If you’re planning to order the next vacuum truck in your fleet, it’s time to do a little trend-spotting so you can trick out your ride for convenience and have your marketing message jump off the shiny new tank and into potential customers’ consciousness.

How do you look for truck trends in the pumping industry? Well, you’d be hard-pressed to see a good representation of the latest vacuum trucks on your local highways and byways. With any luck, you’ll only pass a few service rigs on your daily route, and you’re all too familiar with what the competition is driving anyway.

At Pumper, we feel we provide the best opportunities anywhere for truck trend-spotting. Page through this issue and look at the glossy ads showing off the latest vehicles offered by industry truck builders. And this issue gives you an added bonus: For our Product Focus feature by Craig Mandli, we asked industry manufacturers to provide examples of their most recent vacuum truck components for your consideration.

If you want to see some of the latest and greatest trucks in person – kick a few tires, if you will – your next move is to book a trip to the Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show, or WWETT, as the rebadged Pumper & Cleaner Expo is known. It’s never too early to make plans for the biggest showcase for vacuum trucks, which is scheduled for Feb. 23-26, 2015, in Indianapolis. At WWETT you can see, touch and even plunk your money down to drive away with a fresh ride.

I find myself constantly staring at the latest top trucks in reader submissions for our Classy Truck feature. These photos show new vacuum trucks with the complete look the owner intended: detailed, decaled, washed, waxed and ready to hit the road. Their owners have given great consideration to the workability, usability and marketability possessed by these important business tools. The trucks must perform well in every way to justify the major expense.

So when reaching potential customers and building pumping profits are on the line, what trends are Classy Truck owners following? I’ll share a few of my own observations and you’re welcome to comment by emailing me at editor@pumper.com.

Graphics are cleaning up

When it comes to a marketing message emblazoned on the side of a vacuum tank, fewer and fewer pumpers are choosing to go it alone. The Classy Trucks I see carry more sophisticated messaging every year. Every piece of decaled information is well thought out. Phone numbers include area codes, Web addresses are prominent, typeface is bold and added art comes from a graphics professional. Business owners recognize the value of the rolling billboards and are spending exponentially more today for wraps and paint schemes than they did 15 years ago. And they’re ditching the tired old jokes and slogans. Why buy a $150,000 vacuum truck just to broadcast potty humor on the tank? This undermines the professionalism of the industry.

“Environmental” and “green’’ are profit-building buzzwords

Whether it’s a vinyl “wave’’ graphic or a message promoting a clean environment, going green is fashionable in the wastewater industry. And not just fashionable; a company’s environmental credibility is a valued selling point for customers. Many homeowners want to support companies that have a small environmental impact, and commercial customers want to be able to say they hire “green’’ contractors to do their cleanup work. Some old-line pumping companies are even changing their brand identifier from “Joe’s Septic Service” to “Joe’s Environmental Services” to convey a message of cleanliness and professionalism, as well as indicate a broader menu of services offered.

Chrome and quality paintwork never go out of style

Pumpers proud of their heritage in the industry truly care about the appearance of their equipment. They want work trucks to look as good as the cars they drive to church on Sunday. That’s why they spare no expense when it comes to fit and finish on their rolling equipment. While you’ll still see a lot of basic white service trucks, pumpers are also choosing two- and three-color paint schemes, as well as flames, metalflake and detailed pinstriping. And chrome is still splashed all over many trucks, from the wheels to the stacks, from the storage boxes to the horns and visors. And I see more polished stainless steel and aluminum tanks than ever before. Even though the cost for specialty finish work is always growing, pumpers remain willing to make the investment.

Versatility rules

When pumpers purchase a new truck today, they want to outfit it to provide a myriad of commercial and residential services. No more are business owners confining themselves to a specialty in residential septic service. They recognize growing opportunities to handle grease trap waste, empty car wash pits and do other environmental cleanup work. So they order new trucks for greater flexibility. They expand tank capacity to take on more gallons before dumping, spec more powerful pumps and blowers to convey tougher sludges, and add greater dumping capabilities to work faster at disposal. They include more onboard storage to carry toolbox jetters, tank agitators and specialty tools that can save a trip back to the yard for equipment.

Is your rig ready for the spotlight?

Take a look at the Classy Truck feature and the ads you see in Pumper for new or pre-owned trucks. How does your latest rig measure up? Once you look around, you might start thinking of an upgrade.

Whether you want to show off a new or refurbished truck, consider sending us a few photos for Classy Truck. Who knows, your service vehicle could win our annual contest and make the cover of the magazine. Wouldn’t that be a source of pride for your hard-working crew?

Participating in Classy Truck is simple. Detail your truck, park it in a beautiful setting and shoot some photos. Send those photos to me at editor@pumper.com, along with some details about the truck, including the name of the truck builder, a rundown of equipment and an explanation about how the truck is used to build your business. We’ll do all the rest.