Truck of the Month: Dattile and Sons Plumbing, Coral Springs, Fla.
The Dattile trucks feature a red carpet and organized storage space inside. Pictured is the 2014 Isuzu NPR-HD. Photo credit: Dattile and Sons Plumbing
“The back of the truck is perfect for storing everything necessary for a plumbing truck. We are able to store all the supplies and label all drawers,” said Keith Dattile. Photo credit: Dattile and Sons Plumbing
For years after starting his company in 1972, Alfred Dattile and the contractors at Dattile and Sons Plumbing helped build many homes by doing all the plumbing work. Twenty years later, Keith Dattile, one of Alfred’s four sons, took over the business as president and owner. The company now performs strictly residential and commercial plumbing service repairs.
With five employees, two vans and two box trucks, the company covers all of Broward County, Palm Beach County and parts of Miami. The trucks are a 2014 diesel and a 2016 gas engine Isuzu cab, model number NPR-HD, with a Hackney body, model P-2000 Performer, 14-foot stretched model. The two vans are 2002 GMC Savanas. All four vehicles feature the same design and logo.
“We like both trucks,” says Keith Dattile. “The back of the truck is perfect for storing everything necessary for a plumbing truck. We are able to store all the supplies and label all drawers; this way, it is extremely easy to find a particular fitting or part. We are able to carry a basic water heater and a basic toilet, which saves us so much time and driving. Also, we have plenty of room to store leak-detection equipment and a sewer camera, and the service technician can stand up and function so easily.”
Dattile describes the design as simple, yet efficient. Having had the logo of a man with a wrench for a long time, Dattile and his wife, Cristina — who handles all office work and sales, and sometimes field work — printed plain images of the truck and started drawing on it with markers and trying different lines until they came up with the final design.
“People on the road can see the truck from far away; it is easy to read and understand what services we offer,” he says. “We wanted to create a design that would make the truck stand out, and I think we accomplished that. We worked with Lisa at Signarama in Coral Springs, and they installed the reflective vinyl on the truck.
“The response to the box trucks and the design has been unbelievable,” he adds. “People on the road give us compliments; customers want to climb inside the truck to look around. They are so impressed by the red carpet and by how clean and organized it is. Other plumbers say this is their dream truck. When we go to the supply places to get materials, plumbers and the employees want to check out the truck, and we have gotten so many compliments from them, as well.”
Dattile wanted to be sure the slogan “We are the service professionals” was featured on the trucks to show potential customers that satisfaction, on-time and quality service, and clean work are priorities for them.
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