The key to reducing asset variability is to involve user groups early on and to gain their buy-in by framing the asset simplification discussion as ways to enhance user productivity and safety, and creating cost efficiencies that contribute to P&L objectives.
Your primary goal is to spec a truck to meet the intended job function, but how it is spec’ed has a direct bearing on future resale value. Therefore, it is similarly important to maintain a remarketing mindset when identifying specs.
Spec’ing a medium-duty truck is a complicated process that requires hundreds of decisions and choices, with each potentially impacting another. It is a science to achieve the balance between over-spec’ing and under-spec’ing a truck.
Make sure the trucks you buy are designed for their intended purposes with properly specified GVWR and GCWR.
Vehicle specifications should be defined by the fleet application and mission requirements. A truism in truck fleet management is to design a truck that will accommodate your operational requirements rather than trying to make your operation conform to the truck. Here's how you do it.
There exist hidden opportunities with full-service leasing that are typically overlooked. The attention to financial details can distract from more significant benefits to fleets and their customers
When a truck is overloaded, its operating performance will be strained, accelerating wear-and-tear on brakes and other wear components, such as tire, which have higher failure rates because they run hotter due to the increased load. Another issue is axle overloading, which causes premature wear-and-tear on tires and suspension components.
I asked one fleet manager how he spec’ed replacement trucks for his fleet application. He related that many years earlier an OEM rep spec’ed out his trucks and he has been using the same formula ever since. While this may work in some cases, specifications should be defined by today’s fleet application to ensure the replacement truck is designed to accommodate current operational requirements rather than trying to make your operation conform to trucks spec’ed for yesteryear’s requirements.
Properly identifying payload parameters is the foremost consideration to properly spec’ing a truck. To illustrate this fact, the weight of the payload will determine the engine, transmission, size of tire, frame, and just about everything else.
Regardless of the vocational application, companies are in the business of “manufacturing” used vehicles. Today’s new truck is tomorrow’s used truck. How you spec a truck has a direct bearing on its future resale value.
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