Rick Johnson
Morris,USA
Summary
Fleet Operations and Maintenance Professional Dynamic Vice President of Fleet and Maintenance with 30 years of comprehensive experience in optimizing maintenance operations and fleet management. Demonstrated expertise in enhancing maintenance programs, managing vendor relationships, and implementing predictive maintenance strategies that drive cost efficiency and operational excellence. Proven ability to lead large teams, streamline procurement processes, and ensure compliance with industry standards while fostering a culture of safety and continuous improvement. Adept at leveraging data analytics to forecast maintenance needs and improve asset utilization across extensive fleets. Committed to delivering exceptional results and elevating organizational performance through strategic leadership.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President of Maintenance
Riverside Transportation
Kansas City, KS
01.2026 - Current
- Responsible for all aspects of maintenance and fleet operations.
- Manage all facilities and grounds
- Improvements made in my time at Riverside resulted in dropping the CSA scorers for the first time in nearly a year.
- change procurement and inventory practices relieving $200,000 in parts inventory
- Increased staffing to reduce vendor repairs.
Vice President of Fleet Maintenance
Heniff Transportation
Oak Brook, IL
01.2019 - 01.2025
- Responsible for all aspects of the maintenance and Fleet functions: repair, commodity approvals, shop operations, vendor relationships, procurement, and IFTA
- Charged with 8,000 diverse assets
- Created new processes and procedures to nurture safe working environments
- Reduced Costs of maintenance by introducing National Board 'R' stamp capabilities and mobile maintenance capabilities
- Added internal warranty capabilities to shops in 2024 first year savings $600,000
- Responsible for annual ~$40M CAPEX proposals and Maintenance budgets~$50 M
- Designed a leasing program for tractor leasing with maintenance covered in the weekly payment. Years 1 through 3 will profit the company, with year 4 breaking even until the time of sale. Allowing for controlled maintenance of the vehicles while under the leasing program
- Responsible for all contractor maintenance, loan approvals, payback terms, and collections, decreasing the loan balance from $800,000 to $500,000 in 2023
Director of Maintenance
Quality Distribution, INC.
Tampa, FL
01.2006 - 01.2019
- Reviewed all maintenance repairs to ensure that repairs were categorized as an expense or capital repair. Based on GAAP rules as directed by the CFO.
- Managed maintenance project to reduce wheel end failures, bringing the amount of failures in my second year of director below 5 per year a reduction on 80%. This system is still in place today.
- Responsible for maintenance on over 11,000 assets and an approximate 50-million-dollar maintenance spend
Military Experience
Illinois Army National Guard E. CO. 634th BSB 33rd. ID
Joliet, IL
01.2006 - 01.2012
- Wheeled vehicle mechanic
- Squad Leader
- Selected for Substance Abuse NCOIC
- Selected for Maintenance training NCO
E. CO 634th Force Protection 33rd I.D 82nd AB DIV
Kabul, Afghanistan
01.2008 - 01.2009
- Force Protection Maintenance NCOIC
- Selected for missions around Afghanistan to relocate appropriate equipment in the regions.
- Hand Selected by Garrison Sargent Major to provide command updates on equipment status's in critical events
United States Air Force
Scott AFB, IL
06.1995 - 10.1999
- General Purpose Vehicle Mechanic
- Served 2 tours on Base Honor Guard Flight
- Received several letters of achievement including a letter from Illinois Governor Jim Edgar
332nd Expeditionary Squadron
Al Jaber AB, Kuwait
01.1999 - 01.1999
- Attached to the 332nd Expeditionary Squadron Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait 1999
- Security Police augmentee
- Re-Assigned as acting NCO for Refueling maintenance. Successfully maintained a 95% in commission rate to maintaining flight schedules and mission requirements.
Education
Associate of Science - Legal Studies
Purdue Global
Fort Lauderdale, FL01-2027
Black Belt Certification - Six Sigma
Aveta Business Institute
Pittsburgh, PA01-2019
A.A.S - Criminal Justice
Kaplan University
Online01-2007
Some College - General Studies
Joliet Junior College
Joliet, IL01-2000
No Degree - Vehicle Maintenance
Community College of The Air Force
San Antonio, TX01-1995
Skills
- Google docs
- Microsoft Office
- Coaching and mentoring
- Strategic planning
- Results-driven
- Process improvement
- Training and mentoring
- Six Sigma
- DOT Regulation
- Chemical compatibility
- Trimble Software
- Samsara
- Asset tracking
- Decision-making
- Team leadership
Accomplishments
- P&L Management Managed $50M maintenance P&L and $40M rolling stock Capex budget
- Increased Maintenance Efficiency Improved fleet maintenance efficiency by 30% through process optimization.
- Achieved Cost Savings Implemented cost-saving measures, reducing expenses by 20% over two years.
- Shop Network Expansion Expanded shop network to 50 locations with over 240 mechanics.
- Decrease Maintenance Expense Increased shop capabilities to reduce the vendor repair costs initially by 10%
- Warranty Cost Reduction Saved $600,000 in 2024 by adding internal warranty capabilities.
- Honor Guard Flight Selected as part of the honor guard for Scott AFB, participated in Funerals, Retirements, and other military events.
LANGUAGES
English
Advanced
Interests
- Road Trips
- Participating in fundraising events to support local charities, schools, or community projects
- Camping
- Geocaching
- Auto Repair/Restoration
- Personal Development and Self-Improvement
Timeline
Vice President of Maintenance
Riverside Transportation
01.2026 - Current
Vice President of Fleet Maintenance
Heniff Transportation
01.2019 - 01.2025
E. CO 634th Force Protection 33rd I.D 82nd AB DIV
01.2008 - 01.2009
Director of Maintenance
Quality Distribution, INC.
01.2006 - 01.2019
Military Experience
Illinois Army National Guard E. CO. 634th BSB 33rd. ID
01.2006 - 01.2012
332nd Expeditionary Squadron
01.1999 - 01.1999
United States Air Force
06.1995 - 10.1999
Associate of Science - Legal Studies
Purdue Global
Black Belt Certification - Six Sigma
Aveta Business Institute
A.A.S - Criminal Justice
Kaplan University
Some College - General Studies
Joliet Junior College
No Degree - Vehicle Maintenance
Community College of The Air Force
Professional Training
- Purdue University NTTC Leadership Course
- Ohio Trucking Association Periodic Inspection Training Seminar
- RCRA Certified
- United States Army BNCOCC Leadership Course
- ALS Army Leadership Course
- MOS 91B Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic
- H8 Vehicle Recovery Specialist
- General Motors Base Brake and Hydraulics
- General Motors Air Conditioning retrofit
- 4L60 and 700R4 Transmissions
- Ford Motor Airbag Systems
FAVORITE QUOTE
"Safety is doing what's right, when no one is looking" — Unknown