Renting vs. Buying a Vacuum Truck

The decision whether to rent a vacuum truck or to buy your own is a tough one. I mean, you buy a car knowing you’ll probably use it every day and you buy a home knowing you’ll be living there for a while. But a vacuum truck? That’s a very different proposition.

Generally, there are a handful of factors to consider when deciding on renting a vacuum truck versus buying a vacuum truck. Here are some of the most important ones:

Financial

What’s your financial situation look like? Does your company have the capital available to make an expensive purchase like a vacuum truck? Some of the more expensive trucks can cost $500,000 – that’s a lot of cash.

But when you rent, you only use the vacuum truck for a set amount of time, meaning you won’t be on the hook for monthly payments that can go on for several years. It’s a pay-as-needed proposition versus a long-time commitment, kind of like renting a car when you go on a family vacation.

Maintenance

Companies like Vac2Go take care of maintaining all the trucks in the fleet. That means you never have to worry about a truck breaking down or needing basic maintenance – that’s all taken care of by the trucks’ owner.

Before purchasing a vacuum truck outright, you have to seriously consider whether you want to take on not only the payment, but the cost and time associated with maintenance and repairs. And if you’re in the middle of a job and a truck you own breaks down, it could be a mess. If that happens with a Vac2Go truck, we’ll trade it out for a truck that is operational, so you lose minimal time.

Not All Trucks Are Equal

When you buy a truck, well, that’s the truck you have at your disposal. But not all trucks are created equal – some serve different purposes, and some features can take care of specific seasonal needs. In addition, different types and sizes of trucks may be more easily used in specific places or for specific types of jobs. If you rent, you’ll have a choice of several trucks, meaning you can pick the best one for the job you’re doing.

Get the Best

Similarly, when you purchase a vacuum truck, it may be top-of-the-line at the time, but when new features and technology come along, well, that truck may not be as effective as other, newer trucks. Yet, that payment still has to be made every month.

Renting a truck from a company like Vac2Go means you can choose from trucks that are largely equipped with the latest and best tools and technology. As rental companies update their fleets with newer vehicles, you get more options when renting a truck. A lot can change in just a few years, meaning renting might be the smarter choice.

Test Drive

So, you know you’ll want to invest in your own vacuum truck one day? In that case, renting allows you a try-before-you-buy option. You can rent various trucks from Vac2Go and decide which one best suits the types of jobs you typically take on. This helps you decide what the best value is and also gives your employees a chance to offer feedback on what features they prefer.