Service Tips: “Tricking out” your truck is more than about looks

Service truck appearance and function greatly affect an operation’s ROI.

A “tricked out” service truck can help you show and tell that story to potential customers.

A variety of lubrication system configurations are available that can be configured to fit your service fleet. A good lubrication system can speed in-field maintenance and help position your business as a first-rate organization that cares about preventive maintenance.

When competing for every new rental, sometimes the appearance of your service trucks can put you ahead of the pack in landing heavy equipment rentals and the maintenance service necessary to keep those machines running on the job site.

Your service trucks are often seen as a window into how you conduct business. A dirty truck with disorganized tools and worn, outdated components may convey the image of careless, insufficient service in maintaining your own rental fleet.

On the other hand, a clean, organized and well-kept truck can show the opposite, that you care about not just the image of your business, but the quality of your maintenance service. Conveying this message through the appearance of your service fleet can help instill trust in your customers and show that you’ll do what it takes to keep equipment well maintained and operating with minimal disruption, contributing to a more productive, efficient jobsite. That can mean more rental business as you grow a reputation of quality service and attention to customer needs.

But in thinking of ways to “trick out” your rental service trucks, it’s about more than just being billboards on wheels. While eye-catching, think beyond a flashy paint job or wrap. An effectively tricked-out truck needs to be a visual representation of your service capabilities, quality of work and dependability as a business partner to heavy equipment owners and operators.

Connecting with new, large customers
For a heavy equipment contractor, winning a bid for a large project, like a road construction job a long distance from company headquarters often means one of two things. He or she may transport the necessary equipment to the site of the work or send only the workers the job requires and rely on rental machinery to get the job done.

In either case, a job lasting a month or more will require service from a mobile lubrication and oil change truck. If the contractor is relying on your rental fleet for some of the heavy equipment, your service truck will be important to keeping that equipment in good shape to finish the job and be available for other renters later on.

As an extension of your brand and indicator of your maintenance and service capabilities, your service vehicles are sometimes a potential customer’s first and most lasting image of your business. You want that image to show how serious you are about conducting equipment maintenance, including engine lubrication and oil changes on the job site. So, what are the top considerations for effectively tricking out your service trucks?

There are two main components to creating the image you want in your service truck fleet. First, there’s the aesthetic: Things like truck wraps with your company name and logo can ensure your brand is readily identifiable when potential customers see you on the road. In this way, your truck can serve as a billboard on wheels.

That visual isn’t just about catching attention; it should be a reflection of your brand. Though those things attract attention, they’re just the eye candy that enables you to demonstrate to potential customers that maintenance is a high priority in your rental fleet.

By ensuring tools and maintenance equipment are clearly visible on service trucks, you can convey the quality maintenance services you provide. Those components include:

Storage. Crane truck bodies make a good foundation for a service truck because of their high toolbox sides and side drawer sets.

Tools you need to do the job. A welder and/or plasma cutter, bumper-mounted vise and high-cfm air compressor show your maintenance capabilities when on the road.

Oil change equipment. A lube skid, such as a Sage Oil Vac system that are available in service, compact and heritage models with a range of capabilities, is an easy addition to a service truck that can show you offer full engine oil and equipment lube services. With a range of size and capacity, a lube skid can fit just about any well-organized service truck.

Sage Oil Vac LubeBuilder systems are easy additions to a service truck, offering a range of fully customizable components. There are more than 300 different potential configurations that will fit your service truck. With a footprint that delivers the tanks, hoses, components and power required to perform full oil change and lubrication services, each LubeBuilder system is designed specifically for each service vehicle.

With the Sage Oil Vac’s vacuum process for changing oil, it’s easier to keep your service vehicle clean, whether it’s built on a crane truck, van body, enclosed truck or any other chassis option.

“Tricked-out” ROI

Operating a fully equipped service truck can deliver a strong return on investment (ROI) to equipment rental companies. The first component comes in the basic ability to deliver full maintenance service and equipment to the job site. Especially on long-term jobs such as a highway construction or large excavation project, the ability to perform service without removing equipment from the job site minimizes the downtime required to change oil and other scheduled maintenance tasks.

Mobile service trucks help keep your customers running and also enable you to maintain your machines better. On the other end of the spectrum, if regular maintenance requires a trip to a shop, it’s sometimes easy for service techs to take shortcuts or exceed the normal service interval. Operating a fully tricked-out service truck helps you maintain equipment better on the job site, ultimately extending its operational life.

An attractive, well-equipped service truck also draws new business when working on and traveling to your rental customers’ job sites. When you convey a professional image with a clean service vehicle that has all the necessary components, existing and potential rental customers see how seriously you take mobile service. That can build customer loyalty and lead to repeat business in the future.

A final component of the ROI of an attractive service truck with quality, visible tools and components is in sustaining your business’ future. With the retirement of the baby boomer generation, there’s an influx of younger service technicians. They want to operate quality, attractive equipment that conveys a positive image of your business and the quality of their service. Eye-catching service vehicles with all the necessary tools to service equipment on the job site go a long way to recruiting and retaining talented service technicians today with the generational transition underway.

Starting the process
Heavy equipment rental companies face an increasingly competitive marketplace. Landing new rental business sometimes boils down to being seen by potential customers and demonstrating the quality of your equipment and how well you maintain it.

Aaron Sage is CEO of Sage Oil Vac in Amarillo, Texas.

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This article originally appeared in the September-October 2020 issue of Pro Contractor Rentals magazine. © 2020 Urbain Communications LLC.

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