Rough 'N Ready - FOCUS: Trucks & Trailers

"If the truck isn’t running, the contractor’s not going anywhere," Bob Aquaro stated simply. "I don’t care how many lawn mowers he has, if he can’t get them to the job site, he’s dead. It starts with the truck – it’s an extremely valuable tool."

More than a transportation mode, trucks serve as mobile maintenance tool sheds, loaded with equipment essentials and packed with power to pull trailers and push snowplows, added Aquaro, vice president of product assurance, Mitsubishi Fuso, Bridgeport, N.J.

A truck’s size, durability and versatility affect its overall performance on the job site. After all, a whole equals the sum of its parts, and a truck is much the same – cabs, beds, tires and brakes. "The people driving these vehicles are not truck drivers, they are landscapers," Aquaro pointed out, noting that despite this laundry list of checkpoints, still there is something to be said for simplicity.

Nevertheless, to shift a truck’s productivity into full gear, contractors need to break down body types, match transportation with application and couple this with maintenance and training.

SUPER-SIZE IT. Contractors who assess their clients’ needs will outfit their garages with a customized fleet, picked for productivity and built for longevity.

"They really need to understand who their customers are, what they are going to offer in terms of service, what demands that puts on their fleet today, and then marry that with a business plan for tomorrow," advised David Armitage, president, Centex Hometeam Lawn Care LLC, Dallas, Texas.

This means identifying the company’s current accounts and evaluating who the business will serve as it grows.

"Understand how your customers will evolve over time," Armitage recommended. "If you are going to offer different services that require a different platform, you need to stay flexible on the front end, and that may indicate different purchasing requirements. You may have to go bigger right from the get-go because you are going to change your business."

Size might be the most visible specification, even if not the most important. Rated in categories, most contractors choose Class II vehicles that weigh between 6,001 and 10,000 pounds. Trucks in the Class III category weigh between 10,001 and 14,000 pounds and generally encompass chassis cabs that contractors add to a body, defined Steve Spata, technical services manager, National Truck Equipment Association, Farmington Hills, Mich.

But before size, contractors must consider towing needs. Armitage works backward to figure out how sturdy his trucks must be to handle a typical load. "We start with what our service demands are based on the products we are using and the amount of the materials we carry, then we work back from there," he said.

Underestimating pulling power decreases productivity and stresses the truck, causing downtime – a clear profit killer. "Buying a truck that is too light is penny wise, but dollar foolish," Aquaro remarked, noting that trailers and dump bodies call for a more rugged construction, and the suspension, tires and brakes suffer if the truck is a lightweight.

Aquaro suggested loading a truck with equipment and testing it on a scale at a truck stop. If the reading exceeds the truck’s gross vehicle weight rating (gvw), an upgrade is in order. A 13,000-pound truck generally will handle a contractor’s load, though a 14,500-pound vehicle is preferable, he added. To boost towing abilities, Spata suggested larger rear axles and larger engines for a powerhorse to haul necessities.

PRIORITY SEATING. While materials and equipment boost scale numbers, the crew also adds pounds and consumes space. Companies that staff large crews might choose an extended cab, which provides a backseat for extra employees. Some contractors opt for roomier cab-over models that seat up to seven people, Aquaro said. "Everyone can come and leave in one truck – that’s the advantage," he said.

Operator visibility and a sharp turning radius add to the appeal of cab-over designs, and the cost is competitive with the conventional pick-up, Aquaro pointed out.

Operation ease trickles down to labor, Armitage pointed out. "Cab-overs are very streamlined and not far away from having a pickup with a cab, so the vehicle is very driveable," he said. "That allows us to hire someone who has a good driving record who is comfortable driving a pick-up truck, and they will be comfortable driving our vehicles."

Still, smaller operations might find a pick-up truck can carry their payload – both manpower and machines – so they stick to the typical truck. Again, application dictates necessity, and bigger isn’t better if the cost surpasses the budget and space goes unused.

"Pick-ups are readily available, the cost of acquisition is a little less than a full-size cabin chassis platform and it is a bit less customer aggressive," Armitage noted. "Some of these larger cabin chassis become a little bit overwhelming from the consumers’ sight standpoint."

BODY SHOP. Durability is contractors’ No. 1 transportation beef, Aquaro remarked, noting that tough trucks will muscle through strenous work conditions.

Part of this common complaint stems from specification oversight, part of it results from overlooking service offerings. For example, Aquaro separates lawn service from landscape, as they require different truck features, such as tires. "If [contractors] are bringing flowers or trees to the site, they will want to go off the road and onto the site, where lawn service trucks stay on the hard top," he said.

