When it comes to utility truck beds, the following two equations are law.
Time=Money
Speed=Efficiency
This drums up the question: is your utility truck bed slowing you down?
Is it costing you money due to lack of efficiency?
The easy answer is, “Of course not!”
If you take a deeper look into how you use your utility truck, that answer might change.
So, we have compiled a 10-point checklist to help analyze how well your utility body is working for you, and how you can correct any inefficiencies to increase your work site speed.
Poor design for industry
A utility bed should be designed with special care for the industry that you work in.
This does not necessarily mean a tricked-out, custom truck bed, but one that has been optimized to best serve the work you perform.
On a side note, we are not suggesting that your service body will not work if it is not specifically optimized for your industry of work.
What we are saying, is that using a run of the mill utility truck bed for specialized work is akin to using a butter knife to cut steak.
Yeah, it will work, but it makes the entire process a little more labor-intensive than it should be.
If you are not in a position to upgrade your utility body, try to draw up a schematic to best use what you have.
Small changes in organization and tool placement on a work truck body can save hours of time.
Try it out and see.
Steel-downtime between bodies
Keeping your service truck up and running is a top priority.
No kidding, right?
We understand that things break, sh!% happens, and work can be unpredictable sometimes.
We also know that steel utility truck beds are more prone to deteriorate quickly than aluminum. It’s science. Steel rusts.
If you are running a whole fleet of utility trucks, this can be costly be not completely detrimental to business.
However, if you are running a smaller fleet or single truck operation, having even a day or two of downtime while switching utility bodies can be quite costly.
The best way to do your due diligence to prevent downtime in the future is to explore aluminum service truck body options when the time comes to upgrade.
Think of it as a future insurance policy to make sure that you stay up and running as long as possible.
And it will save you money…
Steel- fuel mileage
In addition to keeping your truck on the road longer, aluminum will provide an additional, cost-saving benefit: fuel mileage.
Aluminum is significantly lighter than steel and will reduce your mile per gallon fuel costs.
Additionally, the light weight properties of aluminum will reduce chassis wear, consequently reducing your truck maintenance costs and increasing the lifetime of the truck.
Poor organization
Put your stuff away.
…and put it where it goes.
Poor organization on a utility truck bed can cost hours to days over the long-term.
If you keep your service truck organized, you will experience a major difference in the amount of work you can get done in a day.
The best part about organization on your truck body?
It’s free and requires little work to maintain. Practice building this tiny habit of discipline and see the results come to life.
Not enough storage
When organization does not solve the problem, it may be time to consider that you do not have enough storage in your utility truck bed.
This can be the result of business expansion or changes in your service offerings since the initial acquisition of your utility truck.
When it becomes glaringly apparent that you do no longer have sufficient storage on your truck body, it is probably time to consider an upgrade.
Chances are, if this is a problem you are already aware of it.
One solution is to audit what is needed one the truck bed and remove unnecessary or sparingly used tools.
The obvious second option is to upgrade your utility truck bed to fit the current needs of your business and workflow.
Not enough deck space
As this goes together with not enough storage, this is in its own category.
Lacking deck space for certain aspects of work is not as easily worked around as not having enough storage for tools.
Deck space on a utility truck bed is crucial for certain industries. Not having enough could mean multiple runs to a single job site.
Enhanced deck space can cut two trips down to one, which provides massive time savings.
There are hurdles that will become increasingly more difficult to maneuver if your business has reached a point where your utility truck bed does not have adequate deck space.
Unfortunately, the only way to combat this problem is by upgrading a utility body when it fits the budget.
Lacking safety features costing time
The biggest risk of lost time when it comes to a utility body is safety features.
All work has aspects of danger that one must be proactive against to prevent injury.
Service truck body manufacturers do their part to implement certain safety features on all truck bodies for preventative measure against lost time accidents.
While many safety features come standard with truck bodies, is important to note the aspects of your work that may open the doors for potential injury and equip your truck body to prevent such scenarios.
Common “extra” safety features can include non-slip decking to prevent costly injuries when the deck surface is wet and adequate lighting for nighttime work and poorly lit job sites.
If there is a backdoor for lost time accidents present on your utility truck bed, find a way to remedy it (sooner rather than later).
Defective parts (cabinets, fastening rigs)
Defective or broken parts on a truck bed can create havoc if not dealt with promptly.
Tying in with safety features above, your utility truck bed should frequently be inspected for any “loose-ends” or defective parts that could cause potential injury.
We cannot stress the importance of staying on top of your truck bed maintenance and regularly checking for any malfunctioning hardware.
Preventative action can include ensuring your utility truck body is inspected and that the manufacturer provides a warranty.
If you have caused any damage to the truck body, fix it as soon as possible to prevent costly errors down the road.
Insufficient lighting
As we mentioned above under safety features, adequate lighting for all potential job site scenarios is extremely important for your utility truck bed.
If you ever work in dark conditions (like…at night) we suggest equipping your work truck with extra lighting to enhance visibility at the job site.
It is better to over prepared than under prepared.
If you are a nocturnal worker (or if you ever work in nocturnal situations), try to outfit your utility truck body with LED flood lights in multiple areas to ensure that any area you may be working in can be illuminated quickly and efficiently.
Taking a step further, consider upfitting your utility truck boxes and cabinets with LED light strands to make the process of tool selection and workflow easy and efficient.
It sure beats the hell out of fishing around in the dark for the right wrench.
Lacking warranty
Warranties on truck bodies will prevent a lot of future headache, woe, and pain.
A utility truck body manufacturer with a solid warranty stands behind their equipment, and it is an indicator that great care was considered when producing your truck bed.
Additionally, if anything ever goes awry, you will be entitled to repairs with bearing the burden of cost.
This principle should be held in high consideration for anyone looking at new utility truck beds.
For a proactive solution to lost time, seek a service body manufacturer that can provide a solid warranty to cover yourself for the future.
Lastly…
JOMAC offers custom, industry-specific solutions for utility truck beds and service truck bodies.
LP GAS, Mechanics, Tire Service, Fire and Rescue, and more, we offer completely custom, upfitted utility body options for any size budget or fleet.
