How Do You Know When It’s Time to Upgrade Your Vacuum Truck Fleet?
When you’ve got a vacuum truck fleet and you see a new vacuum truck for sale, it can be tempting to go out and purchase a new truck to add to your collection. Keeping your fleet up to date is important after all! However, it’s equally as important to understand your budget, understand your company’s needs, and understand what company you’re considering purchasing from. When you’re considering upgrading your fleet when you see a vacuum truck for sale, be sure to take all of these aspects into account.
Why You Would Need an Upgrade
The goal of upgrading would be to have better, newer, and nicer equipment without breaking the bank. And after all, it might be more expensive in the long run to keep up with maintenance costs, instead of purchasing a new vehicle. If you consider aspects like upgraded technology, and daily wear and tear, no matter how much you keep up with the maintenance of your vehicles, you are eventually going to need new ones for the betterment of your business and your budget.
However, don’t think that you need to upgrade your fleet just because your vehicles are a few years old. Weigh the pros and cons, and if you notice that three key factors need improvement, then it might be time to purchase a new vacuum truck.
1. When your maintenance costs gets too high
No matter how well you take care of your vehicles, there’s going to come a time when the cost to repair them is higher than the cost they’re actually worth. Heavy machinery, and specialty equipment like vacuum trucks are going to make it a little harder to determine what exactly the cost of a new truck versus the cost of maintenance is. However, if you have a good relationship with your manufacturer or the repair company, they should be able to give you a good idea if keeping your trucks as they are is actually worth the investment.
As technology progresses, and some parts and aspects of your truck become out of date, the mounting costs of being able to find parts to maintain your vehicle may also go up. Even when it comes to cars, finding parts for vehicles that are no longer made or models that have been retired can be extremely difficult. You may spend more time and money locating people who are willing to do the repairs as well as actually finding the parts to do the repairs themselves. This is not conducive in the long run and it’s only going to cost you more money.
When it gets to this point, purchasing a new vacuum truck is a wise business decision. You know that your trucks are in good condition as they’re new and you know that you can get regular cost effective maintenance through things like warranties and through your dealership. Additionally, you’d be able to reach out to your manufacturer like Flowmark directly for additional parts and support and know that they have those parts you may need in stock.
2. When your fleet is older than ten years
Wear and tear is a major aspect of owning any vehicle, and that includes heavy machinery, like vacuum trucks. Overtime. Vital aspects of your truck are going to lose their effectiveness due to things like wear and tear and constant use. Parts and machinery like joints, vacuum hoses, and even hook ups are going to start to lose their effectiveness, the more and more you use them. This is especially true if you live in a more unforgiving climate like one that gets extremely hot or extremely cold.
Additionally, having a fleet that’s older than 10 years can potentially put the health and safety of your workers at risk. The older any vehicle becomes, the more unexpected problems it’s likely to have.
Modern trucks are going to come with all of the modern bells and whistles. Your new vacuum truck may contain features like GPS, pressure monitors, back up cameras, security systems, and more.
3. When technology has improved
Bigger, better and more impressive technology comes out every year. The rise in technology even between 20 years ago and today is almost unfathomable. In twenty years, technology has gone from having flip phones where you need to pay ten cents per text message to having miniature computers in your pocket at all times. Why would the technology and heavy machinery like vacuum trucks be any different?
As technology improves, we too should strive to meet the standard that technology provides. While the basics may be the same, the trucks themselves can provide additional benefits like a more comfortable ride for the drivers and riders, more precise usage of the vacuum feature, and more. Improvements in technology may even be able to help improve how the computers in your truck work under more extreme conditions like hot or cold weather and torrential rain. Technology controls more aspects of the vacuum truck than you probably realize!
Understanding the Need for Maintenance vs. Upgrading
You’ll know that it’s time to upgrade when the cost of maintaining your fleet is costing you more than what the vacuum trucks are actually worth. If you find that the monthly payments of purchasing a new vacuum truck are actually going to be lower than doing the monthly repairs on an older model, then it’s time to make the switch.
Purchasing Vacuum Trucks with Flowmark
Even though you know that you’re getting the absolute highest quality when you purchase a vacuum truck for sale with Flowmark, these trucks are only designed to last for so long. Sooner or later, you’re going to need to get an upgrade, and Flowmark is here to help. Our trucks are American made and our staff is extremely knowledgeable about what models are going to be best for you to help get you – and your business – pointed in the right direction.
If you’re interested in doing some upgrades to your fleet, contact Flowmark today for more information.