This is a lightly edited version of an article supplied by Sage Oil Vac.
What do you do when you have 200 pieces of heavy equipment to service across 35 job sites and just one service truck and technician?
You do the job.
Every day, Sprint Sand and Clay’s lube truck leaves its shop—traveling up to two hours one way—to take care of its customers in the Greater Houston area of Texas.
Sprint Sand and Clay is a contractor specializing in dirt work and selling construction materials to contractors and home builders in the fourth-largest city in the US.
"It’s important that the lube truck has enough storage and fluid capacity to service many pieces of equipment on that side of town before going back and refilling the truck," said Kyle Cain, the President of Sprint Sand and Clay.
He said that his service technician typically performs preventive maintenance on every piece of equipment while the truck is on a job site to maximize efficiency.
"In today’s world, you have to be as efficient as possible. We attribute a lot of our success to the equipment that we use and the innovation that’s provided with that equipment, from our dump trucks to our equipment to our lube trucks," extolled Cain.
Expanding the Labor Pool
Let’s face it, drivers with a CDL (commercial driver’s license) are in high demand and difficult to find. Contractors like Sprint Sand and Clay are competing with over-the-road haulers and local businesses. This means these drivers can demand higher compensation. Many don’t want to service equipment, either.
"Trying to find a CDL driver that wants to perform the service, not just take a load from point A to point B all day, is tough," said Jacob Phillips, the Vice President of Operations at Sprint Sand and Clay.
Without the need for special licensing requirements, almost any technician in your shop can be assigned to run a non-CDL truck.
Non-CDL Truck to the Rescue
So, when Sprint Sand and Clay knew they needed a solution that would balance capacity with efficiency, they turned to a Sage Oil Vac non-CDL open lube body. The non-CDL bodies are a great fit for heavy equipment preventive maintenance, featuring a 180-gallon (681.37-L) used oil tank and five fresh product tanks that can be configured for any fluid.
"We really believe in the small compact size of a [Sage Oil Vac non-CDL] lube truck. It’s very efficient, and the cost of ownership compared to having a larger CDL truck with a CDL driver just makes sense," stated Cain.
The non-CDL truck provided a more cost-effective solution than relying on the local equipment dealer for preventive maintenance.
"I think when you compare what we would have to pay from the dealership versus doing it ourselves, it just really made sense for us," he continued.
Despite its small size, the Sage Oil Vac non-CDL open lube body truck has been up to the task of servicing Sprint Sand and Clay’s 200-machine fleet. It offers the capacity to service all the equipment on up to two job sites without having to go back to the shop to fill up.
Plus, it’s easy to get around in, noted Cain. "It’s been very easy to maneuver in traffic, especially in Houston."
Maneuverability, coupled with quick-connect fittings and the exclusive pump-free technology of the Sage Oil Vac system, reduces the chance of oil spills.
"A lot of our jobs are on government entity property—cities and counties—so being able to get in and out without having any spillage or environmental issues is very important to us," Cain mentioned.
Slash Operating Costs
Competitive mobile lube trucks often require a compressor to run 100 percent of the time. Sage Oil Vac trucks are different. Once the onboard compressor creates the necessary vacuum for the system, it shuts off. The technician can service an entire machine without turning the compressor on again.
"We don’t depend on the truck idling all day," said Cain.
The compact size and efficient operation of the non-CDL truck give Sprint Sand and Clay a cost-effective heavy equipment service option.
"If something happened to our lube truck, we’d be solely dependent on the dealer to come service our equipment. With the markup and cost, it just wouldn’t be efficient for us," summed up Cain.
For more information on the complete range of Sage Oil Vac trucks, visit www.sageoilvac.com.