Looking for a commercial vehicle is very similar in some ways to sourcing a personal vehicle but there are some key differences that you will need to take into account. Some of these will be legal or technical and some will affect value and costs involved in having a commercial vehicle. Let’s look at 5 essential things to consider when choosing commercial vehicles.
1. Will Your Vehicles Be Needing Signage
Signage is one key consideration for a commercial vehicle and one of many forms of promoting your business, is your business the type that’s going to benefit from advertising on the side of your vehicles and if so will the cost justify this? It’s a relatively inexpensive form of advertising, especially if your vehicles get around a lot, prices can start from a few hundred upwards. You’ll also need to be aware that it could affect sell-on value or incur penalties if you are leasing and can’t remove the signage in a way that is completely invisible, but if you use a good supplier who will put a wrap on the vehicle that can easily be removed you should be fine.
2. How Likely Are The Vehicles To Suffer damage
Is your business one where you are transporting heavy or bulky items, rough items or raw materials? You won’t want to be paying for expensive vehicle repairs if you don’t have to, which could run into the thousands. Then it may be wise to consider this when choosing the type of vehicle you can get and is it suitable for purpose, if you know you need to transport difficult loads then consider something like a side loading truck. If you are leasing it’s good to check with your leasing company to see what condition they expect the vehicle to be returned in to fully respect their terms and conditions and that you both are on the same page from the start on the intended use of the vehicle.
3. Are There Any Specialist Requirements
If you are in the position of needing a particular type of vehicle then it’s important to get the necessary advice and help when sourcing the appropriate vehicle, especially if it’s the first time you are buying one of this kind. My old company was in need of a refrigerated van lease and so we used a leasing firm that had a member of staff who had many years of experience in that field which was invaluable as we got great advice in the features of each model and why one was best for our business.
4. How Many People Will Be Driving Them
The number of drivers is key to know when getting a commercial vehicle of any size or need as you will need to have a system for tracking use in case of accidents and possible insurance claims. You will also need to be aware of the need for fleet insurance is you have enough vehicles as the cost of individually insuring each vehicle will quickly add up once you get to a reasonable number and as well as the cost saving the headache of all the renewal dates will be awful!
5. How Often Will They Need Servicing
You should keep a close eye on how often your commercial vehicles require servicing, as breakdowns will cost man hours as well as costly repairs. There are two ways to track this as there is usually a time and mileage gap between services and you should go with whichever one comes first.