When upfitting a work truck, there are sure to be many things you’re trying to maximize, like power, efficiency, and productivity. However, when these qualities are the foremost thing on your mind, there’s often a very crucial piece of the puzzle that isn’t getting the focus it deserves– safety. The choices you make in the process of upfitting your work trucks can greatly increase how safe your drivers, employees, and equipment stay over the course of a regular workday, or they can make things much less safe. With a little forethought and some good advice from experts like Levan Machine and Truck Equipment, however, you can find a way to design your work trucks that promotes both productivity and safety! Here are some things to keep in mind.
Identify Concerns
The first step to this process is clearly laying out what your major safety concerns are. A good way to do this is to think about what the truck will be used for each day and identify things that could become hazards. Will the truck be using a crane that needs the proper setup? Will your employees be using lots of tools that they have to bend over to retrieve? Will the truck be transporting large equipment like ladders, or heavy loads like lumber? Trying to think ahead and see where potential accidents might occur is a good way to prevent them.
Set Goals
Once you’ve identified your safety concerns, you can use them to set specific safety goals that will influence your truck’s layout. For instance, a truck that will be regularly using a crane needs an appropriately sized crane, truck body, and chassis for the size of load it will be handling. A truck that will have your drivers accessing storage frequently will need carefully planned storage solutions that limit physical strain on your employees. Having specific goals like these will make it easier to know what your upfit layout needs in order to be safer in practice.
Consider Usage
Think about what an average day on the job will look like for this truck. Where will it be going and what will it be doing? For example, if your drivers are frequently working after dark, interior and exterior lighting can make a huge difference in terms of safety. Heavy equipment or materials might require ramps or lifts to get in and out of the truck safely and with minimal effort. A large truck that frequently needs to be backed into spaces could benefit from the installation of a backup camera. Allowing the job to guide the upfit will result in a much safer and more efficient truck.
Consider Drivers
Preventing your drivers from getting hurt on the job benefits everybody, and the way you design your truck upfit can help you to do this. Safety on the job can come down to even the smallest decision, like what drawer you choose to store frequently used tools in. If your drivers are frequently having to bend down to find what they need, it may end up causing injuries over time. A driver slipping and falling as he gets down from the truck could be a recipe for disaster, but the simple addition of a grab handle can help to prevent this. These smaller considerations can end up making substantial changes to the big picture of your truck’s safety.
Choose a Reliable Upfitter
Above all, the most important thing to remember when you’re trying to design a safe upfit for your truck is to work with an upfitter who knows what they’re doing and can make reliable recommendations to you. In the Fleetwood, PA area, that upfitter is Levan Machine and Truck Equipment! Make sure to contact us today to discuss your upcoming upfitting project.