FleetSource Vehicle requirement review Vehicle Requirement Review · USD 49
You have been buying vans that are 240 kg too small
The specification your routes actually require, worked from four weeks of real load and mileage data.
You are replacing three vans and asked which model. Before the model question there is a specification question, and the answer explains the tyre wear, the suspension repairs and the two vans that failed their last test on brakes. Your typical load exceeds the payload of the vans you own.
Average measured load is 1,290 kg against a payload of 1,050 kg on your current specification. That is not a comfort question. It is the likely cause of your maintenance pattern and it carries legal consequences that are outside what this review can advise on.
Urgent
Read this before the specification
| Route type | Measured load | Current payload | Over by | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower hire, standard | 1,180 kg | 1,050 kg | 130 kg | Most days |
| Tower hire, large | 1,460 kg | 1,050 kg | 410 kg | 2 to 3 a week |
| Podium and steps | 620 kg | 1,050 kg | Within | Daily |
| Mixed collection | 1,340 kg | 1,050 kg | 290 kg | Most days |
| Site clearance | 1,510 kg | 1,050 kg | 460 kg | Weekly |
| Average | 1,290 kg | 1,050 kg | 240 kg |
Four of five route types exceed payload. The weights are from your own weighbridge tickets over four weeks, not estimates, and they exclude the driver, fuel and the two toolboxes that live in every van.
Specification
What the work actually requires
| Requirement | Derived from | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Payload | Heaviest routine load 1,510 kg plus 20 percent margin | 1,800 kg minimum |
| Load length | Longest tower section, 3.2 m | 3.4 m internal minimum |
| Load height | Stacked podium units, 1.7 m | 1.8 m internal |
| Loading | Two people, kerbside, no forklift | Low load floor, twin side doors |
| Gross vehicle weight | Payload plus body plus crew | 3.5 t class is marginal |
| Annual mileage | Measured 26,400 per van | Diesel or plug-in hybrid |
| Access | Four sites with 2.1 m height barriers | Under 2.05 m, or reroute |
The payload requirement and the height barrier requirement pull in opposite directions. A van with 1,800 kg payload and a 2.05 m height exists but the choice is narrow, and that tension is the actual procurement problem.
Options
Three ways to specify
| Payload | Height | Licence class | Cost each | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long wheelbase 3.5 t, low roof | 1,240 kg | 2.02 m | Standard | USD 41,000 |
| Long wheelbase 3.5 t, stripped spec | 1,490 kg | 2.04 m | Standard | USD 38,500 |
| 4.25 t chassis, alternative fuel allowance | 1,860 kg | 2.18 m | Check locally | USD 56,000 |
| Two smaller vans instead of one | 2 x 940 kg | 1.94 m | Standard | USD 62,000 |
| 3.5 t plus a trailer | 1,050 plus 1,400 | 2.02 m | Towing entitlement | USD 44,500 |
No option is clean. The stripped 3.5 tonne still does not cover your heaviest route. The 4.25 tonne covers everything and fails four sites on height and may change your licensing position. Splitting the heaviest route across two vehicles is the least elegant and the most immediately workable.
Next
In order
- This week
Speak to your insurer
Before anything else. Ask specifically how routine operation above payload would be treated in a claim. The answer may change how urgent the rest of this is.
- This week
Speak to a transport adviser about the 3.5 tonne threshold
Whether a 4.25 tonne vehicle changes your licensing, testing or driver requirements is jurisdiction specific and it decides between two of the five options.
- Immediately
Split the two heaviest route types across two vehicles
Costs you time and it is available today with the fleet you have. Site clearance and large tower hire are the two that are 400 kg over.
- Week 3
Then choose the specification
Once the insurer and the adviser have answered, three of the five options will have eliminated themselves and the model question becomes straightforward.
- Week 4
Weigh the other six vans
You measured three. The other six do the same routes and are very likely in the same position.
- Insurer asked, in writing
- Transport adviser engaged on the weight threshold
- Two heaviest routes split across vehicles from Monday
- Remaining six vans weighed loaded
- Height barrier sites measured, not estimated
- Specification finalised before any dealer conversation