Randy Haskell to retire from Rudy’s Tires

Randy Haskell, a seven year employee of Rudy’s Tires in Holyoke, will retire to his ease on Feb. 22. Haskell, a Holyoke High School Graduate from 1975, has worked in the trucking and tires industry for more than 40 years. 

Haskell started working at Amherst Colorado Oil Station shortly after his enlistment in the U.S. Navy. He initially worked doing service calls to farms on the service truck fixing or changing tractor tires. 

Changing out four tractor tires in the field could be an all day event for one person. “Changing big tires and rims is very labor intensive,” he said. 

Some of the tractors today are a lot bigger than in previous years and also with much larger tires. In the shop area today there are hydraulic machines that separate tires from rims with relative ease compared to the manual labor that was needed in years past. “The Corghl Hydraulic separator makes hard work easier,” he said. 

Haskell has experienced technological innovations throughout the years in manufacturing and transportation. “Tires are stronger and better made in recent years, people driving passenger cars and light trucks dont experience flat tires as often anymore,” he said. 

His experiences have included getting fuel out to farmers. Today there are fewer farmers but the acreage farmed is the same. “In our area fuel used in farming has doubled to over one million gallons, he said. 

In 1990, Haskell drove the first 4,000 gallon fuel delivery truck in the area. Previous delivery truck capacities were 1800 gallons. 

Haskell joined the Navy after high school and served from 1975 to 1979 in an occupation field not different from his later civilian experiences. He worked as an aircraft handler of A 6 Attack jets aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Working on a carrier flight deck sailors wear different color shirts that designate their function. “Aircraft handlers wore yellow and we were called “yellow shirts,” he said. 

Haskell has few immediate plans for his upcoming retirement. “I’m just going to take it easy for a while,” he said.