They fined him $18 million. He built a diesel empire anyway. Jerad Wittwer grew up the son of a St. George milkman and rancher, overhauled his first engine at 13, and turned a passion for horsepower into Performance Diesel Inc. (PDI) — one of the most recognized names in diesel performance.
But the road there ran straight through one of the most controversial chapters in trucking: EPA investigations, deleted trucks, and an $18 million federal fine. In this episode, Jerad sits down with Jared Flinn for an unfiltered conversation about the whole journey — the rise, the reckoning, and the redemption.
He opens up about the mistakes he made at the top, how his faith and family pulled him back, and how PDI reinvented itself into a manufacturer building 12,000+ part numbers that beat OEM quality. Today the company is on track for $55–60 million in revenue, growing 22% a year — and Jerad still isn't for sale. This is a story about horsepower, risk, faith, and the relentless pursuit of building something better.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 – Welcome & St. George Roots
2:07 – His Grandpa, His Dad & the Milk Route
6:08 – Work Ethic & Overhauling His First Engine at
13 9:57 – Trade School & Early Mechanic Days
12:02 – Marriage, the Milk Route & a Walmart Detour
17:33 – Taking the Leap: Starting Performance Diesel
21:57 – The Tune-Up Boom Years
28:28 – "The Smoke Don't Mean It's Broke"
30:35 – Getting Into Semis & Manufacturing Parts
35:00 – When Emissions Regulations Hit
37:00 – The EPA Comes Knocking
44:58 – The $18 Million Fine
46:07 – The Comeback & Being the Only Company Released
47:36 – Reinventing PDI: 12,000 Parts & Better Than OEM
54:01 – Going Global & the "Gucci of Diesel"
55:45 – The Partner Buyout & Funding Growth
1:01:37 – Vision, Family & the $200 Million Goal
1:08:16 – The Future of Trucking: Autonomous & Electric
1:11:27 – Faith, Peace & Staying Grounded
1:16:14 – Dream It & Do It
