Since large utility companies are among the biggest users of bucket trucks, they are faced with the challenge of using numerous trucks for a variety of purposes. Planning what kinds of trucks are needed for various tasks can be a challenging undertaking.
Large electric utilities may need upwards of 500 trucks at any given time. They typically use a combination of bucket trucks, crane trucks, boom trucks, digger derrick trucks and various flatbed configurations. Many companies cover large areas, sometimes an entire state; which means they need to have trucks appropriate to any number of conditions and terrain.
Many large utility companies have found that it’s helpful to buy as many trucks as possible from the same manufacturer. Even if they are different styles, many of the parts tend to be the same, and mechanics get more accustomed to certain types of trucks, improving their efficiency in the long run.
Planning fleet sizes and needs is a complex process that involves working with internal customers to determine what their needs will be. Many utility companies don’t hesitate to share the cost of unusual or expensive equipment with those customers, especially if buying the equipment falls outside of their usual budget. One category of items that typically fall outside of the norm are elevators that are used to extend the aerial lifts on bucket trucks by 10 feet or more. Some utilities will also purchase trucks on their customer’s behalf and let the customer make payments. Each utility needs to look at what their customer’s needs are and balance it with budgetary concerns.
The larger electric utility companies will have numerous maintenance facilities around their area of operation and a full complement of mechanics at each one. They have realized that they can spend less on maintenance and have trucks back in operation much more quickly than if they use a third party for repairs.
The public utilities face a number of concerns. Aside from the ever-present specter of budget cuts, they are also dealing with an aging workforce that is retiring more quickly than it can be replaced. Experienced drivers, line workers and mechanics are all retiring at a rapid rate, and utilities are finding it difficult to hire enough workers with the requisite training and experience. This poses an additional challenge for fleet planners, as they try to make sure that all locations have an adequate number of experienced drivers and mechanics that can train and mentor the new ones.
Another work-force related problem is that many utilities have their mechanics work a second shift so they don’t have trucks out of commission during the day shift when most crews are working. The odd-hour shifts make it more difficult to attract workers, and often have to pay more as an incentive to work those hours.
Though there are many challenges facing the fleet planners of large electric utility companies, many are meeting those challenges by finding ways to utilize the many hundred s of bucket trucks, derrick digger trucks, and boom trucks effectively and efficiently.
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