Who Franklin Shepherd Is
Franklin Shepherd owns Big Shep's LLC, a mobile repair business based in Pittsburg, Texas. He covers roughly a 75 mile radius out of town, working on big trucks, heavy equipment and farm equipment. He does not work on cars.
How He Learned the Trade
Franklin learned to work on things watching his dad as a kid. At 19 he started at a wrecker service, running wreckers, changing tires and helping in the shop. From there he went to a tire shop where he ran the tire truck for 7 years.
He tried to start his own mobile tire service but it did not work out, he says, because of the work demand and other companies already established in the area. After that he went to a garbage company and learned a lot about big trucks, then spent a few years at a tractor dealership. He went back to another trash company where he worked as shop manager and mechanic, the only person in the shop for 2 years, maintaining 24 trucks. From there he went to a dealership and picked up diagnostic work while trying again to get his own business going. Now, he says, he's giving it everything he has to make Big Shep's LLC work.
The Most Common Call
The job Franklin gets called out for most is a crank no start. He says it's never the same thing twice. When it turns out to be something simple, which is usually the case, he puts the cost at roughly $300 to $400.
What People Get Wrong
Franklin says the main thing people in his area get wrong is thinking all repairs are expensive. That's the misconception he runs into most on the job.
A Night He Remembers
One night, when he was 18, Franklin was riding through town and saw a brand new truck and trailer pulled over in a parking lot around 8pm. The owner had a wheel bearing go out on the trailer's back axle and didn't know how to fix it. Another person had already stopped to help but didn't know either.
Franklin told them what parts he needed. A couple of phone calls later, the parts showed up in about 30 minutes. He pulled everything apart and put the new bearing in using a pair of pliers, a hammer and a 4 way lug wrench. The whole job took about an hour and a half. The owner offered him hundreds of dollars for it. Franklin turned it down and went on with his night.
What He Brings to a Job
Asked what's on the van that sets him apart, Franklin says it's not equipment, it's him. He says he thinks best under pressure, working out a solution when there isn't an obvious one.
He covers northeast Texas, about a 75 mile radius from Pittsburg. On a first call, he says he's laid back and easy going, and tries to be funny to take some of the tension out of the situation. He doesn't work on cars, just big trucks, heavy equipment and farm equipment, and he doesn't claim a favorite among them.
Interviewed by MechanicRank · October 29, 2026. Nothing here is sponsored and nothing was rewritten into marketing copy. Read the other features or tell us about your own shop.