Work Truck Magazine, February 2018
FEBRUARY 2018 WORK TRUCK 17 GVW decisions For instance there is a tendency to under spec trucks to avoid exceeding 26000 pounds GVW which requires drivers to have a CDL and triggers the need for compliance with increased regulatory requirements Over and under specing also impacts resale from the standpoint of weight Many companies over spec to handle more weight than necessary which costs much more up front and is not necessarily recouped on the resale Conversely many companies underspec their trucks then run heavier than allowed causing damage and incurring higher maintenance and repair costs along with long term damage to the truck chassis and components which could impact resale The challenge is to achieve the right balance between the trucks job requirement and expected annual mileage to help produce the lowest cost per mile END USER INPUT A fleet manager must talk with the end users in the field to understand what type of service the truck is expected to perform and how it will be used You should solicit input from field personnel to ensure that local issues affecting the vehicles operation are taken into account When talking with employees who are actually using the trucks you may discover they have been experiencing problems unknown to you It is common to discover after the fact problems with loading height cab access lack of bins limited visibility when backing or insufficient tool storage space When in the field it is your opportunity to ask a lot of questions to determine vehicle or upfit deficiencies For instance ask employees about passenger requirements whether there is a high idling requirement how the payload is distributed whether the vehicle will be fully loaded or operating with a diminishing load and how they load and off load cargo Talk to your drivers and your in house technicians or third party maintenance provider to analyze maintenance trends PHOTO GETTY IMAGES A fleet manager must talk with the end users in the field to understand what type of service the truck is expected to perform and how it will be used
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