MDMI Mining Simplifies Fueling in the Pit with Thunder Creek
October 2026
Murrieta, California – At a gravel pit, production depends on keeping material moving. Excavators load haul trucks, trucks carry material to the crusher, and the plant processes it into sand and rock. For MDMI Mining, that work typically runs ten hours a day, five days a week.
Superintendent Robert Chevalier has spent roughly 15 or 16 years in the industry. His company works for gravel pit operators, handling everything from clearing and grubbing to mining and hauling material. Projects can last a few weeks or stretch across many months, including a Moorpark job where Chevalier spent more than 11 months.
Keeping Fuel Within Reach
Getting fuel down into the pit can be challenging, and the equipment working there needs a steady supply. On one project, MDMI ran three haul trucks, a 375 excavator and a 395 excavator. Each haul truck burned about 50 gallons of diesel a day, with the excavators adding substantially to the operation’s fuel needs.
Having fuel on site addressed only part of the challenge. Chevalier says filling the excavator from a stationary 1,000-gallon drop tank took about 45 minutes. DEF required separate two-and-a-half-gallon jugs, adding another task to the fueling routine. MDMI wanted a more convenient way to supply both fluids.
“We wanted to go to an all-in-one containment system,” Chevalier says. “I saw one of the trailers, started looking it up, watched the videos, and it just impressed me how they were built.”
Chevalier recalls they purchased the trailer in less than a week. MDMI selected a 920 gallon No HAZMAT Fuel and Service Trailer equipped with a gas-powered fuel pump and 100 gallons of DEF.
Moving with the Work
The trailer serves as the fueling point for the jobsite. Bringing diesel and DEF together means the crew can move both supplies around the pit without handling separate DEF jugs.
“We have a distributor that comes out and fills it for us, and it pretty much sits here and gets moved around the site depending on where we need it at the time,” Chevalier says. “It’s easy to tow.”
For jobs that may last weeks or months, that arrangement gives MDMI a fueling setup that can stay with the operation throughout the project. Chevalier also sees the trailer’s No HAZMAT design as useful when moving between jobsites, where he says endorsement and licensing requirements would otherwise add expense and restrictions.
Shorter Stops, More Production Time
Once the trailer is in position, fueling speed makes the biggest difference for Chevalier. The 395 excavator that took about 45 minutes to fill from the stationary drop tank takes roughly seven to ten minutes with the Thunder Creek system.
“The Thunder Creek trailer has been amazing since we’ve had it out here,” he says. “It’s like the all-in-one package, the DEF, the amount of fuel, everything. It cuts down our fueling times, which picks up our production times.”
The combination of a movable fuel supply, integrated DEF and faster pumping fits the way MDMI works: equipment consuming substantial amounts of fuel, crews moving material through the pit, and projects that demand a practical fueling setup for however long the work lasts.
For Chevalier, that convenience also makes the trailer an appealing alternative to managing a separate fuel truck.
“You park it, fill it up, and you’re good to go,” he says.
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