Service truck misconceptions may not make a manufacturer’s job more difficult, since these notions offer the chance for customer education. But as Matt Collins of Auto Crane points out, misconceptions can make the customer’s experience more challenging – and more costly.
Here are just a few of the common service truck myths encountered by industry manufacturers. How many of these have you heard?
Misconception No. 1: Longer booms are a perfect fit for all truck sizes.
“Longer booms do offer increased reach, but they also increase weight that can be detrimental to payload,” says Collins, product manager of Auto Crane, which is based in Tulsa, Okla.
There are certain applications where extending reach is an important consideration, but owners must consider how the additional weight of the boom will affect payload (tools, equipment, parts, or other mission-critical items). This can be particularly relevant in class 5 mechanics trucks. Owners typically expect maximum capacity out of a smaller truck with the options in this class.
Quite often, says Collins, the additional reach comes at the expense of payload capacity (tools, equipment, parts, or other mission-critical items).
Misconception No. 2: Bodies and cranes don’t vary much by manufacturer.
Believe it or not, there are significant differences between manufacturers’ products, as well as in their design and construction approaches.
“Before making a purchase decision, buyers need to understand the features of each manufacturer’s line in order to make a sound investment,” says Collins.
Do your research, talk to a variety of manufacturers, and remember that reliability, performance, and safety are critical to ensuring a low cost of ownership (and a good return on investment).
Misconception No. 3: Body size and chassis size don’t need to match.
“Matching the body weight along with payload (tools, parts, etc.) so it doesn’t exceed the chassis GVW is key,” emphasizes Jim Weir, sales manager at J&J Truck Bodies in Somerset, Pa.
To do this, it’s important to understand the service truck’s application, and match chassis, bodies, and equipment before they are brought together. Tare weight, cab-to-body distance, and cab-to-axle dimension are just a few of the specifications to consider.
“We work with the operator to determine what exactly he does, what tools or equipment he will be using the service body for, and what chassis he hopes to use,” Weir says. “Then we can work to properly size the body for the chassis with cargo area and compartments designed to match their needs.”
Understanding the gross vehicle weight rating, or GVWR, is a critical aspect of sizing the body, crane, and chassis. Finding out that your truck is overweight can lead to a variety of costly consequences.
If you realize that your truck is improperly configured, you’ll either need to find ways to reduce payload or transition to a larger chassis, says Collins. This will increase upfront costs and increase costs in fuel, insurance, and other considerations. Before making a buying decision, visit with your local dealer and make sure the configuration of the truck will meet your needs both on and off the jobsite.
Misconception No. 4: Replacing old service trucks with the exact same model will work just fine.
Sometimes, instead of explaining what the service truck will be used for, customers come in telling manufacturers exactly what they need (or what they think they need): “An 11-foot body on an F550, for example,” says David Smith, fabrication manager at Oro Design & Manufacturing in Ontario. “They just want to buy what they already have, and don’t really think about what other options are out there. But what they want may not be a big enough truck to do that job.”
David Smith encourages fleet managers to be open to discussing different sizes of cranes and body sizes, as well as what each one is good for (or not good for).
Misconception No. 5: The best return on investment is running a service truck until it dies.
“We often recommend that customers establish a regular replacement cycle,” says Oro’s David Smith. He uses a 20-truck fleet as an example: Instead of replacing all 20 trucks every decade at the very end of their useful lives, consider replacing two trucks a year when they’re halfway through their useful lives.
As service trucks get older, maintenance costs increase exponentially. Fleet managers who implement a replacement cycle often experience reduced ongoing operating costs — despite the myth that running trucks until they die is the way to get the most value from them.
Misconception No. 6: The smaller the service truck, the easier it is to manage.
Many service truck operators don’t want to drive a larger truck — they want to stick with the pickup class (up to the F550), says Smith. “Those trucks may offer a lower upfront cost, but customers sometimes don’t understand that they can be the most expensive to run.”
Oro Design has some customers who track their cost per mile and ongoing operating costs on their fleets. These customers usually find that the smaller service trucks are the most expensive to run.
“When you compare them to a Kenworth, for example, a service truck like that can actually be the cheapest to run on an ongoing basis — even though you may think they’re more expensive,” Smith explains.
How to dispel the myths
Fighting these misconceptions isn’t easy, but there are some tried-and-true tactics that manufacturers use to help customers make the right choices. And it always starts with education and understanding their concerns.
“We built a strategy around demonstrating mechanic’s trucks to fleet managers and end-users,” says Collins. “We highlight the features, advantages, and benefits of our product when we demo, we also listen to the needs of customers and make specific recommendations based on those needs.”
Most manufacturers agree that it’s in their best interests to make sure customers purchase trucks they will be happy with — because future business depends on it.
When it comes to helping fleet managers understand the impacts of service trucks on efficiency and productivity, Oro Design provides new prospects with the names and numbers of current customers. “A current customer can tell them first-hand about the savings he’s incurring,” says Barry Smith, president at Oro Design & Manufacturing. “It makes the sales process a little longer, but this way the customer’s getting what he needs.”
Knowing your audience is also important. For example, fleet managers promoted into their roles from the field are often open to purchasing more expensive options that provide increased productivity as a result. “But some fleet managers don’t have field experience,” says David Smith. “So they tend to focus more on the value of the item.”
In cases where face-to-face education isn’t an option, Oro Design is producing a series of training operation and maintenance videos for customers in remote areas. Instead of an in-person run-through of the service truck, fleet managers can still give their new employees an overview before he operates it for the first time.
“Even if they don’t end up buying from us, we’re still advising them on what they should be doing,” says Barry Smith.
Leah Grout Garris is a full-time freelance writer, editor, and marketing consultant based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.