Meeting Your Hauling Needs

a red truck in the woods

There are times when a pickup just won't do, yet you don't have the need for a large truck to haul things. This could be true of a florist, contractor or electrician. What ever your needs, there is a vehicle that will meet your needs. Many of the larger trucks require the operator to have a CDL license, while light and medium duty trucks do not have this requirement, saving the business person added expense. Larger trucks can also be much more expensive, and a lot costlier to maintain. Although deciding on what works the best for you can be a bit confusing, simply ask yourself a few basic questions, and then look at the options available. Here, we will discuss different utility trucks, different options, and what works best for your needs.

Defining The Need


Your first objective should be to define your need. This can be as simple as asking yourself whether you need an open or closed vehicle, or have special needs for your cargo. You should consider the amount of miles you will be driving, whether the weather is a factor, and also the locale you live in. Why the locale? Obviously, you would not want a big bulky delivery vehicle for delivery in New York City when a small nimble van could work just as well for you!

What Are The Options?

You can decide whether or not to use a standard utility van, or custom build a van that will really meet your needs. According to Reeves Journal, one of the best vehicles for plumbers and electricians is the Isuzu box van. GM once had part ownership of this Japanese automaker, but has since sold that portion of their company. Isuzu has been around for a very long time, and is a trusted name in Japanese manufacturing. The van has the capacity to hold all of a plumber or electrician's tools and inventory that they take to the job, have either ramps or a hydraulic drop down gate to assist in unloading, and are readily available. A visit to trucker.com found many of these vehicles starting at around $10,000.00.

If you wish to consider an American made van, then look no further than the G30 Cube Van made by Chevrolet or the E450 manufactured by Ford. They come in several versions, and with all the necessities that you would need for running a business. They are compact and provide enough storage space so that bulky items can be easily transported. Coming in 12 and 14 foot configurations, a good used cube van can be bought for about $11,000.00. Visit vansvansvans.com for examples of good used cube vans.

Options For Pickups

Pickups have long been the work horse of the construction industry, and work well in other industries, too. Available today are a lot of different options to both organize a pickup and create work space. Ladders, which can be troublesome to haul, can be dealt with by the use of the many different racks made especially for this use. They come in a lot of different configurations, and mount on different types of vehicles. Visit amer-rac.com for a typical listing of ladder racks and other items used in the industry. One accessory they have worth mentioning here is a rack that will fit over a bed topper on a pickup, keeping tools and inventory out of the weather, but still allowing the owner to carry ladders.

Another standby for the pickup crowd is the diamond plate cross cab work box. This tried and true accessory has served the people in the service industries for a long time. They can be bought in a variety of configurations, are built strong enough so that they can't be broken into, and have locks on the lids. Many are specialized for people who have exact needs. Manufacturers will often custom build these boxes as an option.

Worth mentioning is the aluminum diamond plate flat bed truck that is manufactured by Highway products. The company will custom build a flat bed for GMC, Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Freightliner, International or other brands. Highly customizable, they are built on a base of 6" structural T6 extruded aluminum "C" channel side rails. The bed itself is constructed of marine grade aluminum. There are tie down points about every 24 inches. The number of features and extras would maker a long list, so suffice it to say that this is an ideal bed for someone who has special needs in a utility truck. Visit Highway Products at 800toolbox.com.

No matter what your utility needs is, there is something available that will fill the bill. You are no longer tied to a standard van or pickup, but can choose a customized vehicle to satisfy whatever hauling needs you may have.