It’s time to devise a commercial fleet upfitting budget. What’s the first thing you should consider?
The choice of vehicle comes first. What kind of equipment will you need (i.e., an SUV, a van, a sedan, a trailer hauled behind a truck)?
After that, considerations can include who will be in the vehicle. As an example, electrical and telephone technicians carry a large amount of supplies and tools. Will one person always be using the vehicle, or might there be more than one person in the vehicle at a time? Will the drivers/riders travel long distances? What will the roads be like in the area in which the vehicles travel? For each of these questions, the answer can help determine the type of vehicle that will be appropriate.
Now let’s move on.
Collect Your Data
Take a look at the current vehicles in your fleet. Talk to your drivers. Do a ride along. Do your current vehicles measure up in the manner in which they are outfitted? What can you do to make the vehicle more helpful to the drivers and technicians, more efficient, more comfortable, and functional?
Also, check any repair logs that are available. Is there any feature or part that has been troublesome? Your future purchase will not be beneficial if the same costly repairs need to be made. Avoiding downtime is crucial for a moneymaking fleet.
Do your units have a GPS tracking system? With these, you can sometimes find information that will help you check labor hours driven, fuel consumption, efficiency, vehicle performance, etc.
The whole point here is not to make the same mistakes with your choice new vehicles that were made with your old vehicle choices.
What Kind of Technology Should You Choose?
Never before, in the history of transportation, have there been so many options where technology is concerned. In a day and age where vehicles are able to drive themselves, the possibilities seem endless. This is going to mean looking at what you need compared to what you want or what you think might be fun to have.
In choosing your high-tech equipment, should you decide that it is something that is required, be sure to look closely at its longevity, dependability, and reliability. Will it pay for itself in the long run, or is the price tag extravagant and not worth the time, effort, or expense?
Upfitting Accessories
This can apply to things like partitions, car cages, push bumpers, and more. What they are made of (high grade or low grade) will help determine their cost. When safety is a factor, don’t cut corners for the sake of spending less.
Additionally, remember to consider what kind of affect the weight of your accessories will have on fuel consumption. You don’t want to reduce the efficiency of your vehicle unnecessarily.
Time to Choose Your Lighting
Again, look very carefully at the capabilities that you want versus the options that you need. Big additional costs can be the result of small, seemingly insignificant changes when it comes to lighting. Why? Because in upfitting projects, some of the costliest products can involve lighting.
Mickey Genuine Parts carries most any type of part that one can imagine when it comes to trailers, fan bodies, and the transportation industry in general. Give us your order by 2 PM Eastern Standard Time and we can begin shipping you your part or parts the very same day. Contact us to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable service representatives.