 

Myers Diesel Repair, Inc. BBB Business Review