Light-duty industrial vehicles act as your workhorses. They transport materials and personnel to the right place at the right time. They also help maintain or upgrade the grounds you operate. Acquire the best light utility vehicles and you save money by getting the work done right the first time, with a minimum of extra labor or downtime.

Transport involves more than over-the-road tractor trailers and moving vans. People and product need to move efficiently within the production cycle. Furthermore, you must maintain the sites you operate on to maximize efficiency, whether removing obstacles or expanding facilities for more production capacity. Three broad categories of light industrial vehicle equipment enable you to accomplish these tasks:

1. Earth movers, from light utility vehicles for landscaping or groundskeeping to drilling or excavation;

2. Product movers, from stock chasers to hi-lo’s or lift equipment;

3. People movers, from personal transport to trams.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Sculpt your sites with big-name light utility vehicle manufacturers

Real estate management includes not only landscaping but also construction and renovation. If you're working outdoors under any and all weather conditions, play it safe and stay with well-backed, trusted brands.

I recommend: John Deere fields a large variety of light- and medium-duty tractors from basic lawn mowers to large-scale agriculture equipment and backhoes. Bobcat Company covers land moving from excavation to loading, for industries ranging from construction and mining to groundskeeping and agriculture.

Transfer your materials promptly with light industrial utility vehicles

From stocking raw materials to delivering finished products, the proper industrial light utility vehicle keeps your production process in motion.

I recommend: Taylor-Dunn manufactures electric vehicles capable of carrying up to 3 ½ tons or towing up to 10 tons; find the dealer nearest you. Nissan Forklift Corporation is a heavy player in light-duty materials handing vehicles with walk-behind and riding cargo movers.

Transport your people with an industrial electric vehicle

Use an electric industrial vehicle to keep your staff moving over your campuses while saving on fuel costs and reducing pollution they may otherwise inhale with fossil-fuel-powered transports.

I recommend: Columbia ParCar Corp. produces single passenger electric chariots to 10-passenger trams. Club Car turns out four to eight-passenger vehicles.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check local regulations and watch for new vehicles under development by these light-duty industrial vehicle manufacturers that may allow some of these light industrial vehicles to be licensed as street legal transport, like neighborhood electric vehicles. While this can reduce real estate maintenance costs by allowing you to run on public roads rather than builds and private driveways between buildings, it may add licensing costs to the vehicles under use. You must then determine whether or which trade-off would work to your advantage.