Tow, Haul and Repair
Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. does it all
Starting from the age of 6, Paul Hilario spent some of his childhood in a heavy-truck repair shop where his father, Arthur, rented space to park his construction equipment. During the years he spent watching the men in the shop at work and tinkering with large commercial trucks and trailers in the yard, unwittingly, Paul developed an expertise for truck repair.
“I didn’t realize how much I knew about heavy-truck repair until one day when one of my father’s friends had a truck break down with a load of heavy asphalt on it,” Paul says. “My father sent me out to see if I could get the truck running. The next thing you know, I was working on that guy’s trucks regularly.”
Paul’s other major interest as a child was motocross racing. He was so talented that he became a professional rider, sponsored by several companies, including Kawasaki, Pirelli Tire and Fox Racing, to name a few. To earn money for his racing, Paul enhanced an area of his father’s gas station by cleaning out a garage bay and offering oil change services. Paul’s father, Arthur Hilario, owned an old light-duty tow truck, and Paul, along with a friend, began using it to tow cars. Paul worked on vehicles, while his friend handled the towing side of the business.
At the age of 13, one of Paul’s sponsors wanted him to relocate to California for the winter months, but Paul’s mother insisted that he was too young to go. While Paul still competed in the local and regional circuit, he began to re-evaluate that choice of profession. Motocross racing is a young man’s sport and Paul realized that if he tried to pursue this path, he would only have a motocross career for 10 more years. He knew if he pursued his other major interest, he could have a job for life.
Hilario’s Service Center, Inc.
Paul opened Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. in Newtown, Connecticut, in 1987 after graduating from high school, and it transformed Paul’s childhood passion into a large company that employs 17 staff members, including office personnel, dispatchers, wrecker drivers, trailer drivers, heavy and light mechanics, a recovery team and diesel mechanics. Paul was trained by his late brother, Arthur Hilario Jr., a licensed crane operator, to rig and lift various objects and weights. He now has over 40 years of experience, a major factor for the company’s success.
“In our industry, there is no substitute for time in the saddle,” Paul says.
The company maintains a well-trained staff and state-of-the-art equipment to keep it at the cutting edge of the towing and repair industry.
“We strive to seek talented people, from those who have experience in the business to younger people who we can train,” Paul says. “If we get somebody out of trade school, we give them a 90-day probationary period, and if we feel that they are a good fit for us, we will put the time and effort into molding them into what we need them to be.”
To keep his team positive and motivated, Paul has initiated Food Fridays, a weekly event at Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. where Paul cooks his staff barbecue (if the weather is nice) or orders takeout if it’s raining or cold. The company also offers employee benefits, such as group health insurance, paid holidays and a 401(k) plan.
From Humble Beginnings to Major Growth
Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. has built a significant customer base due to its commitment to efficient, high-quality service and Paul’s passion for the industry. The company now has two locations—Newtown and Danbury, Connecticut. Paul’s operations consist of two companies: Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. and Hilario’s Truck Center, LLC, with a fleet of over 20 vehicles.
The company provides 24-hour, full-service towing, hauling and repair—for both truck fleets and the general public. The company’s full range of services and large fleet of trucks distinguishes it from the competition, as does its good reputation. The heavy-duty towing service covers Interstate 84 (I-84) from the New York line to Middlebury, Connecticut, and light-duty towing spans from the New York line to Southbury, Connecticut. Their roadside repair service and fleet repair service focus primarily on commercial vehicles and construction equipment. They also offer an aircraft recovery service that requires a higher level of knowledge and expertise and sets them apart from their competitors.
“The competition may do one or two of those things but they don’t do all inclusive,” Paul says. “We’re able to fulfill our customers’ needs within one company. It becomes cumbersome for a fleet owner to deal with two or three phone numbers when they have an emergency. With us, they can make one call and it’s handled.”
Cross Training
Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. plays a critical role in the community. Since the company owns heavy-duty specialty recovery trucks costing over a half million dollars each, they are able to offer equipment to the local fire departments in Newtown and Danbury. If the fire department has to deal with an emergency requiring this type of specialized equipment—such as trying to extricate an occupant from a motor vehicle—and they’re having trouble, they can call Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. at any time, day or night, and a live operator will answer and send out a truck to help.
To prepare for such an event, the Hilario companies offer cross-training sessions with local fire departments, and they participate in mock accidents in the surrounding towns and cities to practice procedures in the event of such an emergency.
Plans for the Future
Paul’s vision for the future is to continue to grow Hilario’s Service Center, Inc. into the largest service center on the I-84, the highway closest to their locations. As a complete service center, Paul says he can cater to the commercial trucking and construction industry with the competitive edge of being a one-stop tow, hauling and repair shop—with decades of experience to boot.