SPECIAL - TRUCKS AND TRAILERS: Keep on Truckin'

To a landscape contractor, his truck is the ultimate tool. It gets crews where they need to go, hauling equipment, towing trailers and sometimes even pushing snow. Without it, productivity comes to a standstill – and clients get angry. Contractors expect a lot out of their vehicles and, if maintained properly, most trucks are up for the challenge. “A company’s truck is its revenue generator,” says Dave Spence, director of commercial products for GMC, Detroit. “If the truck goes down, the paychecks stop.”
    
Contractors spend more money on their trucks than on any other piece of equipment – an average of $34,481 – according to 2006 Lawn & Landscape research. Because all trucks are not built the same, it’s important for contractors to identify what they want and need their trucks to do for their businesses to make sure they invest in the most efficient choice. “Efficiency improves the bottom line and that’s important in all businesses,” says Bob Raybuck, technical services director for the National Truck Equipment Association, Farmington Hills, Mich.

THE 3 Ps. Most manufacturers agree that the “three Ps” – power, pulling and payload capacity – are the most important things to consider when purchasing a truck for the landscape industry. “The three Ps are a given,” says Brian Goebel, communications manager for Chevrolet, Detroit. “Hauling heavy equipment and trailers is perhaps the most important function landscape trucks are required to perform so you need a truck that is able to do that.”
 
Most landscape trucks come from classes three, four and five and can carry 10,001 to 19,500 pounds of gross vehicle weight. Heavier-duty landscape trucks fall in class six with capacities for carrying 19,501 to 26,000 pounds of gross vehicle weight. Because this weight includes the truck itself as well as crewmembers and all equipment, contractors should have a good idea of what they’ll be hauling on a day-to-day basis before investing in a truck. “Size is important when purchasing a truck,” Raybuck says. “If it’s too small and loaded too heavy, it will have to work too hard. If it’s too big and under utilized, you’ll spend more money in fuel costs for no reason.”
 
Size is also an issue when it pertains to the crew cab, Goebel says. A one- or two-man crew will usually opt for the regular-sized cab, while three- or four-men crews will generally choose extended cabs. Bigger crews will go for the full-sized, or crew, cab equipped with a backseat. “This comes in handy comfort-wise when companies travel longer distances to get from job to job,” Goebel says.

OUTSIDE ADD-ONS. Custom-tailoring abounds for contractors looking to upgrade the outsides of their trucks. According to John Lackey, director of national account sales, The Knapheide Co., Quincy, Ill., the landscape industry is a growing segment of the company’s truck customizing customer base, with it doubling in the last 10 years. “The landscape industry as a whole has grown considerably because people just don’t have as much time to tend to their lawns anymore,” he says. “There’s a need for more professional landscape contractors.”
 
Custom-tailoring can be as basic as adding a toolbox to the bed of a truck and as elaborate as choosing a custom-made body. One common add-on is the cargo management system, which is a rail system installed around the upper portion of a truck bed that can serve as a ladder rack, a bed divider or extender or hold portable tool boxes, Goebel says.
 
Driver information centers monitor factors like a truck’s tire pressure, oil life, cylinder deactivation and fuel economy and present this information on the dashboard. Contractors can program the center to send them monthly e-mails updating them on their truck’s needs. “Many contractors are used to changing the oil in their vehicle every 3,000 miles, which can be wasteful in some cases,” Spence says. “These computerized devices tell the customer to do maintenance only when it’s necessary.”
 
The cost of these more basic additions are often rolled into the price of the truck itself and are covered under warranty or can be purchased separately. For example, a tool box or a dump hoist can add 25 percent to the total cost of the mounted equipment, while a trailer hitch can cost around $300, Lackey says. The purchase of a customized truck body is usually an extra expense added to the price of the chassis. (For more information, see the “Body Image” sidebar).

LITTLE LUXURIES. Manufacturers agree that efficiency usually overrides comfort and luxury when choosing landscape trucks, and the practical road is more often taken by contractors purchasing trucks for their crews. “When considering high-end trucks, the first thought most contractors have is, ‘It’s just going to get dirty,’” Goebel says.
 
Raybuck agrees that contractors want work trucks that look great from the outside, but are easy to clean inside, with rubber floor mats and seats that are easy to wipe down.
 
But like with any landscape equipment, manufacturers are aiming to improve operator comfort with additions like seats with more back support, spacious cabs and engines for a quieter, smoother ride. “In the landscape industry, the job might beat you up, but the truck doesn’t have to,” Spence says.
 
Manufacturers report that results of customer clinics show that fuel economy is a top concern on most contractors’ lists as gas prices soar higher each year. Some trucks come equipped with active fuel management, which shuts down two of the vehicle’s eight cylinders when they’re not needed. Others are made with a smoother, slicker surface to eliminate wind resistance. Diesel-powered trucks can last longer than gas-powered, and are at least twice as efficient in terms of gas mileage, Raybuck says.
 
Other practical improvements include wider dashboards with larger, more accessible buttons, outlets for laptop computers and cellular phone chargers and foldable seats that transform into work areas. “Sometimes a contractor’s truck also needs to serve as his office,” Spence says. “With these additions, his gadgets can charge up while he drives from job to job.”
 
In the future, manufacturers will aim for both aesthetic and safety improvements, particularly with truck frames. Stiffer, fully-boxed frames and smaller gaps between the doors, cab and bed will make the truck safer to drive and more pleasing to the eye, Goebel says. “Trucks today are not what they were 10 or 15 years ago,” he says. “The term ‘ride like a truck’ doesn’t really apply anymore.”