I may be asking a redundant question here, but as the cost of fuel is still climbing I am pondering supplementing the 3500 GMC Savannha I currently use. It is a diesel and gets about 8 miles to the gallon with the gear I carry. Of course the gear I carry is way more then anyone needs but since I provide emergency service I take pride in knowing that I have the tools at my ready to for just about anything.
I am looking at a considerable lighter duty truck for everyday use. It is the GMC Canyon. Seems about big enough to carry the daily necessary tools (pocket tools) and materials one would need and gets up to 20 miles on the highway, empty of course. So if I get 15 mpg I'm still amost twice my current situation.
Is anybody using this particular truck or own one and have any pros or cons? The commercial grade comes with the Z71 suspension and a utility body.
As always, thanks for the feed back.

I don't know the Canyon but I've been stewing on this topic.

If service work is your bread and butter (or you make enough off those spur of the moment calls...) you don't have any choice really but to drive some sort of "rolling gang box and supply shop" every day and pay whatever that may be. The diesel Freightliner (or similar) may be a moderate option.

But, if new construction is your main gig... then think outside the box some. A rollback tow truck could have your 'mobilization gear' (gangboxes/ladders/etc) delivered once and have all your heavier material delivered too; then drive an econo-box with your hand tools like a green helper. Tools don't require that much room, maybe something big enough to hold a 6 foot ladder.


Having a second vehicle (and second set of "basic" tools) is a false economy. Whatever you pay to buy, register, insure, equip, maintain, etc is going to add up quick. Divide that number by $5/gallon gas and then calculate how many miles will it take over how long a time to equal let alone get you ahead? And you still have to buy fuel for it, Ya know?

Reno's a pretty small town ... you can get nearly anywhere in 15 minutes.

With that in mind, believe me, I'm beginning to think in terms of a street-legal Cushman (Meter Maid cart), and carry the minimum for the day - saving the big truck for the big jobs, or jobs outside of town!

For a complete package you will need a skirt to go along with that.

Might be time to focus on restricting yourself to work within a smaller travel radius

I didn't realize what an impact it was having until I moved to an island. I get 8-10mpg on my rolling shop also - diesel E350. My vehicle expenses are down, and it doesn't take 10+ hours to put in an 8 hour day.

Bryan, in regards to false economy, I don't think that this is a false economy situation. I think it is a reality of cutting expenses.
I average 700 miles a week, pretty easy to do around here, Diesel is approx $4.40 a gallon. At 8 miles to the gallon I am using 87.5 gallons of fuel a week which equals 385.00 or $1668.00 per month. It was tolerable a year ago when the fuel was around 3.00 or so a gallon.
The new truck will get around 15 miles to the gallon or 46 gallons a week. With gas a little cheaper then diesel at an avg of 3.89 right now it will reduce the fuel cost to 179.00 a week or 775.00 a month.
The new truck will cost around 350.00 a month depreciated over five years. So far it is a 600 a month savings. If I am not driving the "rolling gang box" it is not costing me other then insurance which is minimal compare to the savings I have calculated.

I wouldn't rely on a manufacturer's mpg claim, unless you are driving downhill with the wind, both ways, pay extra for high octane fuel, and drive at 45mph. I've never made it even with an empty vehicle. Be careful.

You can try some of theses:

Delivery "truck"

service truck waiting to be set up

Service fleet

Sparky.... I don't know were you found those but they were not what I was expecting. I just had a good laugh when I saw those, thanks

Yahoo search. The way things are going the only economical choice is the bicycle. I work with this kid one time. Him and his wife had only one car. Every once in a while he would show up on the job site with his tools and lunch box in the kiddie trialer which drove my boss bonkers.

Is that mileage figure based on *that* vehicle? Or is that the mileage spec for the bare-bones 4-banger std cab with stick shift? I'm amazed at how mfr's an spout off figures without any qualifiers.

BTW: In Canada we get higher MPG figures than the US. No, I'm not being snotty... they are falling back on the ancient Imperial measure in which a gallon is 4.55L vs. the 3.78L US gallon. What a way to skew the figures, eh?

What year is your van? I have an 06 Chevy diesel van and I get 17-18 mpg and I check everytank. It weighs just over 7500lbs according to the DOT scale on rt 93 in NH just over the boarder.
As far as getting a second vehicle, they don't make much "cents". Insurance and payments and excise taxes will eat up the savings.
Now if you think you can get away with having a small truck with limited stock to do calls with, your proving that having the big truck loaded with everything under the sun is not needed.

Is any one using a Dodge Sprinter yet?? I hear mileage is in the mid 20s. Not sure if they tough enough but 4 cylinder diesel seems like the way to go. Wish I could get one in a pickup

Careful planning can save you a lot of fuel expense. My truck is a high top utility at 8 MPG. If I had a smaller truck I wouldn't be able to always have what I need, which would result in more miles driven. So in a way I am actually saving on fuel when you consider that.

