E.L.Sherrill

If you had told me back in 1979, when I was turning wrenches in my first shop, that one day I’d be running a digital media group with 28+ websites, I would’ve laughed and handed you a socket wrench. My world was engines, grease, and compliance logs not websites, analytics, or SEO. But life, like a stubborn engine, has a way of surprising you.

This is the story of how I went from ASE Master Certified Technician, overseeing fleets across the country, to founder of MTDLN Media, a network built on words, stories, and digital connections instead of diesel, bolts, and brake chambers.

Early Days in the Shop

I started my career as a technician, armed with training, curiosity, and a willingness to get my hands dirty. Back then, the dealer charged $28 an hour, and I got half of it. Today, dealers charge $100–$150, and technicians are expected to move twice as fast. The tools, the pressure, and the stakes all grew, but the fundamentals stayed the same: skill, precision, and hustle.

Earning my ASE Master Certification in both automotive and heavy-duty trucks was a milestone, but I didn’t stop there. I became a TIA Tire Repair Instructor, then specialized further: Ford EEC-IV Master Electronic Specialist, Mercedes-Benz MBE 4000 engines, refrigeration systems and earning my EPA 608 certification. For me, learning was as important as fixing it kept me sharp, relevant, and ahead of the curve.

The shop floor taught me patience, persistence, and pride. But it was also grueling, unforgiving work. And as I would learn, sometimes the biggest breakdowns aren’t under a hood, they’re cultural, systemic, or personal.

Climbing Into Management

Turning wrenches taught me how to solve problems one at a time. Management taught me how to prevent them before they ever happened.

When I stepped into management, I went from fixing engines to fixing systems. At U.S. Xpress, I supervised 62 technicians handling 1,700–2,200 repairs a month. At A2B Synchronized Logistics, I inherited a shop that needed more than oversight, it needed transformation.

I’ll never forget walking into that shop on day one. No fire extinguishers on the walls. No fluid containment pans or large containment accessories. No safety guards on shop tools, And Parts? New Parts laying all over the floor, It wasn’t laziness; it was culture.  

I knew immediately: this wasn’t just a repair operation; it was a liability waiting to happen.

So I acted. On my first day, I ordered extinguishers and containment supplies. By my second, I was working on tool guards. On my third day, OSHA walked in. Most managers would have panicked. I didn’t. I already had action in progress. That moment set the tone: in my shops, we don’t wait for the hammer to fall, we get ahead of it.

That lesson; anticipate, act fast, and build systems that last. That has followed me ever since.

The Hardest Breakdown of All

For decades, I thrived in that world. But sometimes, the toughest breakdown isn’t in a truck, it’s in your own body.

In 2018, Diabetes hit me harder than any audit, any breakdown call, or any OSHA inspection. I lost my right leg. I still worked in Maintenance Management, but the Ghost pains were unmanageable and the meds? That halfway worked, but I couldn’t while on them and it finally got the best of me and my decisions cost me the job I had. I was let go on friday, March 13, 2020. I lost my Mother on March 15, 2020, and my left leg on Nov 21, 2020. I remember thinking, WOW, Now what? I lost both my legs. What happens next? That was the day everything shifted for good. What in the world could possibly happen to make it worse. I’ll tell you now, NEVER ask the universe what can happen next! Because, it’ll show you fast! The shop floor that had defined my life was no longer ever going to be an option for me again. I couldn’t climb under rigs or run across a yard anymore. I couldn’t do anything at the time that couldn’t be done from a wheelchair.

It could’ve been the end of my story. Instead, it became a turning point. Losing my legs didn’t stop me it redirected me. It forced me to lean into something I’d always done on the side: writing, teaching, documenting, and building systems that live on paper or on screen.

Building MTDLN Media Group

In 2021, I launched MTDLN Media Group. What started as a handful of websites quickly grew into a publishing and affiliate network of 28+ domains. Each site has its own personality—fishing, outdoors, redneck humor, fleet safety, AI/SEO insights, personal storytelling.

Running this network isn’t all that different from running a shop:

• Editorial calendars are my PM schedules.

• Analytics dashboards are my compliance reports.

• Writers and editors are my techs and shop leads.

• Affiliate contracts are my vendor negotiations.

The environments are different, no diesel fumes, no busted knuckles but the leadership skills are the same.

Lessons From Both Worlds

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: skills transfer.

1. Discipline: Whether it’s torque specs or word counts, consistency matters.

2. Documentation: Logs and SOPs keep shops alive, same for websites.

3. Leadership: People are people, whether they wear reflective vests or run content dashboards.

4. Negotiation: Every deal, whether for parts or for affiliate contracts, has hidden value.

5. Adaptability: Engines change. Algorithms change. You adjust, or you stall out.

That A2B shop taught me to anticipate problems. Losing my legs taught me to adapt when the problems are bigger than you. Both experiences made me a better leader in my second career.

Looking Forward

ElSherrill.com is where I tie it all together: the lessons from grease-stained shops, corporate boardrooms, and now digital publishing hubs. It’s where I’ll share stories, strategies, and maybe a few laughs along the way.

Because at the end of the day, whether you’re fixing trucks or building websites, it’s still about keeping things running, solving problems, and leaving something better than you found it.

Author Bio

Earnest L. Sherrill Jr. is a former ASE Master Certified Fleet Manager turned digital media entrepreneur. After losing both legs to diabetes, he pivoted from 25+ years in fleet operations to founding MTDLN Media, a publishing network of 28+ websites. He writes about resilience, leadership, and the business lessons that carry from grease-stained shop floors to digital platforms. When he’s not building brands, you’ll find him sharing stories, coaching teams, and drinking a strong cup of coffee.