For this reason, Aquaro said he often sells four-wheel drive trucks to landscapers, suggesting they pay attention to treading. "You see more two-wheel drive units in the lawn service application because they are not going onto the dirt," he said.

Four-wheel-drive trucks also fit snowplow applications, Spata added. "Versatility and the ability to be able to do other things in the off season is important, too," he noted. "To attach a plow, the manufacturers will specify what can be attached as far as load goes – how heavy a plow is and the weight of the truck plays into this. Front axle capacity is certainly a consideration." Some manufacturers offer a snowplow package, which includes heavier axle ratings or extra suspension components, he added.

For some businesses, adaptability means transporting fertilizer, which also calls for a special order, whether that be adding spray tanks, a covered bed or accessories such as hose reels. Also, some states’ restrictions require covered beds. "When you throw 25 to 40 bags of fertilizer on a flat-bed deck, it is a little difficult to secure," Armitage noted. "We try to conceal our materials, and you can’t create an environment with chemicals that can become a hazard to your operators."

Also, more contractors turn to covered beds as an anti-theft device, Spata added. Those without enclosed trailers might consider a box cap or bed cap to secure loose items. "You can even get trucks with tinted windows so you can’t see what is inside," he noted.

FILLING UP. Ultimately, a truck is a portable storage unit – portable being the operative word. Drivers waffle between gas and diesel options, weighing fuel costs and monthly payments.

Since larger engines have heartier appetites, contractors should consider fuel economy when looking at engine size, Spata said. "Your engine and your rear axle dictate what you’ll be able to tow, and the biggest engines also consume the most fuel," he said. For gas-guzzling engines, auxiliary fuel tanks can extend the vehicle’s range, increasing efficiency and preventing frequent gas station stops.

"Especially when you’re pulling a trailer, the truck will burn more fuel," Spata added. "Gas engines are a little more particular than diesel engines in that their fuel consumption will change depending on what you are towing."

Diesel engines enhance towing abilities and generally accompany a heavier-duty truck, Aquaro said. "When you build a vehicle with a diesel engine in it, you arbitrarily build more strength into other components because the torque that is created by a diesel engine is much more than that of a gasoline engine," he said. "Generally speaking, you are buying a more heavy-duty vehicle with more fuel capacity."

Diesel engines can cost up to $2,000 more, so some contractors hesitate to make this initial investment. However, the additional cost pays for itself at the pump, and Armitage said fuel can cost 20 percent less in the long-run.

ROAD RULES. Driver’s education isn’t limited to pimpled teens waiting for their four-wheeled ticket to freedom. New employees need a few lessons, too, remarked Preston Leyshon. As equipment manager for Chapel Valley Landscape Co. in Woodbine, Md., he realizes the liability of his 105-truck arsenal.

"Our name is all over the place, so if a technician drops something off the truck or cuts someone off [in another car], there will be a phone call," he said, adding that the company has not experienced a major accident in its 32 years of trucking. "But it is not by luck."

Training a technician to operate a truck is just as important as choosing the appropriate vehicle for the job. Chapel Valley requires technicians to clock a designated number of hours in the vehicle with a supervisor or foreman. For example, a new employee trains 10 hours to drive a pick-up truck, ranging up to 25 hours for a large truck with a trailer.

The trainer then fills out a report for each session, noting progress and topics covered during the drive-along, Leyshon noted. To accentuate accountability, each employee is then assigned to a vehicle, which they drive and maintain daily.

"Drivers are accountable for their dents and scratches," he described. "They get used to the brakes and the transmission, and if they hear a sound that is unusual, they can report it to the office. If everyone were driving different trucks all the time, they would not know if a sound were different."

Technicians familiarize themselves with their "personal" vehicle, tending to the pre-trip and post-trip maintenance schedules that include cleaning, fueling, and air and tire pressure checks. Vehicle inspection reports outline these details.

When fix-it needs outgrow onsite capabilities, Leyshon notifies the dealer, who sends out a mechanic. This convenience is a key buying consideration, and why Leyshon purchases his fleet from one dealer. "If I had a variety of equipment, it would mean more service manuals than I’m already looking at," he figured. Here, simplicity is revisited.

After all, a truck’s role is essential, but not complicated, Aquaro added, and a vehicle that suits the company’s profile will roll out profits. "The primary mission of the truck is to get the payload there."