May 9, 2017 Factors Affecting the ROI of Construction Truck Scales

When buying truck scales you do so to increase productivity, profitability and to enhance competence. As with anything else, you will need to service the scales and tend to repairs from time to time. There are several factors to take into account when considering the ROI of your truck scales as follows:

Critical Factors Affecting the ROI of Truck Scales

1. Modern Technology

Modern technology is becoming more and more efficient. As such, service providers are changing their training focus from the repair of older technologies to how to be good and servicing newer ones. As such, if you own scales you will find that service providers will focus on troubleshooting the mechanical systems you have in place. With time, the availability of parts will decrease and the cost of the parts that you can actually find is inflated as they become even more obsolete. If you have an old scale you may end up having to purchase used parts since it will be the only option available.

2. Warranty

Truck scales and portable truck scales have improved their efficiency because of modern technology. Since the new scales are products of higher quality, the warranties they carry also tend to be longer. If you maintain the truck scales accordingly during the duration of the warranty, they could last a long time, which in turn keeps your bottom line in the green.

3. How Old the Scale is

Of course every piece of equipment will need repairs at some point after being used for years. Parts generally will need replacing with use. This means that if you have an old scale you will be looking at more repairs. You will need to consider the ROI of making repairs vs. purchasing a new one. You might find that in the long run it will cost you more to fix that old scale than it will to buy a new one altogether.

4. Downtime

The length of downtime you experience during repairs can actually exceed what it costs to service the truck scale. During business peak times, this can become a critical element to consider. Each day you could lose a minimum of tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the number of trucks processed daily, the size of each load on average and what your trucks are hauling. If you purchased a new scale, you could avoid this kind of loss for several years since the scale would likely not need any repairs for a while.

Calculating the Return on Investment

Truck scale salesmen usually have calculators that they can use to assist you in determining the risks. The calculators generally take the factors mentioned above into consideration so as to help you determine the ROI. Here is an example; if you are looking to calculate what you will save annually when you invest in more accurate scales, you will need to carry out the following calculation:

Annual profit savings = current scale error x no of operating days per year x No. of vehicles per day x price of goods

To calculate annual profit savings from having a reliable scale carry out the following calculation:

Annual profit savings = net load by vehicles per day x price of goods x profit margin x saved downtime days (now that you have reliable scales)

Advantages of Having Truck Scales

There are several advantages to having truck scales as follows:

• Avoid Overweight Fines

When it comes to trucking, it is important to note that every truck needs to stay within its weight restrictions. You need to consider the weight of its axles, its overall weight and its load as well. If you do not adhere to the prescribed restrictions, you will incur overweight fines. With truck scales you can avoid overweight fines.

• Accessibility

The truck scales tend to be the cash register or the access point of the facility. If you have high flows you should also have a remote weight terminal capable of communicating efficiently and quickly with all devices connected to it. If you have unattended systems, they should have remote displays to which they can send commands. These should include message boards and traffic lights to assist drivers when they come to have their trucks weighed. The systems should also send information on transactions and the data to vehicle information to the database software that keeps the records. By so doing, you can ensure consistent accuracy.

• Accuracy and Reliability

The function of truck weighing tends to be integral to the profit stream and throughput of the company. The scale should therefore provide accuracy and reliability regardless of whether you are dealing with standard duty or extreme applications. The design should provide smart control systems, long service life and interface options that are an advantage to the business operations.

About the Author
Kevin Hill heads up the marketing efforts and provides technical expertise to the sales and service teams at Quality Scales Unlimited in Byron, California. He enjoys everything mechanical and electronic, computers, the internet and spending time with family.

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