Merchants Fleet has the solution to all your utility fleet management needs. We’ve been serving utility companies across industries for more than 50 years and continue to offer the latest trucks, vans, and other commercial vehicles. We have customized solutions for all types of utility companies and work with you to create a successful fleet built for your needs.
There are numerous benefits to having a unified utility fleet, including faster deployment to job sites, improved fleet safety and lower costs. You can also monitor all your equipment, track fuel management, and driver behavior.
We understand that your company has unique needs and are ready to provide any upfitting, fleet leasing, and other utility fleet management that you need. We’ll work with you to find the best fleet for your utility business.
For utility and infrastructure contractors, we know that unified fleet management is a large part of your success. From pickup trucks to specialized F-500s, we can upfit your fleet. We can customize lifts and cranes to various heights, outfit your pickup truck with flatbeds and toolboxes, and much more. We can also recommend the right tires and rims, which may vary due to terrain and climate. Merchants has the technical knowledge and industry experience for any size vehicle and fleet.
Most water utility trucks need to be heavily upfitted. From the driver’s rig to the tank to the pumping equipment, each fleet is unique. Depending on weight, heavy duty tanks may require special permitting, safety precautions and adhere to specific regulations. Every driver must hold the right type of driver’s license and endorsements. Since liquid can easily damage a vehicle, maintenance is especially important for water trucks.
Oil and gas fleets tend to consist of pickup trucks and light to medium duty trucks. These fleets are servicing a variety of locations and carry equipment, piping, and workers. Most oil and gas fleets have light upfitting, with a special focus on tires. Since these vehicles travel on all terrains, lifecycle is an important consideration.
Cable, telephone, and internet fleets can vary from vans to bucket trucks. Since duties of service providers can range from in-house installation to working on cabling, so does the needs of their fleets. Service provider vans can be upfitted with boxes, storage for tools, and space to hold cabling. Trucks may be upfitted with a lift to work on telephone poles.
Merchants Fleet can procure virtually any make or model for your fleet and help customize vehicles for your business needs. We have a wide variety of vehicles, including alternative-fuel vehicles. There is a growing interest in alternative-fuel vehicles and companies like BrightDrop, Ford and GM are releasing electric vehicle fleets. Depending on your business needs, upfitting may or may not be available for alternative-fuel vehicles. Contact Merchants to learn more.
Common Utility Vehicles:
Upfitting is not only critical to vehicle efficiency and importance – for utility fleets, it’s also a matter of safety. Ergonomics, specialized equipment like grounding features, high-visibility paint, and other features make sure your workers reduce their risk of accident or injury. Merchants can provide upfits specific to each industry and utility vehicle, depending on your needs. Some upfitting can be done at the dealership and at Merchants Fleet, while some is more specialized. Our national network of upfitting companies can help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Whatever your upfitting needs, we will work with you to get the job done.
Every fleet has unique upfitting needs. We take on projects of all sizes and complexities including:
Identity
Safety
Practical use and function
A large utility company was frustrated with multiple contracts of different lengths and prices. The company had a mix of long-term leased assets and rental units, but the rental units cost almost twice as much as the leased assets.
Merchants was able to put a rent-to-lease option in place so the company could easily convert rentals to long-term leases once contract positions were solidified. These vehicles were then converted to long-term leases when a contract was extended. The company incurred a depreciation credit for each month a vehicle was rented that was applied to the cap cost at conversion, which further lowered the long-term lease payment. Rentals that were no longer needed were returned to Merchants for extra cost savings.
The company is now on track to save nearly $100,000 annually in lease payments, plus $853,000 annually in rental vehicle cost avoidance. In addition, they have saved on administrative costs from rental vehicle turn-ins.
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