Service and Utility Truck: Convenience and Security in an Organized Package

Service and utility trucks are a common commercial vehicle throughout a variety of industries due to their optimized storage capacity and convenience. Both service and utility trucks begin as a bare chassis cab or pickup box. Once you’ve proceeded to your preferred upfitter post-purchase for body installation, your consultation with an upfitter will cover the benefits of a variety of options, such as materials, dimensions, storage components, and other accessories for ensuring that your service truck functions precisely how you see fit.

What are Service and Utility Trucks?

Service and utility trucks are specialized vehicles designed to provide essential support and maintenance services across various industries, including construction, telecommunications, and public utilities. These versatile trucks come equipped with a range of tools and equipment, such as cranes, winches, and secure storage compartments, enabling technicians and mechanics to perform their tasks efficiently and effectively. The customization options for service and utility trucks are vast, allowing businesses to tailor these vehicles to meet their specific operational needs. Whether it’s a utility truck outfitted for electrical repairs or a service truck designed for heavy equipment maintenance, these vehicles are indispensable assets for many businesses.

Benefits of Service and Utility Trucks

Service and utility trucks are specialized vehicles designed to provide essential support and maintenance services across various industries, including construction, telecommunications, and public utilities. These versatile trucks come equipped with a range of tools and equipment, such as cranes, winches, and secure storage compartments, enabling technicians and mechanics to perform their tasks efficiently and effectively. The customization options for service and utility trucks are vast, allowing businesses to tailor these vehicles to meet their specific operational needs. Whether it’s a utility truck outfitted for electrical repairs or a service truck designed for heavy equipment maintenance, these vehicles are indispensable assets for many businesses.

Dimensions

A few critical dimensions will work to establish a baseline for what your service or utility truck can handle. These dimensions include wheelbase length, as well as cab-to-axle length, and lay the groundwork for any aftermarket upfit installation.

Wheelbase length is defined as the distance between the front and rear-most axles on any vehicle, and directly impacts the number of upfit styles that are available for a particular model. Noteworthy chassis cab or pickup truck manufacturers offer an array of wheelbase options to ensure that your chosen upfit adds significant support to your operation.

Cab-to-axle length is defined as the distance between the rearmost section of the exterior of the cab and the truck or van’s rearmost axle. Cab-to-axle length also impacts the amount of usable upfit space available to you when installing a service or utility body upfit. In order to assist in the ease of installation, body and upfit manufacturers operate on a series of standardized cab-to-axle lengths to support most OEM models. 

The Cargo Area in a service truck or utility truck provides an assortment of sought-after storage options that most owners will seek out when looking into purchasing a new commercial vehicle. Most upfitters are going to offer service and utility bodies that are covered with roomy compartments and an interior cargo area width of 48” or greater. This extra interior space allows you to easily organize tools and bulky vocation-specific components within the open bed space, while still being able to make efficient use of your additional storage compartments.

Hitch

Service and utility trucks also feature powerful towing capacities and offer a great variety of hitch installations. Both service and utility trucks support many styles of hitches, including receiver and weight distribution configurations. Installed just behind the rearmost axle, service and utility trucks provide a quick connection in their various hitch types and allow you to tug along any trailer within manufacturer-specified weight ratings.

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Storage

Storage options and accessories serve as the high point of any service and utility truck. Compartments, paired with interior shelving, provide an extremely organized and secure method for storing all kinds of tools and materials. When you have interior shelving units lining the side-mounted compartment walls, sheltering all of your gear from adverse driving conditions and keeping it in place has truly never been easier.

Service and utility bodies also provide excellent preparation for adverse work conditions. In situations where night work is required, the interior cabinet lighting along each compartment affords exceptional visibility without having to access a flashlight. Once the workday is complete, stowing your equipment becomes painless, with a separate one-button locking system controlling the entire series of compartment locks.

Bumper

Service and utility trucks generally feature a bumper constructed from the same material as the body, but additional pieces of sheet metal or rubberized compounds are also available. Varying in dimension, some upfit manufacturers offer additional lengths and widths for their bumpers. In cases where continuous access to the service truck bed is required, a steel stepladder mounted on either side of the bumper and paired with a steel access handle can serve to greatly reduce strain and increase safety.

Lights

Service and utility trucks are optimized to allow you to work at any time, anywhere, and with a wide variety of lighting configurations. Wired directly into your truck’s electrical system, additional light bars and work lights allow you to work through the night without losing visibility. These are particularly useful in the enclosed boxes and cubbies, where nocturnal operations make it difficult to find tools and equipment. Forego the flashlights—service truck lighting provides your team with a hands-free lighting system to make cargo access and off-hours work a non-issue.

Utility Rack

The utility rack provides ample storage space for items that are too long for the service or utility body. The utility rack fastens on either side of the bed with a series of four or more supports, providing overhead storage for longer equipment and material. This simple, cost-effective addition lets you transport ladders and lengthy materials while keeping the tailgate closed.

And for those who prefer the fully-enclosed option (as opposed to an open bed), the utility racks install easily along the top of the enclosed service body. Once installed, the utility rack can support multiple ladders, pipes, and other lengthy materials, leaving your cargo area open for power tools and other bulky equipment.

Retractable Cover

Although locking compartments and storage areas of the utility and service trucks protect tools and equipment, it is often necessary to leave expensive tools and materials in open cargo areas. Fortunately, there are manual or electric retractable metal covers to mitigate theft and adverse weather conditions. Rolling and sliding covers are simple to operate and cover the full length and width of the open cargo area. Lock it, leave it, and come back to find your tools exactly as you left them.

Industry Applications

Service and utility trucks are indispensable across a variety of industries, including:

• Construction: These trucks provide crucial support and maintenance services for heavy equipment and machinery, ensuring that construction projects run smoothly.
• Telecommunications: Service and utility trucks are used to install and maintain telecommunications equipment and infrastructure, keeping communication networks operational.
• Public Utilities: These trucks are essential for maintaining and repairing public utilities such as electricity, gas, and water, ensuring that these vital services remain uninterrupted.
• Heavy Equipment: Service trucks are used to provide maintenance and repair services for heavy equipment, keeping machinery in optimal working condition.
• Mechanics Trucks: These mobile repair units offer on-site maintenance and repair services for vehicles and equipment, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency.

Additionally, service and utility trucks are utilized by government agencies, municipalities, and private companies for a range of jobs, including asset appraisal services, utility truck maintenance, and online auction services. These versatile vehicles are a cornerstone of many industries, providing the support and functionality needed to keep operations running smoothly.

UPDATED ON: JANUARY 3, 2025