Sector Spotlight: Hooklifts for Municipalities

Many cities, counties and DOTs are finding themselves in a “perfect storm” of procurement challenges — low revenues offset by a high demand for services.

When it comes to budgeting, local governments are being extremely cautious in 2018. Municipal finance officers are expecting less than 1% growth this year, according to the National League of Cities (NLC). At the state level, spending is expected to grow at the slowest pace since the recession.

Of course, whether confronting budget uncertainty or fortunate enough to be flush with revenue, all municipalities face continued scrutiny by taxpayers for more services at less expense.

That’s an ongoing challenge to city managers, county road superintendents and others who are charged with operating municipal fleets with which to maintain drivable streets, conduct other infrastructure repairs, trim trees and perform myriad other tasks.

The right city trucks help, of course. And, single-function vehicles are often a less-than-optimal choice. “Seasonal” municipal trucks that pair a chassis with one body can sit unused for months on end.

Offering all-season capabilities, hydraulic hooklift-equipped trucks with interchangeable roll-on/roll-off bodies are the better option for the fleets of cities, counties and DOTs. With them, operators can add truck bodies to their city fleets instead of entire rigs. Within just minutes, users can swap out a dump body for a container body for a tanker body and so on. A single chassis equipped with hydraulic hook loader system takes on the duties of an entire fleet!

Hook loader truck operators get all the benefits of one-function trucks, including dumping capabilities. But, they also get advantages that owners of dedicated rigs can’t match.

For example, hydraulic hooklifts offer ground-level loading and unloading. They give users the ability to leave loaded or unloaded bodies behind as the driver moves on to other operations. What’s more, with hook loaders there’s but a single cab and chassis to purchase, maintain, insure and license — dramatically reducing overhead costs for operators of municipal fleets.

Roll-off hoists with cables and winches are, of course, another option for municipal truck buyers. But, loading and unloading a hooklift is faster because operators do not need to hook up cables or extend and retrieve them via winch controls at truck side. In contrast, hook loaders offer inside-the-cab operation. Improved driver safety — and reduced city liability — are two more factors that favor hooklifts.

In addition to these advantages, many cities, counties and DOTs agree that trucks outfitted with hydraulic hook loaders deliver as much as 100% utilization. No wonder that hooklifts for municipal fleets are something that taxpayers can get behind!

For selection, savings and service, make Ampliroll your first choice in hydraulic hooklift systems.

Ampliroll Hooklift Systems are manufactured by Marrel – the inventor of the dual-pivot hook loader in 1969 and first again in bringing them to users across the U.S. in 1980. Today, Ampliroll is one of the nation’s leading providers of hooklift systems, and also suppliers of many other equipment options to integrate with hook loaders, such as aerial lifts, cranes, water tankers, waste containers and more. Of course, we also offer high-quality pre-owned hooklift vehicles.