About Kingpin Specialists

Richard was first introduced to the concept of kingpin repair when a close friend mentioned a service being provided to Coca Cola. It wasn’t a long conversation, but it would haunt Richard through the years working on the Hibernia Oil Platform in Newfoundland Canada. This is where Richard really cut his teeth as a welder and learned how to use certified procedures.

It wasn’t long before Richard started looking at starting his own business. He considered buying a franchise. He took a hard look at a system that used a grinder to reduce the diameter of the kingpin, but engineering shortfalls and a lack of general acceptance from the North American market due to limited scientific support made sales difficult which led Richard to having a breakthrough.

Richard started thinking of a portable lathe concept, and after about 6 months of design and strategizing he built a prototype. Richard consulted a Mechanical Engineer he had worked with on the Hibernia Platform who was charged with certifying numerous procedures developed throughout the Mechanical Outfitting stage of the project.

The next phase of the project involved testing the repaired kingpin against the current SAE fatigue standards. Eventually Richard was able to move forward with having a DOT recognized procedure ensuring public safety. Since late-1999 we have expanded our company to provide a nationwide service to fleets and we have made many advancements to our kingpin repair system. Kingpin Specialists has been innovating and leading the way in kingpin repair and in many ways, we feel like we are just getting started.