Business
What To Consider When Hiring a Construction Truck
When hiring a construction truck, there are many factors to consider. These factors determine whether you will get the right truck for the job, whether you will pay the correct cost for the truck, and whether your project will incur any liabilities in case of an accident or damage.
This article reviews the factors you should consider when hiring a construction truck.
Type of Truck
Different types of trucks are needed for different tasks for a construction project to move from start to finish. Here are some of the types of construction work trucks used in the U.S.A.
- Pickup trucks: Come in different body lengths and body styles. The body style may be a regular, an extended, or a crew cab. Pickups are ideal for loads ranging between half a tonne and a tonne.
- Flatbed trucks: Ideal for transporting heavy machinery and equipment. They can also transport lumber, pipes, or other materials. They also vary in size and length.
- Dump trucks: Transport loose materials. These materials can include gravel, ballast, and sand. Dump trucks come in different sizes and have different offloading mechanisms. The size of a dump truck is measured in cubic yards. The offloading mechanism can be a back, side, or roll-off.
- Bucket trucks: Prominently used in maintenance jobs. This is because bucket trucks use a hydraulic boom to lift the worker standing in the bucket to inaccessible heights for repairs. Nonetheless, bucket trucks also find utility in construction projects.
- Crane truck: Built with a crane on it. It is ideal when there is a need to load and offload heavy materials.
Truck Capacity
If you know the weight of your truck, you can approximate the load you can carry. However, you can also take an educated guess because, most often, trucks weigh the same as the load they can carry. To know the capacity a truck can carry, you can consult the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) found in the vehicle’s registration documents.
Travelling Distance
While there is no limitation to how far a truck can travel, distance is crucial when renting construction trucks.
The distance to and from the construction truck can affect the cost of renting the truck. The distance also affects the time used to complete a project, and the longer it takes, the more costly it becomes to rent the truck.
Availability
It can be very frustrating having planned every other logistics involved in construction, and when you need work to start, you fail to find the truck needed for a specific job. This is why it is essential to ensure you check in with your truck rental company to ensure that the trucks you need for a given job are available. If not, you can make other arrangements.
Rental Price
Most construction projects run over budget. This is because of unaccounted costs. If you are not aware, rental costs can also creep in and push your budget over the edge. Ensure you pay attention to additional costs such as fuel and insurance. This will help you make more accurate estimations of the cost of renting trucks.
Maintenance and Safety
Ensure the trucks you hire are well-maintained and in good working condition. The last thing you want is trucks breaking down while mid-project. That can be very costly. Also, ensure the trucks have safety features such as airbags, backup cameras, and seat belts.
Insurance Coverage
In case of damages and accidents, you must know that the rental company has adequate insurance to cover you and your project. Lack of insurance can lead to unexpected costs that can grind your project to a halt.
Ensure the truck rental company has adequate insurance coverage to protect you and your project in case of accidents or damages.
Take Away
You need to consider many factors before hiring a construction truck. These factors range from finding the best truck for the job, accounting for all the costs you might incur, to taking the necessary safety precautions. Therefore, you must take your time hiring a construction truck.
Harper Harrison is a reporter for The Hear UP. Harper got an internship at the NPR and worked as a reporter and producer. harper has also worked as a reporter for the Medium. Harper covers health and science for The Hear UP.