Delivery truck options

[dnw64]

Not sure this is the right place for it, but it seemed the most likely, and I know there are lots of people on this forum that have wisdom in this arena so here we go.

I have a company that has a wide plank flooring product line. We deliver in a two-state area, basically within a same-day turnaround distance.

We currently have a 2007 Isuzu FTR with an 18' box.

Pros:

• Will handle any amount of flooring we can fit in it - 12,000# capacity, or roughly 4-5,000 SF of material depending on species.
• Commanding visibility.
• Incredible maneuverability - the cab-over design allows the wheels to turn crazy angles.
• Has a lift-gate (but it really needs to be re-built)

Cons:

• Getting rusty. The incident that precipitated this post was the third brake line failure in the last 3 years or so. Additionally, the lift-gate needs to be basically replaced.
• It's Big. The floor height is roughly 4', so getting in/out can be a bit of a chore. Additionally, it's just under 12' tall, which, while not an issue on public roads (mostly, we have covered bridges on many of our public roads...) it is a detriment on many of the residential deliveries we do.
• Power. Sure, it has a 7.8L turbo-diesel, but it's been detuned to 200 HP. With a decent load, you can't maintain even the 50 MPH speed limit on our VT/NH typical hilly roads.
• Traction - it's one of the worst vehicles I've ever driven in snow. Even with a load on. Don't really know/understand why. We DID think it had a locking differential when we bought it (used) because it had a button on the dash for it. But it's not physically there.

Desires/requirements:

• Enclosed box.
• Ability to carry 16' material.
• Decent traction. May not NEED 4WD, but it would be nice.
• Neighborhood of 6000# cargo capacity.
• A diesel is not only unnecessary, but mostly detrimental with our usage.
• Budget - we typically drive less than 10,000 miles per year - avg 2 times a week at 100 miles RT or less. I don't have a strict budget, but would like to spend less than $40k for a vehicle that I'd like to last 10 years without any major repairs.

Any suggestions as what I should be considering or avoiding?

 

[boomer1025]

Maybe a used rental truck would work for a replacement

 

[dodge man]

How about a pickup and enclosed trailer. That might be awkward for some deliveries but would probably get through some of the bridges that you can’t now. Are any of these new mini type delivery vans long enough?

 

[Big Barn]

So I am assuming the power gate is of no value to you except for acting as a step at the rear of truck for unloading?

You need enclosed transport I assume given the nature of your product.

If that was me I would get another COE .... Hino , Isuzu etc. equipped with a 16 foot curtain side body and rear roll up door.

This way you would have the best of options. Being able to SIDE load long material with a forklift. Unload similarly or easily by hand off either side or the rear as you were accustomed.

Or if you wanted to get fancy get a combination van/ curtain side body. Normal fixed wall on driver side and curb/ curtain side

Send me a check and I can have it built in Canadian dollars for you. LOL.

Here is a pic of one half and half.

Something like that only smaller.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t think anything short of a 4 or 550 Ford or Dodge besides the cab over trucks is up to the task and I don’t think any of the cab overs are 4wd. Some of the new ton truck may claim 6-7k payload but passengers,4x4, the box, the lift gate all take off the ratings.

 

[Big Barn]

COEs are not known for being good in the snow.

I found another pic This is a glass windshield delivery truck and doesn’t have the curtain side but you get the general idea.

 

[dnw64]

How about a pickup and enclosed trailer. That might be awkward for some deliveries but would probably get through some of the bridges that you can’t now. Are any of these new mini type delivery vans long enough?

I have considered a trailer. We have a pickup with a 11,000# tow rating, but a trailer is not ideal for a lot of our deliveries. It's amazing how much extra space you need to turn around.

I looked at the Ram Promasters or the Merc/Freightliners but nothing near long enough. We really need at least 16'6" for 16' material - it's usually cut a couple/few inches over.

 

[dnw64]

So I am assuming the power gate is of no value to you except for acting as a step at the rear of truck for unloading?

From a "business" standpoint, yes. However, the truck ends up getting used for various personal projects as well...

You need enclosed transport I assume given the nature of your product.

If that was me I would get another COE .... Hino , Isuzu etc. equipped with a 16 foot curtain side body and rear roll up door.

This way you would have the best of options. Being able to SIDE load long material with a forklift. Unload similarly or easily by hand off either side or the rear as you were accustomed.

