A versatile partner for your small business

Among the most difficult challenges to overcome as a small business owner is coming up with the capital to run an operation. Not only do they have to deal with the expenses of labor, materials, and overhead, a lot of the time starting businesses need some form of reliable transportation.

People and goods need to travel, and vehicles suited for the wear and tear of commercial operations are expensive.

Which is part of why many Filipinos are choosing more versatile commercial vehicles lately. According to a joint report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc., and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), 369,941 vehicles were sold last year, up 3.5% year on year, mainly due to improved sales of light commercial vehicles and light trucks.

The report showed that commercial vehicle sales for 2019, which accounts for 69.5% of the market, grew 5% to 260,744 vehicles from 248,390 in 2018. An 11% and 3.9% rise in sales of light commercial vehicles and light trucks, respectively, offset the lower sales of Asian utility vehicles or AUVs (-15.4%), trucks and buses.

It is not hard to see why. A pickup truck is designed for practicality and function, offering versatility and power for all manner of use.

As automakers have discovered new and more effective ways of reducing the fuel consumption of vehicles, larger, heavier vehicles such as trucks are more efficient than ever. Modern designs, fuel-saving technologies integrated in smaller displacement engines, as well as advanced structural materials to reduce overall weight all have been leaps towards making a more economic vehicle.

Meanwhile, the size of trucks are proven to be a boon on the road, at least in terms of safety. Aside from holding more mass between a passenger and the hostile elements of the road, trucks also offer bigger crush zones, and a heavier weight to keep it on the ground in cases of crashes.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US, a heavier vehicle will typically push a lighter one backward during the impact, putting less force on the occupants of the heavier vehicle and more on those in the lighter vehicle. The organization’s fatality data even goes as far as to show the mortality rates between passengers of lighter vehicles and heavier ones. The lowest 2015 death rate by vehicle type is for very large SUVs: 13 deaths per million registered vehicles. The highest is for mini cars: 64 deaths per million registered vehicles.

Of course, none of this is at the cost of power. Trucks are dependable in a broad range of terrain. In a flood-prone country like the Philippines, it pays to have a bigger vehicle to push through adverse conditions. The higher stance can allow trucks to operate in roads sedans cannot, offering a dependable investment for the days when you really need some semblance of safety. Trucks are also better off-road, making them better at navigating unpaved roads in the provinces or exploring new places.

As both a family vehicle and a business vehicle, trucks provide spacious interiors, fuel economy, and dependable performance. A trunk can serve both as a means of logistics or simply as a comfortable vehicle for family vacations, making them the perfect asset for business owners on a budget. — Bjorn Biel M. Beltran