A late night emergency call to the “middle of nowhere” to change a diesel truck’s coupling connection inspired Darren Dillon to invent, patent and manufacture PT Blueboys.
PT Blueboys is a coupling connection cover made of a high-grade silicon for hydraulic and air fittings for trucks, road trains and trailers.
It is designed to seal out dirt, moisture and protect air-hose connectors from the elements
Anna Dillion said on the way home from the “quick and simple” after-hours job, Darren, her husband, thought, ‘there must be something on the market to solve this problem’ which is costing big companies time, equipment, wear, tear and money.
He created PT Blueboys to solve an ongoing problem in the transport industry – difficulty in undoing the coupling connections, leading to downtime and inefficient use of driver time.
“He (Mr Dillon) is a heavy diesel mechanic who saves people money, rather than costing people money,” Mrs Dillon said.
“If he can solve something to make it easier for somebody else or cost them less money then that’s what he would do.
“So, anyway, he searched for months and months and couldn’t find anything and then came up with this idea.
“And, as it’s gone along, I’ve said to him, ‘well, we’ll just have a go, you never know’!”
Mr Dillon designed the first sample PT Blueboys out of silicone and ensured it worked before sharing his knowledge with a manufacturer.
The original product is patented for pneumatic, electric and hydraulic.
“So, it will eventually cover a lot of things,” Mrs Dillon said.
“And basically, it prevents everyday elements such as road tar, road water, mud and dirt building up in the fitting to actually stop the fitting from hooking and unhooking.
“So, sometimes you’ll come along and the truck might even be on fire and they haven’t been able to unhook the trailers because they’re seized up.
“Or, some people leave them connected for ages too and they don’t unhook and they seize up.”
The Dillons began marketing PT Bluleboys in 2017 and Mrs Dillon said it had grown “quite rapidly”.
“First of all we just started contacting different companies and letting them know about our product,” she said.
“But, once wholesalers took it on, it basically sold itself. And, during Covid, we went bigger into online and it really kicked off.
“I now get calls from wholesalers wanting to join in because they’ve seen a truck come in for a service or it’s gone past and someone has seen the product and they’re like, ‘what is this? This is great.’ And they get on board.
“If they see it. They like it.”
Mrs Dillon said between this financial year and last, when it was launched, sales have grown by 100 per cent.
Mr Dillon has been a heavy diesel mechanic in Goondiwindi for more than 20 years and has owned/ operated Dillon Mechanical for more than 12 years.
