As a remodeling company grows, it may reach a point where it considers putting together a fleet of vehicles for its work crews. This is a great way to make sure employees have all the needed tools. And it is another medium to market the company. For expert advice on putting together and managing a fleet, Qualified Remodeler spoke to Bob Johnson, director of fleet relations at the National Truck Equipment Association.

Qualified Remodeler: What are some of the advantages of putting together a fleet of vehicles for a remodeling business?

Bob Johnson: It becomes a great way to advertise the business, especially if the vehicle is maintained and looks good. If I’m a remodeler and have well-maintained vehicles with a logo or billboard on it, people are going to say, “boy those sure look nice, they must be a good remodeling company.” On the other hand, if you don’t take care of them and beat them all to pieces, people will think, “they don’t even take care of their equipment, I sure don’t want them to come work for me.”

Without a fleet, a remodeler generally requires its employees to use their own vehicles and the second you do that, those people become your agents and you assume a lot of liability because they’re not your vehicles. If I don’t provide vehicles and just expect employees to provide their own trucks, I have very little say in the condition of those vehicles, which can reflect negatively on a jobsite.

QR: What are some of the things that remodelers should think about before putting together a fleet?

BJ: The first thing I tell people to do is sit down and define their application. For example, if I was a remodeler I would think, “I’m going to need to probably start with a pickup truck or a van.” What they first need to do is really define what they’re going to be doing with the vehicle and what their job requirements are.

Once they define the job of the vehicle, they need to identify the additional requirements that the job is going to have. What do they need these vehicles to do? Do they need a vehicle to transport tools or certain materials? Do they need it for jobsite water protection or security? Once applications are defined, then it can be determined what sorts of vehicles they’re going to need. It’s a lot better than just saying, “I need a truck” and then just going out and buying it. Start by really analyzing the requirements of the job.

QR: What things should a remodeler be concerned with when putting together a fleet?

BJ: In conjunction with defining your requirements, another really important thing that you need to do is determine what your payload requirements are going to be. One of the biggest mistakes that people make with vehicles when they’re first starting out is ending up with the wrong size vehicle. They’ll have more truck than they need, or more likely, they’ll have less truck than they need.

If you have less truck than you need, you’re going to overload the vehicle, which is going to lead to extremely high maintenance costs, safety issues and a shortened vehicle life. So it is important to carefully analyze what your payloads are going to be and then investigate the available options, making sure to match the truck to the job.

If you’re going to err, it’s better to err on the side of too much truck than too little, but the second you’re buying more truck than you need you’re investing more money, and you may or may not have it paid back to you. If you look at it and say, “OK, I can get by with X today, but maybe in two or three years I’m hoping to grow the business and then I’m going to need Y.” Realistically then, if you can afford things, you should go ahead and buy the bigger truck.