TIME TO UPGRADE: UTE TO TRUCK
It’s no secret that prices are rising every day. From petrol to groceries to household objects, world events are squeezing Australian pockets and most households are searching for savings.
Businesses are no different, and many vehicle-reliant businesses have been hit hard by inflation and are trying to find cost efficiencies wherever they can.
If your business is currently using a ute, you may be better off switching to a light truck. Let’s take a look at where you can save money on a transaction like this.
FUEL EFFICIENCY
A bigger truck means a bigger payload which means fewer trips. This is one of the top savings and a good reason why so many people end up making the switch from ute to truck. Marty Nelson of Marty Nelson Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, recently upgraded to a new Isuzu Tradepack and he loves it. “What’s great about the Isuzu truck is that I can put four installations in the back then drop them on-site. So, we’re not towing a trailer or getting the boys to travel from job site to job site.” The automatic manual transmission can be a game changer in terms of fuel savings and often come standard in light trucks. “We chose the manual transmission and it’s been great. It drives well, it’s comfortable, and I love it. For getting the job done and what purpose the truck serves, it couldn’t be any better,” Marty said.
Dubbo’s King of Cool, Marty Nelson
Many light trucks can be driven on a normal licence and can even be operated by someone on their P plates. This means that upgrading to a truck won’t involve any upskilling or cross training and even the apprentices can have a go.CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY
Going forward, businesses large and small can all expect to hear much more about the Chain of responsibility (CoR). The road transport industry is placing a greater focus on CoR, and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is doubling down on prosecuting breaches of the new legislation. This poses a significant threat to many businesses though the Future of Trucking report shows that small fleets are in a particularly vulnerable position. As per the report, 35 per cent of small fleets are completely unprepared for, or unaware of their Chain of Responsibility requirements.THE ISSUE WITH OVERLOADING
A huge area of focus for CoR is mass loading and this is where we often see smaller companies drawing unwanted attention from regulatory bodies. Many small companies are drastically overloading utes that are simply not fit for purpose. Many times, we see the NHVR targeting overloaded utes, or utes pulling overloaded trailers. These fines can run between $50,000 and $500,000 so not complying with regulations could quickly become a very unwanted cost. In fact, 16% of businesses surveyed in The Future of Trucking report said complying with CoR was “an essential business expense”.
ADDING VALUE AND SUBTRACTING COSTS
Many ute owners understand the value of adding capacity and pulling power to their vehicles and for them, upgrading to a bigger and more practical light truck could be the start of the next stage for their business. A bigger haul means fewer trips, less fuel, and less chance of a Chain of Responsibility fine. The best time for your business to upgrade, may be right now.
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