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October 29, 2007
Rigged Up: Contractors and Trucks
It might be generational. It might be Napoleonic. It might be utilitarian.
It's probably some combination of the three, which is usually the case with big picture life-stuff. But whatever the source code, big trucks rock.
I'm not talking about redneck riders, lift-kitted rigs, kind of the WWF/TNA/Dukes of Hazzard of driving to the jobsite. I'm talking about the ironclad muscle we need for our jobs -- 1/2- and 3/4-ton pick-ups and vans and even bigger dump and stake body trucks.
Last time, I ranted about quality issues in my Nissan Frontier. But this time I want to focus on power, utility -- and our planet. At the end of the day it's hard to argue we don't need all three.
Clearly we need our planet to be healthy — and we need to do what we can about it; at least it'd be nice if we did. (We actually don't need to do anything except suffer the consequences, if you think about it!) However, I believe that being efficient wherever we can is just smart stewardship.
You don't waste money in your business; why waste the planet's resources? And I believe our small efforts can change the world, but not alone. Industry needs to lead the way. We can only dump so many soup cans, beer bottles, newspapers and jobsite refuse into their respective bins before we're spending more time collating crap than making money -- which our kids need for college, to succeed in the world they inherit from us!
The book Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rogers makes a great case for this and describes how this mojo is more prevalent in tightly-packed, resource-poor Europe than in U.S.A. It's a poignant case.
I want it all -- a fuel-efficient, powerhouse big rig that fits me and my tools. I believe that is possible in the 21st Century -- and people surely smarter than me seem to, as well. (Check out www.calstart.org/programs/htuf.
I also believe in the heavy-iron that got us to the information age. I believe we can do it better. I also believe we can do it faster than we are.
What do you believe? Do we need to watch gasoline consumption and emissions to protect the earth from global warming? Have you tried any of the new hybrid trucks (although they are few and far between)? Would you consider a hybrid the next time you buy a truck? Let me know. I'm interested in finding out what other contractors think.
Posted by Mark Clement at 5:32 PM | Comments (3)
October 25, 2007
Keep On Truckin'
I drive a 2003 Nissan Frontier. It has served me well-ish. I wouldn't suggest it as a full-on contractor truck (and neither would Nissan, I'd bet.) It has a crew cab, six-foot bed and 4x4, but it's too small and light duty. And the model has since beefed up to a mid-size truck (a model size I find worthless, incidentally).
I think a construction business — one guy or many dozens — needs a 1/2-ton pick-up (or full-sized van for van drivers). The F-150, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra, GMC/Chevy 1500s and Dodge 1500s fit the bill. You can haul, plow (3/4 ton is better for heavy plowing) and fit inside. An extra or crew cab is ideal. I'm not that big, but if I bump my head again reaching for a tape measure, I'm going to light that #@)(*&^%$ thing on fire. And forget it if you drop something between the seats. Just like what we build, smart design counts.
And who makes a windshield wiper that works? I bought NAPA's Model 60-1842. "I have 'em on my truck," the salesman said. Since he lives at the foot of Okemo Mountain, where I was skiing, I believed him. But they streak. They make almost as much noise rubbing the windshield raw as my truck's always-audible fan motor does inside. Combined with the near-deafening road noise — I'm going mad!
I wish I'd bought a bigger truck for the comfort and space. And — I hate to say this — gas mileage be damned.
So what are you drivin' and why? What works? What stinks?
If you can suggest wiper blades that work, I'll love you forever. If Nissan would give me a Titan to review, I'd love them forever, too (assuming it's a good truck; it looks promising). In the meantime, it's go-time.
I just hope I can see where I'm driving and that I'm not all the way bleepin' crazy when I get there.
Posted by Mark Clement at 4:59 PM | Comments (3)
