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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 October 29, 2007 5:32 PM
Comments
Our impact on the planet involves the disposition of our solid wastes, recycling will go a long way in prolonging the lifestyles we enjoy.
I think nature is the biggest cause of the, political and environmentalists poster child, 'global warming'. The earth has historically passed between cooling and warming cycles, millions of years before we even began 'passing gas' on our own.
Hybrid vehicles actually require more resources to manufacture than conventional vehicles, and what about the disposal of the batteries they require when they die?
Posted by: Miles Kebata at October 31, 2007 10:43 AM
I lease a Dodge 1500 Ram pickup with a camper shell for my woodworking jobs, with back seats for passengers/extra tool storage. I could have two vehicles, but get by with one. It has a small V8 (4.8 liter) and will eat 18 m.p.g. on a trip or 12 - 14 around town. I like the size and safety. If a hybrid or a more efficient truck was on the market, I'd buy/lease it. the new hemis from Dodge have more powerful engines that use less gas because cylinders shut down when not needed. A step in the right direction.
Posted by: Michael Childs at October 31, 2007 11:12 AM
Sure I agree that the rising polution and global warming problems are solvable. but the fact of the matter is in order to earn that honest living that we work so hard for we need that heavy metal to get us there. On top of that what would happen if we all parked our rigs and stopped working. Not a nice thing for the economy. Oh the solutions will come out and it will take quite some time for them to have a major effect.
The relaity is that we have to do what we have to do. I work just as smart as I can and i drive the same way. I cut cost when and where i can.
That new dodge sounds good think i'go give it a look.
Posted by: davefair at November 2, 2007 1:45 AM
