Holman Uses Truck Technology to Add Life to Load-and-Go Fleet

In the world of DIY home improvement, most homeowners don’t have access to every tool or utility that large companies do. Even moving products from store to home can be a hassle for the average homeowner. That’s where load-and-go vehicles come into play. A select number of companies now offer hourly rates to move materials like sheet rock, lumber or other larger materials, so their customers don’t have to rent a moving vehicle or risk damage to a personal automobile that might not be able to handle such a large load of materials.

One national home improvement retailer has become known for their signature white pick-up trucks with the bright orange logo on each body. With more than 1,900 locations across the United States, this Holman customer offers load-and-go flatbed rentals to customers for a defined price-time model. Customers load up the trucks with whatever products they just purchased to bring to their homes or project sites, then they return the truck after delivery and leave with their personal vehicles.

It’s a simple model in theory, but this retailer was experiencing complications with overloading and liability. Pleased with their 18 year partnership with Holman, they turned to us for help with optimizing their load-and-go model to better meet the current demands of their customers.

What is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating?

The company found that when their employees were loading trucks for their customers, they were often doing so without consideration for the Gross Vehicle Weight rating (GVWR). What is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating? It’s the maximum amount of weight that a truck can safely carry, including the weight of any passengers, personal effects, cargo and the truck itself.

Our client’s employees had no way of knowing the weight of the vehicles or if they were overloading the trucks. This made these vehicles potentially unsafe to operate, and it also added unnecessary wear and tear on the trucks. Overloading a vehicle impacts the suspension, brakes, fuel usage, and even the way the engine operates, so in piling too much weight into the bed of the truck, this company was tacking on extra repair costs they could have otherwise avoided.

Home improvement companies are busiest in the spring and summer due to these seasons presenting the most ideal weather conditions for transporting and working with materials in an open setting. Our client wanted a solution that would keep their vehicles healthy and on the road throughout those busy months.

Truck Bed Weight Sensor to the Rescue

Holman designed a truck sensor to install as part of their load-and-go upfit – a simple piece of hardware that monitors the weight of the flatbed. Once it reaches its gross vehicle weight rating GVWR of 3,000 lbs the sensor begins to beep loudly, and the truck stays locked in park until the weight is mitigated. The beeping sensor makes it easy for employees on the job and for customers to know exactly what’s wrong, while the park-lock ensures that no rules are violated for the sake of convenience, making their rental drivers safer on the road.

The sensor has been a simple solution to a problem that was exposing this customer to potential risk. It ensures that their customers can still utilize this convenient product, without leading to long-term damage or danger.  Better yet, Holman was able to implement this rollout in a consistent manner, so that by the time the busy season rolled around in the spring, there was no overlap or loss of vehicles. Holman’s commitment to consistency and strategy meant that our customer barely noticed when the vehicles were gone, and they were able to start the home improvement season with the knowledge that they were running safer, healthier vehicles.

Fostering Relationship

Since this successful partnership, the customer turned to Holman once more to build and upfit their fleet of moving vans, a product that they rolled out in 2016. We’ve also worked together to build specs for their service vans and to assist their charitable foundation with projects that support home improvement for US Veterans across the country.

The relationship between Holman and this particular home improvement partner has developed thanks to a mutual trust built over time, and it continues to evolve. This client now has a totally unique and customer-friendly product within the home improvement retail industry. They have taken a strategic approach to their market, providing their customers with even more tools to get the job done as efficiently as possible.

Interested in learning more about partnership with Holman? Contact us today!