construction companies and Ford

[tony1021]

I don't know about everywhere else but down here in south Florida I have yet to see one construction company have a fleet of Chevy trucks. Been in this field for about 5 years now. I've spoken with several owners and asked why they don't have chevy fleets they all say that Ford is more dependable and longer lasting. Several have tried chevys but went back to Ford after a couple of years. Most say with Ford you get a lot more truck at a cheaper price.

[GMCSonoma]

True to a point...


however a large utility here in WI who used to bid on all sorts of domestics & about 10 years ago decided on GM for light duty; IH for medium & higher...so now they only bid out to GMC & Chevy dealers for their light duty...

It all depends...for lack of a better comment!

[likearock00]

GMCSonoma is right. If I owned a fleet of work trucks, they'd be nothing but Chevys. There are many of companies throughout America that exclusively use GM, as well as Dodge. It's just a matter of preference and price. I fail to believe either of their excuses. GM's reliability is on par if not better than Ford, and price is subject to each dealer.

[DuraMax Hammer]

Around by me (Northern IL, just south of the IL/WI border), I would say it it about 60/40 Ford/Chevy for field trucks for construction companies. Three of the bigger carpenter contractors around me have either Chevy or GMC vans. A couple of the excavating companys have a few 3/4 ton and 1 ton Chevys in their fleet along with the rest being SuperDuty's, but most of the rest have a full fleet of SuperDuty's. I think for heavy off roading that you see a lot of Construction companies do, I think that Ford having the SFA on their F-250's and up, giving them some more ground clearance and just feels stronger.

The engineering/surveying company I worked for, we had two Ram 1500 QC and two F-150's. The Ford's are worth a pile of crap when it came to using them off road for projects, but I will have to say the Ram's held their own and we put them through some of the worse conditions, especially when it came to off roading with them. We like to walk as little as possible, so we drive as far into a project as we can. Some times we burried it, but most of the time, that Ram got us out of some pretty crappy spots.

[member12]

I know a lot of companies switched from Ford to Chevy in the 1990s but have switched back from Chevy to Ford when Ford redesigned in 1997 and even more since 2004. I am a Chevy guy, but I don't deny that Ford has improved their trucks to the point where I could understand a purchase.

I've had good luck with Chevrolet, but there are issues with my truck that dissapoint me, like the seat covers that collect lint, the wind noise in the A pillars, the stupid looking plastic from bumper, cheap undersized tires, and the strange sound from the dashboard. I think the engine and chassis on the Chevys are better than Ford, without a doubt and the warranty is also better.

As far as heavy trucks, Ford had a more fuel efficient and more reliable diesel than Chevrolet until Ford introduced the 6.0L engine. When I was at Halliburton, 90% of their diesel pickups were Fords, the rest were Chevys. There was a consensus that the 6.0L trucks took more fuel and required more down time than the 7.3L trucks. The 6.6L duramax Chevys were better than the 6.0L engines, but not nearly as good as the Ford 7.3L when it comes to durability or fuel efficiency (though the Dmax has it beat in output). Their heavy trucks were either GMC, IH, or Kenworth (no Fords). The Twin Turbo 6.4L engine is really angering a lot of fleet owners because they use too much fuel.

I haven't seen many buyers switching back to Chevrolet or GMC, but I am sure it will eventually happen. Ford is pushing hard in this segment right now and they are not going to give it up easily. The Crown Vic is still eating the Impala's lunch for Police sales (though the Impala is cheaper) because of durability issues. I know that Dodge has respectable durability, but their fuel consumption is higher than the other two.

A lot of it has to do with upfront cost and the dealerships willingness to offer a good deal or service contract. Ford pushes hard in this market...and like it or not, many of the earlier T800 trucks required a lot of down time. The jury is still out on the T900s, but I do believe that Ford has more consistant quality control still...and GM still has four wheel drive and transmission issues on trucks that are less than 4 or 5 years old that are inexcusable. 3/4 ton trucks are anyone's guess. Almost all the fleet Chevys that I see are gas powered, but all the Ford work trucks are diesel.

Ford deserves the sales. They've improved much faster than Chevrolet has. The Ranger also owns many fleet markets because they are cheap and reliable as hell and cheap to insure.

