Fleet Options: Lease or Buy?

Among commercial laundry operators, the question of whether to lease or buy trucks and manage the process in or out of house poses a dilemma for many companies. Outside factors, such as fuel price spikes and shifting tax rules can alter the calculus significantly.

Wes Sights of Sitex Corp., Henderson, KY, recently decided to switch from a hybrid system that included a mix of leased and owned vehicles to a full-service truck leasing program from Enterprise Fleet Management. He was quoted in an article in Fleet Management that outlined many of the pros and cons of leasing vs. buying and how several operators are dealing with the issue with various service providers.

Sights told Textile Services Weekly that he’s confident that the move to leasing earlier this year will reduce his total cost of ownership, while improving fleet operations. “We have a better, more reliable fleet. It’s a work in progress, but we’re not having the breakdowns that we had.”

The program has simplified fleet issues as well, he said, noting that “It’s a complete ease of use. We don’t have a fleet manager. Every vehicle has a complete maintenance card. We’re covered now with full maintenance; they take care of it. We pay a monthly maintenance fee.” Click here for details. 

Sign up for our FREE weekly e-newsletter and other news sent to your inbox!