By Scott Hanewall
Contractors, especially those in the HVAC industry, need trucks with upfit options that help organize all their tools and equipment, offering easy access to anything they may need. HVAC professionals are responsible for a variety of repairs and need to respond to any project at a moment’s notice. A work truck is the most important tool of an HVAC service technician, as it facilitates the safe and easy access to every other tool.
There are several upfitting options that increase ease of use, organization, and safety for professionals in the HVAC industry. The experts at Monroe Truck Equipment have put together a guide on what considerations HVAC professionals should make when investing in a new truck to make their job easier and ensure long-term ROI.
SAFETY FIRST
One of the first and most important considerations to make when investing in a new HVAC truck is what options are available to ensure the long-term safety of you, your belongings, and your vehicle.
Driver Safety
With such a rigorous job, HVAC professionals need to ensure that they upfit their truck with options that protect their long-term safety and comfort. Look for nitrogen gas strut door holders for storage doors and hinged panels. This helps users easily raise panels and keep them open without assistance. Most importantly, it prevents fingers and hands from being slammed in doors or hinges when closing.
For getting in and out of your truck, consider a safety bumper that offers features like “cleats” or raised bumps that help your boot grip and prevent slippage. This will ensure easy and safe movement when getting in and out of the truck bed.
Secure Storage
With so much equipment needed for the job, at any given moment an HVAC truck can have thousands of dollars’ worth of tools inside. Security and the safety of your equipment is a top priority. Invest in features like bolt-on locks or remote-locking capabilities.
To protect your equipment when driving, the use of shelves, containers, pegboards, and magnetized strips can ensure minimal movement when driving and help keep your tools safely in place.
Truck Safety
There are many upfitting options available to keep your truck in top shape and accident free. Here are a few options to consider:
- Bumper lights
- Increase visibility for other drivers
- Separate bumper
- Help reduce risk of damage to truck body
- Wind deflector
- Minimizes wind resistance to reduce your fuel mileage
- Back-up camera and alarm
- Reduce employee injury and damage to truck and equipment
- Extra visibility helps drivers stay within designated roadways
- Aluminum rock sliders
- Keep your truck body free from denting
- Safe extra step for getting in cab
- Additional set of round LED stop/turn/tail lights in rear
- Extra visibility and awareness
- Powder-coated exterior
- Prevent rust and fight erosion through years of use
ACCESSIBILITY
After safety, accessibility and organization are top concerns for HVAC professionals. Being able to quickly access any tool, know where your equipment is at all times, and keep things tidy and organized is imperative to do your job day in and day out.
An overhead ladder rack keeps large equipment up and out of the way. Top packs and shelving with doors and partitions provide dedicated space for your equipment and tools and prevent excessive movement when driving. Shelves can be made to hold particular items, like vacuum pumps and other bulky equipment, to ensure safety.
Storage bins, tool drawers, and part cases allow the driver to find their own organization system and keep the smaller tools safe and organized. Aluminum or steel storage units help protect against wear and tear over time.
Wall liners are used around the interior of the truck to protect the integrity of the interior and reduce noise levels. A variety of flooring options are available and offer slightly different benefits. No matter how you organize, lighting is going to be imperative to ensure safe and quick access to tools and equipment at any time day or night.
BASIC TOOL INVENTORY
HVAC professionals store a basic stock list of tools and equipment in their trucks to ensure they have what they need to complete tasks. Here are a few suggestions of tools to keep around to stay safe and work with ease and comfort:
- PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
- Ear plugs
- Goggles
- Kneepads
- Masks
- Hard hat
- HVAC Essentials
- Cable ties
- Driers
- Copper tubing and tools
- Coil cleaner
- Refrigerant
- PVC glue
- Electrical Tape
- Filters
- Electrical testers
- Wire strippers
- Basic tools
- Extension cord
- Shop vac
- Drills
- Caulk gun
LONG-TERM ROI
Certain choices can ensure long-term value when investing in your truck. When considering how long your equipment will last, the variety of services you can offer, and the ease of use over time, long-term value can be truly built into your truck.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Hanewall is the vice president of commercial sales at Monroe Truck Equipment. Find out more about how to get the most value of your investment, visit www.monroetruck.com.
