A new vehicle purchasing program has been developed by Eagle West Cranes, Inc and Stampede Crane & Rigging Inc which will reduce their use of fossil fuels by up to 60,000 litres per year while lowering capital costs. Eagle West Cranes and affiliated divisions understand the importance of being responsible environmental citizens and reducing fuel consumption is a great place to start.

In the fall of 2010, a thorough evaluation of the companies vehicle costs took place. The goal was to evaluate the passenger vehicle fleet currently operated by Eagle West and Stampede Cranes to determine if the company was utilizing the most environmentally friendly, practical, and cost efficient vehicles.

The process began by looking at which job descriptions in the company required a vehicle, what type of vehicle was needed, and approximately how much mileage would be logged per year. The groups identified from this process were Technical Sales, Rigging/Safety Supervisors, Tower Crane Technicians, Electricians and Managers. Each group has different total mileage per year and different vehicle needs so they determined what specifications, options, and accessories made the most sense for each job.

When determining which vehicles met the required needs at Eagle West and Stampede Cranes they first considered that they wanted to drive vehicles which are most gentle on the environment, reduce mileage and fuel consumption, and are most cost efficient overall. Leasing companies were compared, as well as aftermarket requirements, residual values, power train warranties, fuel economy, and insurance costs for each vehicle in order to determine which would be the most cost efficient for the business.

As a result, the decision was made to lease the newest vehicle models available. Leasing allows Eagle West and Stampede Cranes to continually drive newer vehicles, taking advantage of the latest fuel saving technology. Additionally, leasing will allow the company to return the vehicles before warranties expire saving money on long term maintenance costs and incurring the least amount of depreciation cost over the lease term.

Analysis of the Eagle West and Stampede Cranes data produced the following vehicle recommendations:

• Technical Sales Representatives will drive Hybrid AWD crossover SUV’s; and full size Hybrid pickup trucks
• Rigging/Safety Supervisors will drive full size Hybrid pickup trucks
• Tower Crane Technicians/Electricians will drive a selection of one ton vans, full size one ton trucks and small vans;
• Managers will drive mid size vehicles with a focus on high fuel efficiency and/or hybrid technology