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A Chat About Trucks With Mr. Gayle Humphries of Best
Enterprises
Enterprises
By Steve McDonald
| Gayle Humphries of Best Enterprises |
Prior to laying down the bucks for a vacuum tank truck there is much to
consider. According to Gayle Humphries, president of Arkansas based,
Best Enterprises, “longevity along with appearance are crucial
considerations in purchasing a truck.
Humphries who favors stainless steel as a tank material is quick to also
note that he knows of no one who has failed in business simply
“because they had a carbon steel or an aluminum tank.”
“Nothing is going to be durable without a good maintenance program,”
he says. “In the past few years, one of the biggest things in vacuum
pumps is the use of synthetic oil which adds to longevity.“We see a lot
of people doing different things and all with different concepts,” he
says. “Personally, I always liked to have a truck that was able to go out
and do a good job at whatever needed to be done that day. And if it
was a long day, we would have enough capacity to do it.”
consider. According to Gayle Humphries, president of Arkansas based,
Best Enterprises, “longevity along with appearance are crucial
considerations in purchasing a truck.
Humphries who favors stainless steel as a tank material is quick to also
note that he knows of no one who has failed in business simply
“because they had a carbon steel or an aluminum tank.”
“Nothing is going to be durable without a good maintenance program,”
he says. “In the past few years, one of the biggest things in vacuum
pumps is the use of synthetic oil which adds to longevity.“We see a lot
of people doing different things and all with different concepts,” he
says. “Personally, I always liked to have a truck that was able to go out
and do a good job at whatever needed to be done that day. And if it
was a long day, we would have enough capacity to do it.”
As with anything else portable restroom operators have varied thoughts on tank size. Most of those thoughts simply have
to do with preferences and the type of demand needed to run a route. While one operator considers specifications to meet
the demand of dense routes of 60 - 70 portable restrooms another has a maximum of 40 units and lots of miles in-between.
Over the last decade holding tanks have grown in popularity further complicating the considerations needed to spec a tank
configuration. “You can add two or three holding tanks holding 200 to 300 gallons to a route and your truck is going to be
close to load capacity,” said Humphries. He also noted that the addition of these holding tanks are what sells a lot of trucks.
As with tank size and material it is preference that drives the turnover rate. Humphries noted that he knows one portable
restroom operator who buys a new truck every month. “They get a 100,000 mile warranty on it and sell it before it gets to
100,000 miles,” he says. “It’s the only company I know of that does that, but they are doing it very successfully. They think
this is the most inexpensive way to have good-looking and near new trucks.”
One of the recent changes to purchasing habits is the addition of accessories. Humphries says he’s seeing a lot of
business owners spending a lot of money equipping trucks “and I would say a lot of it is not wasted.” Humphries believes
a back-up camera is essential.“If you are going to back up a trailer you are pulling , you can look out and see exactly what
you are doing. If you are backing up to a toilet to pick it up, you can see everything. Humphries further notes that if you are
backing up through a tight area and can’t see, it is not just a matter of bumping into something you can go right through it.
Bottom line: In order to buy the best trucks, one must charge properly for one’s services, Humphries points out.
“I think people in the construction business renting portable restrooms are getting the biggest deal they have ever had
because of the prices portable toilets are renting for,” he says. “I went into business in 1970 and my first vehicle was a ¾-
ton Chevrolet with automatic transmission, power brakes and steering. I paid $4,250 for it and rented toilets for $50 a month.
“Now we see trucks going out the door that are more than $80,000 and people are renting toilets for $70 a month. This is
suicide,” Humphries noted.
There is much to consider when purchasing a truck. While there are no absolute right or wrong ways to spec a truck there
are a lot of variables to consider, well before laying down the dollars.
to do with preferences and the type of demand needed to run a route. While one operator considers specifications to meet
the demand of dense routes of 60 - 70 portable restrooms another has a maximum of 40 units and lots of miles in-between.
Over the last decade holding tanks have grown in popularity further complicating the considerations needed to spec a tank
configuration. “You can add two or three holding tanks holding 200 to 300 gallons to a route and your truck is going to be
close to load capacity,” said Humphries. He also noted that the addition of these holding tanks are what sells a lot of trucks.
As with tank size and material it is preference that drives the turnover rate. Humphries noted that he knows one portable
restroom operator who buys a new truck every month. “They get a 100,000 mile warranty on it and sell it before it gets to
100,000 miles,” he says. “It’s the only company I know of that does that, but they are doing it very successfully. They think
this is the most inexpensive way to have good-looking and near new trucks.”
One of the recent changes to purchasing habits is the addition of accessories. Humphries says he’s seeing a lot of
business owners spending a lot of money equipping trucks “and I would say a lot of it is not wasted.” Humphries believes
a back-up camera is essential.“If you are going to back up a trailer you are pulling , you can look out and see exactly what
you are doing. If you are backing up to a toilet to pick it up, you can see everything. Humphries further notes that if you are
backing up through a tight area and can’t see, it is not just a matter of bumping into something you can go right through it.
Bottom line: In order to buy the best trucks, one must charge properly for one’s services, Humphries points out.
“I think people in the construction business renting portable restrooms are getting the biggest deal they have ever had
because of the prices portable toilets are renting for,” he says. “I went into business in 1970 and my first vehicle was a ¾-
ton Chevrolet with automatic transmission, power brakes and steering. I paid $4,250 for it and rented toilets for $50 a month.
“Now we see trucks going out the door that are more than $80,000 and people are renting toilets for $70 a month. This is
suicide,” Humphries noted.
There is much to consider when purchasing a truck. While there are no absolute right or wrong ways to spec a truck there
are a lot of variables to consider, well before laying down the dollars.
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July 2007
Serving the American Liquid Waste Industry Since 2002