In 1969, John E. Call established John’s Septic Tank Service in Aberdeen, Md., with little more than a 1957 Dodge 1 1/2-ton truck equipped with a homemade, 1,000-gallon steel tank — and enough integrity and old-fashioned work ethic to fill it many times over.
“To pump out septic tanks, he’d hook up a hose to the engine intake manifold,” says his son, John R. “Honest John” Call, who now owns the business with his wife, Gloria. “It took about 10 minutes to build up enough vacuum to pump out the tank. Sometimes the ball float that cut off the vacuum when the truck tank was full would get stuck, and liquid would get into the engine and seize it up.
“Then I’d have to take out the spark plugs and turn the engine over to pump water out of the cylinders,” he continues. “We had to do that many, many times. He always had a fresh set of spark plugs stored behind the driver’s seat.”
A lot about the pumping industry has changed since then, and the Call family has made adjustments to better serve their market along the way. This year, the family celebrates 40 years in business and is ever vigilant in adapting to make sure they can be around for 40 more if they so choose.
WE’VE COME A LONG WAY
The primitive equipment the company used in the beginning shows just how far they’ve come. That old truck with the manifold vacuum setup is a far cry from the gleaming trucks the company relies on today: a 2002 and 2007 Peterbilt 330, each equipped with 2,400-gallon steel tanks and Masport 400 pumps; and a 2005 Ford F-750 with a 2,400-gallon tank and a Masport 400 pump. Abernethy Welding & Repair Inc. outfitted all three trucks.
“These modern trucks have tripled my productivity since I took over the business,” Call says. The company’s business mix is about 60 percent residential septic tank cleaning and 40 percent grease trap cleaning.
While the truck technology has changed radically, one thing has always remained steadfastly the same at John’s Septic through three generations of family involvement: an unswerving commitment to hard work, honesty and customer service.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 17 years old,” says Call, who bought the business from his father in 1987. “My father instilled in me the ethic of treating people like I want to be treated. That’s been our business philosophy for all these years.”
When Call bought the business from his father, he took steps to modernize the company’s equipment. He started by buying a used 1978 International vacuum truck with a 1,500-gallon tank.
“Even with that truck, we could only pump about one and a half septic tanks before we’d have to go dump the load, then come back and finish the rest of the second tank,” says Call’s son, John R. Call II. “We couldn’t even do two full septic tanks with it.”
In 1990, the Calls upped the ante and became one of the first septage pumpers in the area to invest in a 2,200-gallon tank, built onto an International 4300.
PARTED WITH HARLEY
“Dad wanted to build up the company so bad that he gave the dealer his 1977 Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a down payment on the truck,” says Call II. “The dealer promised not to sell it until Dad came back with some cash. But by the time Dad went back, the bike was gone.
“That was real painful for me — Dad used to take me on rides on it,” Call II says.
Adds his father: “I had just restored the bike. John cried because he couldn’t believe I was selling it.”
Now the Calls are eyeing a 3,200-gallon capacity pumper truck, prompted by a new ordinance in Harford County that requires two-compartment, 1,250-gallon septic tanks on all newly built homes.
“They think (the dual-chamber setup) will improve the effluent going to the drainfield,” Call II says of the tighter regulations on septic tanks. “It makes each job harder because there are two manhole covers now. We put one hose in the tank and pump out the sewage, then we reverse the pump and backflush the tank.
“With a 3,200-gallon vacuum tank, we’d be able to pump out two full (1,250-gallon) tanks, or three older 1,000-gallon septic tanks at a time.”
Call’s philosophy on maintaining a fit fleet is simple: Keep the service vehicles in tip-top shape, but trade them in as soon as they start nickel-and-diming the company with repairs.
“I like to trade them in while they’re still looking good,” he says. “Image is everything in this business.”
HONESTY — THE BEST POLICY
Years ago, a friend who runs an excavating business, Dan Curry, nicknamed Call “Honest John.” The name stuck, and the business now uses it in its local advertising. The moniker reflects Call’s philosophy of always doing what’s best for customers — even if it costs the company money.
“If I get to someone’s house and find the tank doesn’t need pumping, we tell the owner that,” Call says. “Or if there’s a clog in the outlet at the back of the tank, I tell them that if they’re not afraid to use a shovel, they can dig down to the distribution box themselves and run a garden hose through it. If that doesn’t work, then I’m happy to fix it.
“We don’t want people to spend more money than they have to,” he says. “That kind of honesty pays off in the long run.”
That doesn’t mean Call’s prices are lower than needed, however.
“I probably charge a little bit more than some because I think my 40 years of experience is worth something, not to mention the hours we put in seven days a week,” he says. “There’s always new guys starting up and charging less. But we stick to our guns. You get what you pay for.
“For instance, I check everything out before I stick a hose in a tank, and if I find a problem, I let the homeowner know,” he explains. “If they aren’t home, I write it down on the invoice.”
STANDING PAT
John’s Septic doesn’t adhere to a bigger-is-better philosophy. Call learned a valuable lesson in that regard about 10 years ago, when he entered the portable restroom field.
“We had 100 restrooms, but it was too time consuming,” Call says.
“We did it for about four years,” Call II adds. “With just the two of us running trucks, there was no time for anything else. We’d be delivering restrooms on Friday nights for parties, then miss church on Sunday morning to go pick them up. It was just too much to do.
“What we have now meets our needs,” he says. “We have a house and my parents have a house. We have enough money to take care of us.”
Above all else, the elder Call relishes the fact that he and his family are keeping alive the legacy his father built. He says his business base includes many people who’ve been faithful John’s Septic customers since the 1960s, and who fondly recall his father, who worked until he was in his 70s and lived to be 93 years old. The long family history makes working with his son even more special.
“It’s a wonderful blessing that John works with us,” Call says. “We love our jobs — neither of us mind getting up in the morning for work. I’ve been doing this since I was 17 years old, and John was eight or nine years old when he started riding in the truck with me.
“All I know is that we provide a service for people, and they’re always glad to see me.”
Adds Call II: “We just do the best job we can. People always tell me how good my grandpa was and how good my father is, so I feel obligated to live up to that standard.”
And keep on preserving a proud family tradition.
