Landscape Management, October 2010
A SHIFT IN THE FLEET continued on page 62 Trucks represent growth expansion of business and the pride owners have in their companies But the economy like many other aspects of business has started to change the way the industry purchases new vehicles BY DAN JACOBS MANAGING EDITOR LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET OCTOBER 2010 60 PHOTO COURTESY HEAVILAND ENTERPRISES Tom Heaviland prefers a clean and uniform looking fl eet Y ou can almost hear the pride in landscape business owners voices when they start talking about their trucks There is no equipment with the possible exception of a mower that embodies everything about the Green Industry the way a truck does rugged earthy powerful These days theres one other adjective to add to that list older With a down economy affecting business some owners are focused more on maintaining and extending the life of their existing truck and trailer fl eets Were not buying as many trucks says Maurice Dowell president of Dowco Enterprises Chesterfi eld MO Were doing more maintenance on our existing vehicles Weve stretched them out According to Landscape Management research 46 of contractors purchased new or used trucks this year and 43 plan to purchase them next year Industry trucks have certainly advanced Years ago contractors had fewer models from which to choose explains Bob Johnson director of fl eet relations for the National Truck Education Association NTEA You ended up with more truck than you needed or a truck that was overloaded he says Landscape trucks historically were the most overloaded trucks because they would get a 1 ton truck and use it for everything The good news is there are more classes of truck and that gives contractors more options With the emphasis on fuel econ
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