Upfitting a vehicle or a fleet can get pricey, especially if you make use of a professional upfitting company. Seeing as it can thousands of dollars to do, is it even worth it in the long run to upfit the vehicles?

50%

of commercial vans are upfitted.

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In order to find out it is important to know your vehicle’s Total Cost of Ownership(TCO). A van’s TCO is the cost it took to purchase the vehicle plus any costs to maintain and use it over the course of its driving time. Gas costs, repairs, and even the upfitting cost all fall under this umbrella. Whether or not upfitting is worth it for your fleet is decided by whether the upfitting cost upfront will save you additions to the TCO later that would outweigh it. There are lots of costs that upfitting can decrease or eliminate.

Depending on the line of work your vehicle is being used for, damage to the inside can be very detrimental and extensive. Even just a metal tool scraping the walls can leave a permanent scar that decreases the value of the vehicle, and these marks can be common. Having your vehicles upfitted with a proper wall liner and floor will give your interior a sort of shell that will protect the metal walls. This will decrease repair costs and make it easier to repair in case of larger damages. Swapping out a wall liner is much easier than repairing a hole in the metal after all.

Having liners on your vehicle’s walls, ceiling, and doors as well as a proper floor will not only decrease accidental damages to the vehicle but also general wear and tear from use. Loading and unloading equipment, for example, can wear through a van’s floor and lower its value through marks or bowing.

Another factor most don’t consider with the TCO of a vehicle is medically covering the driver. If a vehicle’s operator gets hurt in the back of your vehicle while on the job, their medical expenses can get very pricey, and they might not be able to continue work for a while. Having a proper floor installed in the cargo area can prevent slips and falls. Having a floor with a high coefficient of friction can help with this, making your drivers more secure when doing their jobs and reducing down-time in productivity.

73%

of vocational fleets said yes when asked if safety played a part in upfitting requirements.

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Having a proper partition is an enormous part of keeping a commercial vehicle safe on the inside. If a collision were to occur, ensuring that no one of the cargo or equipment flies forward and injures your driver is a top priority. Having a partition that can withstand high-force impacts will increase the value of your vehicle as well because of these safety concerns.

Upfitting your vehicles is a one-time investment that can significantly lower the Total Cost of Ownership in the long term. If you’re looking to upfit and prepare your vehicles for the Legends that are going to be behind the wheel and working in the back, making sure they are comfortable and safe is important, and since doing so will also protect the stability of your vehicle’s cargo area it really is worth it to upfit your vans.

Learn how a complete upfit or your van or van fleet can benefit your bottom line.