One of many Sheffield Township’s tanker was designed and built by ironworker Bill Schock. Photo provided Most people have a feeling of excitement when they see a fire truck, whether it is screaming down the street with lights blazing in response to an emergency, or slowly proceeding in the Fourth of July Parade. A fire truck seems to convey the essence of being an American and pride is generally taken in that.

Long-time Carroll County native and Delphi Tri-Township Fire Chief Bill Schock takes special pride and honor in fire trucks, because he custom-builds them. Schock owns and operates Schock Custom Welding Inc., located on Carrollton Road.

Schock, an ironworker out of Lafayette Local 379, has provided custom fire trucks for the local community for the past 37 years.

The business began in 1969 when as a volunteer firefighter for the city of Delphi, Schock agreed to build a tanker for the city. The need arose but there wasn’t enough money to pay for a commercially built unit.

Delphi was given a free chassis and body from the military and Schock fashioned it into a 2,000gallon tanker, which served the city for about eight years.

In the beginning…. Bill Schock sits on a chassis with a cab that will become his next custom-built truck. Comet photo by Debbie Lowe “It wasn’t the best running truck when we got it,” Schock said. “The military really got their use out of it before handing it over.”

“Big cities like Lafayette” had the resources to purchase trucks, but smaller municipalities made their own or made do with what they had, “even if it was a horse and buggy,” Schock explained.

Schock designed and built the next two Delphi trucks in 1977.

“Things just blossomed from my iron working on buildings and from the custom work I was doing,” he said.

His knowledge of how to utilize the correct materials for safety, durability and reliability brings him plenty of customers by word of mouth, he said. He does no formal advertising.

Schock estimates he has produced between 40 and 50 trucks ranging from rescue trucks and grass rigs that carry 300-gallon tanks used to fight grass fires to mini-pumpers, big pumpers, big tankers and super-tankers. Supertankers are purchased mostly by organizations in the eastern section of Indiana according to Schock.

Schock built bomb-squad trucks for Tippecanoe and Marion counties in 2004, a departure from his usual work. He said he is considering designing and building a swat-team truck in the future.

Schock explains he purchases the chassis, complete with cabs, from manufacturers. He then designs and draws the electrical, hydraulic and cabinet compartments to the specifications determined by his customer. He designs and manufactures all plumbing connections and housings for commercially manufactured pumps fitted into his trucks.

Schock’s trucks have gone to Rockfield, Cutler and Delphi and remodeled trucks were built for Camden and Flora. Brookston, Buffalo and the towns of Dayton, Romney, Attica, Veedersburg, Covington, Kingman, Brook and Kentland have also been recipients of Schock’s craftwork. Hartford City, Gas City, Upland, Fulton and Rochester all use Schock’s designs.

His design products for trays and truck compartments can be found as far away as Africa.

“I put a decal with my name on every product I sell,” he said. “So, people in Africa know their unit has come from my shop.”

Schock said some materials his customers want dictates the use of specialized equipment. When he decides to make an equipment purchase, Schock prefers items that have been “broken in.”

“I haven’t bought much equipment that was new,” he said.

Schock works exclusively with metal. When decals and lettering are needed he turns to another Carroll County business to help him out.

“All of that is done by Terry Langston of Graphics Emporium, east of Flora,” he said.

“She does a fantastic job. She is very particular,” he continued. “If she doesn’t like how something turned out, she will rip it off and start over until it’s right.”

Schock said he is ready to slow the workload down, but orders continue to come in from people he doesn’t want to disappoint.

He has more orders for his specialized designs and metal working this year than he expects to be able to fill. He said he can realistically complete four trucks in a year and there are orders for eight this year.

“Someday I probably will close the doors and have an auction,” Schock said. “But not for awhile. As long as I’m busy, I hope I’ll live longer.”