I try to plan my calls, Northside one day, eastside the next etc. Also, think about charging extra for the farther out jobs.

I swapped trucks with another guy, last week, because he gets better mileage and I was going out of town. I drive a 3/4 ton van stocked to the roof. His is a 3/4 ton truck with a topper and boxes on the sides.

If I always drove his truck, I would turn my phone off. There would be no point taking a service call, unless they only wanted to see my pretty face. You just can't do service work with a little truck.

I get service calls from industrial to commercial to residential and my phone is never off. My co-worker gets his job list in the morning an goes home when he gets to the end of his list. We need different trucks.

So I wonder whether you can do one kind of job in a smaller truck and efficiently get to the other truck when you need it. Do you keep two cordless drills, etc or do you move everything between trucks. Do you have the time to stock both trucks, or will the stock always be on the wrong truck?

I couldn't do it.

The stock is always in the wrong truck. I drive an E350 with a Stahl utility box. I get 10 MPG, loaded. My van is in the shop right now getting the paint touched up, so I've been riding with the guys in an E-150, 13.8 MPG. Never enough room for the tools and materials we need. I do residential new construction, remodels and service as well as commercial remodels and service. My truck is always loaded with everything, no choice. I could never go back to a smaller van and make multiple trips because I didn't have something I needed. I might not be right but its the way I do it.

I've been giving serious thought to changing the way I operate - and gas prices are only another reason.

Currently, I have a 1-ton truck, with a utility body. Large as it is, you still can't carry anything even close to a full inventory. Plus, that truck is not the most maneuverable vehicle.

I'm brainstorming a couple ideas. One is to have the truck for the actual job - but to use a (much smaller, more nimble) vehicle for scouting jobs, going to meetings, and quick runs to the parts store. Naturally, this plan runs into two problems: lack of parking at many sites, and the inability to drive two vehicles at once.

Another idea is to find a "mule." That is, a small vehicle with a huge towing capacity, and haul a trailer around for work. When the trailer isn't needed, the 'mule' would suffice to run me around town.

Just throw a Vespa in the back of your truck

What is it exactly? Truck or van? What is the body like?

My rig (E350) is 20' long, 9'4" tall, 138" wheelbase, and the body is no wider than stock - just squared off. It is big, but because of the wheelbase and width, it drives small. Somewhere between a std. cab longbed and a supercab shortbed. (I don't think anybody considers those pickups large.)

Another electrical contractor acquaintance of mine got into one of the small cabovers (Isuzu or Mitsu-Fuso) with a narrow cube body. The have a really short wheelbase to help make it drive small.



I can't see that being effective for service work and <1-day jobs.

[/quote]

Heh. I like that idea. Or a moped since they don't need registration, plates, or insurance.

Since you asked:





OK, not the best pic .... but, let's look at my work.

Yesterday I was running phone lines. Today I was doing Explosion-proof pipe. I also do everything in-between. So, the variety of tasks leads to an overwhelming array of parts and tools.

That's why the trailer idea appeals to me. I could have several small trailers, outfitted for particular types of work. Say, one for lighting maintenance, and another for digging ditches / pouring cement.

While that truck is reasonable maneuverable, I do encounter plenty of spaces that are tighter than I like. Many places have overhangs low enough to cause me trouble. The final killer - yesterday almost literally - is that I have ZERO rear vision.

That's enough of a problem just changing lanes in traffic. Yesterday, a quick stop led to me beginning to back out of the parking space, unaware that some guy in a wheelchair, for Pete's sake, had decided to park himself in the sun, right behind my truck. He was completely invisible to me - and I had a hard time hearing him over the back-up alarm! No one got hurt, but a lesson was learned by all.

One of these might be nice to have.

That Mr. Sparky truck is the best looking rig to be found anywhere. Give it to me and within 6 months you couldn't find a single item in under an hour of searching........

Side note- I bet it makes for terrific advertizing to just show those photo's to the public. You see an ad featuring those trucks and who are you going to call?

+1

With rare exceptions, most resi service work is a one hit affair. There won't be a need for an electrician again before the next owner is in and does their redecorating.

With rare exceptions, the homeowner doesn't have any direct experience with any local contractors.

With rare exceptions, homeowners are mostly looking for a reason they can feel comfortable and confident in their choice of a contractor.

With rare exceptions, the price isn't really the issue when selecting a contractor.

With rare exceptions, homeowners are idiots and their wives know it.

If Momma ain't happy... ain't nobody happy.

These guys would probably give a cheaper price.

You'd have to be 7' tall to reach most of what's on that truck. You'll never see anyone working out of it.