[BryceStrong]

I've noticed that, in the Denver Metro Area, companies that predominantly own trucks own GM product. But there are more Econoline fleets than Express fleets. And, when I try to upsell a Ford-buyer into a Chevrolet, the most common objection I receive is that Chevrolets cost too much. Although many times I can quote a Chevy for less than a comparable Ford. But I won't lose sleep over selling anyone an F-Series because I know that Ford makes quality trucks. Their vans, however, are inferior to GM's. Now, when speaking with buyers who prefer diesel engines, I regularly hear negative comments about Powerstroke engines. I've never heard anything bad about Duramax engines or Allison transmissions.

Off-topic: I've had good customers look at me like I was the idiot after explaining that Chevrolet no longer produces Astro vans.

[C/K Man]

I hear this a lot. I have been involved with utility and municipal fleet maintenance for over 20 years, and have also done consulting for small private fleets. Despite what an employee might tell you, 9 times out of 10 a fleet will select a particular make of truck only on purchase price, not any other factor. In years past, Ford has been very aggressive at making fleet sales. Up until 1996, Ford was also able to offer trucks in sizes all the way from compact pickups to class 8 heavy trucks. That helped them as well as it made their truck dealers 'one-stop-shopping'. The 6.0L Powestroke debacle has cost them dearly, and on top of that the new Sterling Bullitt is really eating into 450 and 550 Super Duty sales. Sterling incidentally is the former Ford heavy truck operation now that it is owned by Freightliner. Most of the old Ford heavy truck dealers now sell Sterlings along with Ford commercial trucks, so the Sterling Bullitts are right there in the same lot! As for GM, they are gaining ground in large fleet sales, but the Topkick and Kodiak 4500/5500 models are a bit too large and clumsy for what they are, and the Ford 450 and 550 outsell them. Word is that after International takes over production of the Topkick and Kodiak, GM may introduce a new 4500 that has a full size pickup cab. The truck may be shared with International dealers as well.

[bouda]

Sfa.

[Cruzin90]

I know of a construction company in Texas that's buying 20 Silverado's per month, every month, for two years from a Chevy dealer!!

[member12]

I've seen a lot of the newer generation half tons with the black bumper and grill around.

There's a bunch of the previous generation HD trucks tooling around. I wouldn't say that GM doesn't have a share in this market. I am sure Ford has a big share because the Duramax/Allison is so expensive (GM sells lots of gas trucks).

GM should really push hard in this market. They should have pushed harder when they had the Isuzu medium duty line as well as the Top Kick/Kodiak line alongside the pickup trucks. I see fleet ads for Trailblazers and Suburbans now.

Originally Posted by C/K Man

I hear this a lot. I have been involved with utility and municipal fleet maintenance for over 20 years, and have also done consulting for small private fleets. Despite what an employee might tell you, 9 times out of 10 a fleet will select a particular make of truck only on purchase price, not any other factor. In years past, Ford has been very aggressive at making fleet sales. Up until 1996, Ford was also able to offer trucks in sizes all the way from compact pickups to class 8 heavy trucks. That helped them as well as it made their truck dealers 'one-stop-shopping'. The 6.0L Powestroke debacle has cost them dearly, and on top of that the new Sterling Bullitt is really eating into 450 and 550 Super Duty sales. Sterling incidentally is the former Ford heavy truck operation now that it is owned by Freightliner. Most of the old Ford heavy truck dealers now sell Sterlings along with Ford commercial trucks, so the Sterling Bullitts are right there in the same lot! As for GM, they are gaining ground in large fleet sales, but the Topkick and Kodiak 4500/5500 models are a bit too large and clumsy for what they are, and the Ford 450 and 550 outsell them. Word is that after International takes over production of the Topkick and Kodiak, GM may introduce a new 4500 that has a full size pickup cab. The truck may be shared with International dealers as well.

Sales wise, the Topkick and Kodiak may fall a little short of the Ford trucks, but they are better in every way. We used those at the "big red" as logging trucks (to log oil rigs) because they were one of few heavy trucks that had four wheel drive. The crew cabs proved useful to sleep in when we had to stay there overnight. They drove like you'd expect a big truck to drive.....however, that same company used mostly Ford pickup trucks 90% of the time when job called for a pickup truck. Occasionally, you'd see a four wheel drive Explorer or Trailblazer. There is one guy that owns the Ford and Chevy place around this field office and he offers the same service contract for both brands, but Ford was able to undercut the GM products most of the time through manufacturer's incentives.

The Fords are kind of known for being fancied up pickup trucks. They are not bad and the prices are very reasonable, but the GM trucks have them beat for options and what not.

