Thunder Creek Equipment’s new Service and Lube Upfit (SLU) for medium-duty truck bodies doesn’t require drivers to have CDL or HAZMAT certifications, saving customers from increased insurance costs, and the cost of hiring highly sought after CDL drivers.
The new product, launched at The Utility Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, allows for customization much like the company’s Service and Lube Trailer, but with the nimbleness of a medium-duty service body.
Smaller than a traditional service and lube truck, the SLU can be installed on a Ford F-550 or Ram 5500 chassis. “Dealers, rental companies and construction companies are having a hard time hiring technicians and CDL drivers. Plus, they’re finding out they’re not being profitable sending out a $300,000 truck with a $40-an-hour employee to do a simple oil change,” said Steven Ile, territory sales manager, Thunder Creek Equipment. “This affords them the ability to put anybody with a valid driver’s license and basic technical skills in the truck and go.”
A built-in VMAC air compressor powers the entire SLU pneumatic pumping system. The tanks provide a total capacity of 690 gallons and are configurable in 115-, 55-, and 25-gallon tanks, depending on a customer’s fleet maintenance needs.
Fluids supported include fresh oil, reclaimed oil, grease, antifreeze, reclaimed antifreeze, high flow oil, diesel fuel and diesel exhaust fluid. “It is 100 percent customizable,” said Ile. “If one customer needs 345 gallons of fresh oil and 345 gallons of waste oil because they’re only changing oil, we can do that. If the next customer is running Deere, CAT and Komatsu equipment and needs three different spec oils, we can break that up into multiple tanks and give them more fluids.”
All fluid maintenance systems are plumbed into the truck’s new Utility Box, which features a streamlined control panel. The control panel is color coded to match the nozzles and hoses, making it easy to use for operators and reduce training. The SLU also features ample storage for filters and tools.
Each SLU is built to order. Customers can purchase the Service and Lube Upfit via select dealers or directly from Thunder Creek Equipment.
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