ForConstructionPros.com

Given the current economic climate and the ready supply of available trucks, you may see some contractors press vehicles into unintended applications, such as mating tractors with sleeper cabs to dump truck bodies or using them to pull dump trailers. But the basic fact remains - there is no substitute for using the right truck for the job.

Consider the case of a tractor pulling a bottom-dump trailer. In states that conform to the bridge formula, you are limited to 80,000 lbs. GVW. "You can fully reach the bridge formula with a bottom dump and a properly spec'd tractor," notes Jim Ladner, Landoll Corp. "A lot of these guys will go out and try to buy a road tractor to do bottom-dump work. You are hurting yourself by using the wrong truck. A day cab with the right wheelbase may actually weigh 3,000 to 5,000 lbs. less than that over-the-road truck."

That is 3,000 to 5,000 lbs. less legal payload that you can transport per trip. Multiply this times the number of trips per day, week and year and you can quickly pay for the right truck for the task.

Spec to reduce costs
The intended application is only one of many factors that can influence the overall operating costs of an individual truck.

As one of the largest general contractors in the state of Wisconsin, Miron Construction runs a fairly extensive fleet of heavy- and medium-duty trucks to support its varied construction operations. For semi tractors, the company exclusively runs Peterbilt Models 278 and 379. For medium-duty trucks, it uses Peterbilt, International and GMC trucks.