I guess now IH will sell a GM/IH truck after this generation runs out.

[moman]

Originally Posted by C/K Man

I hear this a lot. I have been involved with utility and municipal fleet maintenance for over 20 years, and have also done consulting for small private fleets. Despite what an employee might tell you, 9 times out of 10 a fleet will select a particular make of truck only on purchase price, not any other factor. In years past, Ford has been very aggressive at making fleet sales. Up until 1996, Ford was also able to offer trucks in sizes all the way from compact pickups to class 8 heavy trucks. That helped them as well as it made their truck dealers 'one-stop-shopping'. The 6.0L Powestroke debacle has cost them dearly, and on top of that the new Sterling Bullitt is really eating into 450 and 550 Super Duty sales. Sterling incidentally is the former Ford heavy truck operation now that it is owned by Freightliner. Most of the old Ford heavy truck dealers now sell Sterlings along with Ford commercial trucks, so the Sterling Bullitts are right there in the same lot! As for GM, they are gaining ground in large fleet sales, but the Topkick and Kodiak 4500/5500 models are a bit too large and clumsy for what they are, and the Ford 450 and 550 outsell them. Word is that after International takes over production of the Topkick and Kodiak, GM may introduce a new 4500 that has a full size pickup cab. The truck may be shared with International dealers as well.

Exactly. Price is the important point to the bean counters who actually make decisions. Contrary to what you'll hear from the people who drive the trucks ("We got Ford because Chevy sucks"), they have little to no say in the matter although they like to act like they do.

[FenwickHockey65]

I'd say it's an even 50/50 split here between Chevy/GMC and Ford. Surprisingly, I see a lot of Sierra Work Trucks in use over the Silverado.

[AndrewGS]

As it's been said before, with any decent sized fleet it's all about cost. The smaller guys usually buy on brand preference.

My grandfather used to work for an oil field supply company and in his later years with the company he went from machining to driving, delivering large metal parts and pipe in 3/4-ton pickups wearing overhead racks. He got them to switch from Ford to Chevrolet because the I-beam suspension on the Fords would cause the truck to be unstable and sway with any decent overhead load. The Chevrolets didn't have this problem with the A-arm suspension.

[member12]

Originally Posted by AndrewGS

As it's been said before, with any decent sized fleet it's all about cost. The smaller guys usually buy on brand preference.

My grandfather used to work for an oil field supply company and in his later years with the company he went from machining to driving, delivering large metal parts and pipe in 3/4-ton pickups wearing overhead racks. He got them to switch from Ford to Chevrolet because the I-beam suspension on the Fords would cause the truck to be unstable and sway with any decent overhead load. The Chevrolets didn't have this problem with the A-arm suspension.

Almost every oil supplies or oil services company that I know of (at least the larger ones) use primarily Ford 3/4 ton pickups with GMC, Sterling, or Kenworth as the heavy trucks. There are chevrolets in the mix, but the Fords are that much cheaper.

If they are all Chevy in your region then it shows that the dealerships have a big role in this type of thing.

Corporate needs to push these dealers to stock more of the Topkick/Kodiak trucks, and until someone in the Ren Center from GMC says "We want Schlumberger" or "We want Halliburton", then nothing is going to change in the pickup truck market (those two companies alone buy a helluva lot of trucks and they are almost all Ford). GM trucks have to be cheaper upfront and the dealerships have to be willing to give a great service contract...and apparently that can't happen without help from the top.

I've seen half ton GM extended cab trucks on sale for $17,000. There is no reason GM can't agressively go after the BIG sales.

[cc1999]

I manage a fleet of about 40 cars and trucks, and historicly for the trucks in the fleet I have been using about 80% GM for our 1/2 ton truck needs and about 20% Ford and dodge, a lot of that is price and operating cost GM has a lower total operating cost when looking at 1/2 tons. Now when I look at our 3/4s they are 95% Ford Super Duty's and I bought one Chevy D-max last fall. I planning on going all chevy or Dodge in 3/4 tons as these Diesel fords come out of service over the next few years. Reliabilty issues with the Ford motors has been a real problem. Now with 1 tons we are about 80% Ford and 20% Isuzu the Isuzue and the Fords are likely to be phased out and I am planning on trying the new Dodge 4500-5500 next time around. The diesel imission regs have all but destoired Fords reputations in the HD market, Navstar has not been able to get it right since the old 7.3s.