By Clayton Coe, Regional Manager – Waikato/BOP, FleetPartners

FleetPartners is – as most NZ Company Vehicle readers will be aware – an innovative vehicle leasing provider. 
When the New Zealand government announced its ‘ute tax’, there was considerable media coverage, social discussion and no doubt, a lot of anxiety by businesses who run utility vehicles as part of their fleet.  
Some might have considered vans, but vans – while clearly not utes – are not exempt from the tax issues, though they get a little leeway in how much tax is paid.  
FleetPartners suggests a forward-thinking solution that many might not have contemplated, where utility vehicles are actually required for their load carrying capabilities – one which eliminates paying light commercial vehicle tax entirely.
“How many of you had considered,” asks Clayton Coe, regional manager for FleetPartners in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region, “using light trucks?”    
‘Trucks’ are vehicles which some fleet managers might have considered, but then found that there is more to truck ownership than meets the eye, particularly when it comes to sourcing, managing and funding them. 
Clayton suggests that rather than sinking your capital into purchasing a truck outright, it makes better economic sense to lease one. More businesses are doing this due to the flexibility, convenience and savings leasing offers.
“Whether you’ve dabbled in heavy commercial vehicles before or never considered them, you could be running into a few roadblocks with your current vehicles, Clayton suggests. 
“Maybe you’re struggling to carry enough products in your ute and need to look at something that can provide enough capacity to carry your products safely. Perhaps you’re experiencing delays around getting your product to market. It could even be that you’ve got concerns about branding or you want to bring outsourced work in-house for more control.”
Clayton points out that leasing a truck is a great solution to all those problems. “Trucks have a lot of advantages compared to utes, especially when it comes to transporting product.
“FleetPartners has pulled together a list of the things to know in getting the first truck for your business.” 

Size and load capacity 
Unlike utes, trucks are purposely made for carrying heavier loads. Operators can use trucks up to 5995kg Gross Vehicle Mass on a car licence. This means drivers don’t need any other licence class. 
 
Customise the body 
Trucks have fully customisable bodies compared to utes and do not attract FBT like utes and vans do.  
Flexibility 
Some businesses may find their cargoes have dimensional issues, shapes that don’t fit in the tray, goods that need to stay dry can’t be comfortably loaded or are simply beyond the payload capacity of a ute or van. Trucks solve these issues.

Premium vehicle branding and advertising
Use your vehicle to promote your business and use graphics from a basic logo through to a full vehicle wrap on much larger body areas, making them more visible to potential customers. 

Outsource maintenance 
Maintenance and servicing can be bundled into your truck operating lease. This avoids lump sum servicing bills and is totally hassle-free for your team. 
 
Expert support
You get a truck specialist looking after your account who stays up-to-date with the changing legislation and information from truck distributors. This will save you from potentially making costly mistakes that could hurt your business. 

No cash outlay upfront / pay as you go
Rather than pay outright in cash for a truck with a high purchase price, you can make fixed monthly payments over the term of your choice for easy budgeting and cash flow and you get a brand-new vehicle. 

Flexible lease terms
Choose a lease term that suits you from 36-84 months and choose the set kilometres per year you think you might need.
FleetPartners can help you set up a truck to suit your specific business needs, and right now the team there can often get a small truck on the road and ready to work faster than the average ute.
For a competitive, efficient truck solution to your transport needs, visit the www.fleetpartners.co.nz website.