Delivery of solutions

Lube trucks become vital equipment in off-road operations to supply fuel, lubricants and other solutions directly in the workshops

Installed on trucks, vans and even pick-ups, lube trucks are customized vehicles with the utilities needed to supply heavy machines in operations of civil construction and mining. To do so, these “moving shops” are shielded and prepared to work in severe conditions, ensuring non-stop operations in workshops, wherever they are.

Shielding is one of the most discussed points about lube trucks. Since their purpose is to ensure non-stop operation, they also need to withstand environmental storms.

These vehicles are offered in three different levels of protection. The so-called “open” trucks are protected only against sun and rain. “Half-open” trucks have side protections and “closed” trucks have complete protection.

Due to these reasons, closed lube trucks are currently the most sold in the market, since they are completely protected by doors, seals and cabinets for storage of accessories. In these models, all work is carried out by the operator in the ground level, reducing the risks of accidents and ensuring more comfort when works are carried out. But there are other reasons.

In the opinion of Humberto Eufrade, business manager of the lube truck manufacturer Gascom, the concerns with safety and integrity of the equipment reduced gradually the demand of open and half-open configurations for severe operations. In addition, the extension of the useful life of the trucks changed their resale value, discouraging the use of open models. “Open lube trucks do not have the minimum condition of sealing demanded by their users, since they are exposed to all environmental storms”, ends Eufrade.

On the other hand, Guilherme Baraldi Neto, sales engineer of Bozza believes that the selection depends on the type of operation and the level of investment of each client. Thus there is a strong market for open and half-open models, which represent 30 to 40 percent of manufacturer’s sales. “The operation of this type of equipment is also carried out from the ground with all foreseen conditions of safety and quality of fuels and lubricants”, says him, pointing out that the investment in this type of lube truck may be reduced up to 40 percent, attending the expectations of low-size clients.