Have considered the curtainside for just those reasons. However, after nearly 40 years of dealing with loading 10-16' material into dry vans, I/we have become quite adept at doing so. The ability to load from the side is an almost non-existent "benefit". FWIW, we either use two forklifts, or we have a deadman at standard trailer height that we use when only one operator is available.

Or if you wanted to get fancy get a combination van/ curtain side body. Normal fixed wall on driver side and curb/ curtain side

Send me a check and I can have it built in Canadian dollars for you. LOL.

How big a check? Our standard one is 8-1/2" x 3-1/2" (or approximately 216mm x 89mm for the forward thinkers of the world).

 

[Jstpssng]

In your price range you should be able to find something decent. 4WD or AWD on a vehicle that big may be a challenge though.

 

[Peter 315]

Here you go try this place... https://www.rochestertruck.com/new/Hino/2020-Hino-268A-0dd2e88a0a0e08b97921e51690a7a20a.htm

 

[Big Barn]

The deadman trick is slick

 

[Big Barn]

I sold this unit a while back. It would have worked for you also.


You would just have to ramp up production and buy an armored car for your bank deposits.

 

[dnw64]

Here you go try this place... https://www.rochestertruck.com/new/Hino/2020-Hino-268A-0dd2e88a0a0e08b97921e51690a7a20a.htm

Will keep in mind. But too bad they have NO info online as to what the vehicle is other than year and miles. I know, call. But I hate having to talk to someone who ends up trying to sell you something you don't need and certainly don't want. I prefer to find the vehicle first and negotiate from there...

 

[Doofy]

Our small lumber yard has a Slide Back like a wrecker. They bundle and band everything together and just back in and slide everything off in one tidy bundle.

 

[Big Barn]

Our small lumber yard has a Slide Back like a wrecker. They bundle and band everything together and just back in and slide everything off in one tidy bundle.

Ooh. I want to see Daves face when they unload

 

[dnw64]

Our small lumber yard has a Slide Back like a wrecker. They bundle and band everything together and just back in and slide everything off in one tidy bundle.

Hmmm.

Back nearly 40 years ago I used to make our (generally Rough) lumber deliveries. We had a 1 Ton flatbed dump. And if the customer didn't have a forklift we would load the material on 2" pipe and dump it...

Possible option, but it required tarping for a good portion of deliveries. This is Finish Grade material, so even road spray is unacceptable. Have thought about the possibility, but not crazy about it.

 

[Doofy]

Hmmm.

Back nearly 40 years ago I used to make our (generally Rough) lumber deliveries. We had a 1 Ton flatbed dump. And if the customer didn't have a forklift we would load the material on 2" pipe and dump it...

Possible option, but it required tarping for a good portion of deliveries. This is Finish Grade material, so even road spray is unacceptable. Have thought about the possibility, but not crazy about it.

Finish flooring would probably be to slippery and slick for a Slide-Back. Tight steel banding probably wouldn't be a good idea either.

 

[s219]

I don't know what size chassis your Isuzu is, but back in the 90s my dad had two sizes. I didn't pay attention to the specs so I couldn't say what was what. But the smaller one was quite handy and very capable. It had a 4-cyl turbo diesel. That truck always impressed me. Won't be any better with snow traction than what you have now, but I bet the size would be appreciated.

 

[dnw64]

I don't know what size chassis your Isuzu is, but back in the 90s my dad had two sizes. I didn't pay attention to the specs so I couldn't say what was what. But the smaller one was quite handy and very capable. It had a 4-cyl turbo diesel. That truck always impressed me. Won't be any better with snow traction than what you have now, but I bet the size would be appreciated.

We have the larger one, it's a Class 6. The smaller one would handle 95% of our needs, compared to our current one which still only handles 98% of our needs... And we do have a local guy that has (I think) three trucks - an HD Pickup (550/5500 range) flatbed, a dual axle flatbed and a tractor-trailer unit - which we can and have used. The two larger trucks have moffett lifts which makes our customers very happy!

 

[dnw64]

I sold this unit a while back. It would have worked for you also.

View attachment 670863
You would just have to ramp up production and buy an armored car for your bank deposits.

Somehow missed this post.

Ummm, yeah, sorta. Really too big. If we were shipping that much material per job, 99% 0f the time the receiver would have a fork lift on site, so the Moffett is not a help.

Oh, and we rarely get cash any more. We have a check scanner in-house and don't even go to the bank but for maybe 2 times a year (for cash deposits). Credit card, ACH (bank transfer) and checks make up 99.999% of our business.