Bryan Peters, 36, president, AdvanceTrac Equipment, Dripping Springs, Texas, founded his company in late 2020 and first learned about the equipment rental industry first-hand by washing equipment for his family’s heavy equipment rental business when he was 14.
“I have always enjoyed construction equipment and big trucks, so this was right up my alley. When I was older and started driving, I started running parts for our technicians and helping with some inside sales projects,” Peters says.
“Earthmoving construction has always fascinated me. I love the equipment, love to see it working and I love being able to work with various contractors and people in this industry. As I worked through various roles and responsibilities, both in and out of the industry, my passion for heavy equipment rentals continued to grow and I knew this was what I was going to do one day,” he says.
Peters achieved his initial childhood dream to become a truck driver, but then he picked up the same entrepreneurial spirit as several of his family members and friends of his parents who were business owners.
“I became fascinated with the idea of starting a business from nothing and building it up. I have a lot of building left to do, but I have dreamt about this for a long time,” he says.
He launched AdvanceTrac Equipment about two years ago to focus on optimizing heavy equipment fleets for contractors through rentals, sales and management.
“We offer solutions in each of those areas that work to provide our customers with the right equipment for today’s projects and tomorrow’s growth. Our customers are those who value a consultative partnership and approach to heavy equipment,” Peters says.
“Originally, we started to focus on smaller earthmoving equipment, but as markets have opened and customer needs have changed, we are in the process of aligning our fleet with more medium-sized earthmoving equipment. AdvanceTrac is still in its infancy with respect to rentals, so it’s just me right now and we are relying on contract technicians, trucking companies and labor when necessary,” he says.
He joined the American Rental Association (ARA) after an out-of-state customer asked him to buy a few pieces of equipment to rent.
“I turned to ARA Insurance because I heard so many positive things about them from other companies. That led to needing rental contracts and ARA Insurance pointed me to James Waite and his team. When talking to James, we discussed additional funding, and he recommended Ami Kassar with MultiFunding. Fifty days later, we had SBA [Small Business Administration] funding to purchase equipment. I can legitimately say that ARA and its network contributed largely to our ability to launch our rental division,” Peters says.
He is particularly excited by the constant variety of work that he has. “One day I’m driving a truck. The next day, I’m talking to customers. And the next day I’m wrenching on equipment. Sometimes I’m doing
all of them at different times in a single day. I’m never bored,” he says.
“The people I interact with is what I enjoy the most. There are so many genuinely great people that I am blessed to do business with, and it makes all the stress and heartache worth it,” he says.
When asked how he would try to sell the appeal of working in the equipment rental industry to students and prospective employees, Peters, tongue-in-cheek, suggests asking these questions: Have you never grown out of playing with tractors? Do you enjoy getting dirty and working with your hands? Were you constantly warned not to talk to strangers and did it anyway? Then a rental career might be for you.
“In all seriousness, I believe most young adults are not aware of the many career paths and industries that exist in the world today. I believe most people are searching for a career that fills their cup emotionally and financially; a career where they’re working for something beyond a paycheck and is bigger than they are. The rental industry has this,” he says.