4 Helpful Tips for Finding the Right Vacuum Truck for Your Business

When searching for a portable toilet truck for sale, it’s important to remember that not every machine is made the same or performs the exact same function. Your first instinct is probably to purchase the best deal you can find and save yourself some money where you can. However, these types of investments require some time and research to make sure that you are getting exactly what you need. Plus, there is always the difficult task of ensuring that you stay on budget, are working with a reputable lender, and of course, buying from a knowledgeable and quality dealership. 

So how can you ensure you are getting the right vacuum truck for the job? Here at FlowMark, we want to offer up a few tips that will help you. Whether this is your first vacuum truck for your business, or another addition to an already existing fleet, keep reading to learn more!

1.) Research and Identify Your Needs

Acquiring the right equipment for your septic service business isn’t as simple as hopping on your local classifieds and quickly buying the first portable toilet truck for sale that you see. Prior to even combing through products, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Are there any truck specifications that I need?
• Do I plan to handle liquid material or dry material or both?
• Do I need it to perform any special functions?

Narrowing these down will give you a solid baseline to work with. From there, there are several other determinations that need to be made. For example, choosing engine requirements, vacuum systems, debris tank dimensions, water capacity, and even which chassis you prefer. To make things easier, create a checklist or write everything down to help keep it organized. 

You also need to consider the environment that you are going to be working in, and if noise pollution or other topics are an area of concern. Don’t forget to invest in snow tires if you live in a cold weather climate or face harsh winters! 

2.) Budget, Budget, Budget

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of purchasing major equipment for your company is staying within your budget limitations. There is a fine line you have to walk between getting everything you need to get the job done and making sure that you don’t leave yourself high and dry on the financial side of things. Yes, a vacuum truck is an investment, but it’s important to do it wisely. 

If you are getting a loan for the equipment, make sure you take the time to research a lender, especially one that specializes in business or equipment loans. You want to ensure that you are getting a low interest rate as well as working with a reputable bank. This will help you to stay on budget and keep your monthly payments manageable. 

If you are not sure what your budget is, sit down with your team and make up a plan. Go over various information such as a percentage for down payment, potential monthly payments, cost of insurance and liability, repairs over the life of the machine, and so on. Cross compare with what your budget as a company looks like now, and this should yield an accurate number.

3.) Test Drive

We don’t care how good it looked online, or what promises were made over email or phone – don’t finalize the paperwork until after you’ve had a chance to see the truck in person. When it comes to purchasing a vacuum truck, it’s not just about the miles on the odometer or how clean and well maintained the interior looks. You should also ask the seller for a demonstration on the vacuum functions, too, and account that everything runs as it should. 

Even if you are purchasing the equipment brand new, a test run of all of the parts is imperative prior to driving off the lot. This can also help you to troubleshoot and learn how to use various parts that you might not have known before. Take notes or ask questions as you go along. 

4.) Take Your Time

For this last point, we cannot stress this enough: take your time. Rushing or panic buying will undoubtedly leave you with buyer’s remorse and likely stuck with something you aren’t very happy with. In fact, driving off the lot with the very first portable toilet truck for sale that you see is the last thing we suggest. Talk to your team, research various vacuum truck dealerships and read through their reviews online, and even strike up a conversation with fellow colleagues in the business. Yes, it can be time consuming and a lot of work, but we promise you that the end result will be worth it. 

Trust FlowMark

Here at FlowMark, we understand what a huge investment a vacuum truck is to your business. That is why we are proud to offer the best quality equipment on the market with every part manufactured right here in our shop in Kansas City. Because of this, we know how each one works and operates. Customer service and satisfaction is what we aim to bring to the table. 

Rest assured that not only are we going to sell you a quality product, but also have your back for the lifetime of your vacuum truck. We are proud to provide our customers with a very easy to use online parts store, so that should any element of your truck need to be replaced, such as a hose or valve, you don’t have to dig around for what you need. We warehouse over four million dollars worth of parts so that we can ship you what you need at a moment’s notice. Time is money, after all!

If you are ready to move forward with the best piece of equipment you will ever purchase for your septic service business, contact us today! We won’t make you wait days on end for a quote or leave you hanging. We understand that the quickest way to make money is to get on the road and start assisting customers. Let us help you do just that!