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Whether you’re a start-up or an established rental business, if you are thinking of getting into the aerial rental market – equipment that includes boom lifts, scissor lifts and telehandlers – there are more things to make decisions about than just what equipment to order. Delivery vehicles and training are two important factors you need to consider when purchasing aerial work platforms for your rental fleet.

Delivery vehicles
When selecting aerial equipment for your rental fleet, the first question to ask is: Can the equipment be picked up by the customer, or do we need to invest in a special delivery vehicle?

Smaller aerials, such as material lifts, electric slab scissors, one-person personnel lifts and towable booms, are built compact and lightweight enough to be transported with a standard pick-up truck. These models can easily be picked up by your customers at the beginning of the rental and returned at the end of the contract.

As you grow your equipment model sizes, you need to grow your delivery vehicle options. Because of their size and weight, larger aerial units will need to be trailered for transportation, requiring more than a customer’s pick-up truck with a hitch. At this point, your company needs to decide whether to invest in pick-up trucks and trailers or more specialized delivery vehicles, such as box trucks or semis with flatbed trailers.

As you are considering the type of delivery vehicle to invest in, here are a few of the questions you need to ask:

• What size of delivery vehicle do I need?
• How many vehicles do I need?
• Who will drive the delivery vehicle?
• Will the driver need a CDL or other special permit/license to drive the vehicle?
• Will the vehicle need special permits or licensing to be on the roads?
• How much will insurance be on the delivery vehicle? On the driver?
• What days and hours will I offer delivery services?
• Who will service the delivery vehicle?
• What kind of fuel does it require?
• Do I need to charge higher rental rates to cover fuel, insurance, oil changes, tires and so on on the delivery vehicle, or should I add a delivery fee to the rental contract?

It is always prudent to start with smaller equipment that will not only minimize the capital investment you need to make in your aerial fleet but also with your delivery vehicles. This will help you get started in the aerial rental market and allow you the opportunity to grow and expand your business over time.

Training
Who better to provide you with training on your new aerial equipment than the people who actually engineer, build and manufacture the lifts?

Whether in-person or online, it’s important to utilize the manufacturer’s training programs to train your team to operate, sell or maintain your aerial rental fleet to its full potential. Genie, for example, offers the Genie® Lift Pro™ online-based aerial work platform training program, or for instructors, in-depth product training for salespeople, and service training for technical personnel – all designed by the people who know the equipment best.

And, don’t just pick and choose who to train. Train everyone on your staff, from outside and inside sales people to your counter and back office personnel, service technicians and parts team. The more your staff knows about the equipment they are renting, the better rental partners your company will be to your customers.