Lesmeister Transportation Testimonial | Mobil Delvac™ Engine Oils

Fleet Owner Sees Big Returns
with Mobil Delvac Synthetics
Mobil Delvac synthetics helped this North Dakota
trucking fleet save half a million dollars.
Survival in the fiercely competitive
trucking industry takes a resolute
spirit and the willingness to try new
things. Barry Lesmeister has both.
As the owner of Lesmeister Transportation
in Bismarck, North Dakota, Lesmeister
says his competitive drive motivated
him to switch to Mobil Delvac™
motor oil about 10 years ago.
In his 40 years of hauling products for
the beverage and general commodities
industries across the northern United
States, Lesmeister has made plenty
of decisions --and judging from his
success today, most of them have been
smart. “But honestly,” he says, “one of
the best decisions I have ever made,
hands down, was upgrading our entire
fleet to Mobil Delvac 1 synthetic oils.”
Making the switch
With more than 50 trucks braving
the long, brutal winters in North
Dakota, Lesmeister had already
witnessed the protection and
performance qualities of Mobil Delvac
before his most recent switch.
“Years ago, we switched to Mobil™
synthetic products in our differentials,
gearboxes, and transmissions in order
to get added protection for our trucks,”
he says. “We were amazed at how well
have easily saved more than half a
million dollars,” says Lesmeister.
Mary Lesmeister, Barry’s wife and
company treasurer, elaborates: “We aren’t
buying as much oil as we previously were
because of the extended oil drains. At
the same time, we are getting rid of a
lot less waste oil. Plus, we are achieving
increased fuel economy savings, which
obviously impacts our bottom line.”
the synthetics performed, and right away
we knew the next obvious step was to
start running synthetic in the engine
compartments across the fleet. Also,
we had been using Mobil Delvac 1300
Super conventional oils in our trucks for
quite some time and had great results.”
Soon, Lesmeister was meeting with his
longtime Mobil distributor, Farstad Oil,
to discuss the benefits of switching the
fleet to Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5W-40.
“We see our customers have a lot of
success with the synthetics up here in
North Dakota, so for us and Barry, this
was a no-brainer,” says Kirby Mueller,
lube oil general manager at Farstad Oil.
“We worked closely with Barry and his
team to review the performance and
economic benefits he would see from
upgrading the entire fleet to running
synthetics in the engine compartments.”
Within just a few weeks, Lesmeister
had made the transition to
a fully synthetic fleet.
“I had thought about it for a while.
But I had it in my head that the
process would take longer or be more
complex than it really was,” he says.
“I think I’ve slept better every night
since then, knowing that my trucks
and my drivers were out on the road
“One of the best business decisions
I have ever made, hands down, was
upgrading our entire fleet to Mobil
Delvac 1 synthetic oils.”
Barry Lesmeister
Owner, Lesmeister Transportation
Bismarck, North Dakota
protected by Mobil Delvac 1.”
The savings are just the beginning
One of the most obvious benefits
of switching to Mobil Delvac
synthetics is the extended oil
drain interval, which helps reduce
Lesmeister’s oil consumption and
service downtime—and costs.
As a small business owner, Lesmeister
notes another benefit that is hard to
put a price tag on: peace of mind.
“You are always going to have
challenges as a business owner,” he
says. “But knowing that our trucks
and our drivers are well protected
with Mobil Delvac 1 synthetic oils,
that’s something that gives me a lot
of confidence and peace of mind.”
The other obvious benefit, according
to Lesmeister, is the performance and
protection the fleet gets during cold starts.
For Barry and his wife, the belief
in synthetic oils extends beyond
their trucking business.
“Since Barry switched our fleet over
to the synthetic Mobil Delvac 1, my
job has been a lot easier,” says Bob
Morris, Lesmeister’s shop foreman
and lead mechanic for more than 20
years. “Our trucks always start in the
morning, whether they are here in our
lot plugged into heaters, or at truck
stops totally exposed to the elements.”
“We won’t run anything but
Mobil 1 synthetic oil in our own
personal cars,” says Mary.
“I’ve been driving for Barry for more
than 22 years, and our trucks have
never run better since we switched to
Mobil Delvac 1 engine oils,” says
Brian Rowley, a driver for Lesmeister
Transportation. “The last thing I
want to have happen is for my truck
not to start on a cold morning at a
truck stop,” he says, laughing.
Lesmeister goes 100 percent
synthetic with Mobilith™ SHC 007
“I am no doubt a big believer in
the value of synthetic oils like
Mobil Delvac 1,” Lesmeister says.
“It was 10 years ago when we made
this decision, and it continues to pay
off for us every day.”
To learn more about how
Mobil Delvac synthetics can
benefit your fleet, contact your
ExxonMobil Sales Representative
or visit mobildelvac.com.
Extreme conditions like North
Dakota winters impact a fleet’s
critical equipment even beyond
truck engines and transmissions.
The synthetic benefits Lesmeister
Transportation saw under the hood
drove it to begin using Mobilith
SHC 007 synthetic grease in
the nondriven wheel ends of the
company’s 100 trailers. Before the
switch, Lesmeister mechanics were
changing the grease at every brake
job. Now they change the grease
every fourth brake job, saving
the company close to $4,000 per
year in parts and labor costs.
“In terms of total cost savings over
the past 10 years, I estimate we
Distributor at a glance:
Founded in 1938, Farstad Oil is a
family-operated wholesale petroleum
products distributor. Its fleet of more
than 50 transport trucks services all
of North Dakota and Montana, as well
as large portions of Minnesota, South
Dakota, and Wyoming. Every year,
Farstad Oil supplies about 250 million
gallons of gasoline and distillates, 20
million gallons of propane, and 2.5
million gallons of lubricants.
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mobildelvac.com
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©2012 Exxon Mobil Corporation.
All trademarks used herein are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil
Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
This Proof of Performance is based on the
experience of a single customer. Actual
results can vary depending upon the type
of equipment used and its maintenance,
operating conditions and environment, and
any prior lubricant used.
For more information, visit us at
mobildelvac.com.