Utility companies — whether you run power lines, telecom infrastructure, or water and gas systems — face a recurring fleet decision: service body or crane body? Both are purpose-built work trucks, but they serve different crews and different job sites. Choosing wrong can mean inefficiency, safety risk, and higher total cost of ownership.
At Star Truck Equipment in Wharton, TX, we outfit utility fleet trucks across Texas and Louisiana with bodies from STI (Service Trucks International), RKI, and Tiger Cranes. Here’s how to think through the decision.
What Is a Service Body?
A service body (also called a utility body or contractor body) replaces your pickup bed with a steel unit featuring multiple lockable compartments, drawers, and shelving. The bed stays flat on top — often used as a work surface — while organized storage lines both sides of the truck.
Best for:
- Meter readers and inspection crews who carry tools, meters, and test equipment
- Telecom field technicians with splice kits, cable spools, and test gear
- Line maintenance crews who need organized access to hand tools, PPE, and consumables
- Supervisor and foreman trucks that don’t do heavy lifting
- Municipal public works vehicles
Top service body brands for utility fleets:
- STI (Service Trucks International) — modular compartment layouts, heavy-duty build, popular with oilfield and utility fleets across Texas
- RKI (Rawson-Koenig) — built in Houston, TX; excellent quality control and regional dealer support
- CM — versatile steel service bodies, wide model range
What Is a Crane Body?
A crane body pairs a service-style compartment base with a truck-mounted knuckleboom or telescoping crane. The crane mounts behind the cab and gives your crew lifting capability — setting equipment, placing poles, handling reels, or positioning heavy components — without needing a separate lift truck on site.
Best for:
- Line crews that need to set poles, anchors, or transformers
- Telecom tower maintenance crews
- Pipeline and gas utility crews managing heavy valve assemblies or compressor components
- Water and wastewater crews handling pump components or manhole equipment
- Any crew that routinely lifts loads over 500 lbs in the field
Top crane body options at STE:
- Tiger Cranes — high tonnage capacity, dependable hydraulics, popular with Texas utility and oilfield fleets
- STI crane bodies — integrated crane + service body solutions from one manufacturer
- RKI crane bodies — Houston-built, strong regional support
Side-by-Side: Service Body vs Crane Body
| Feature | Service Body | Crane Body |
|---|---|---|
| Storage compartments | ✅ Maximized | ✅ Good (reduced by crane mount) |
| Lifting capability | ❌ None | ✅ 2–25+ ton-ft capacity |
| Weight on chassis | Lighter | Heavier — may require F-450/F-550 or chassis cab |
| Cost | Lower | Higher (crane adds $10,000–$40,000+) |
| CDL requirement | Usually no | Depends on GVW and crane capacity |
| Crew versatility | High for tool-heavy crews | High for equipment-heavy crews |
The Cost Factor
Service bodies typically run $5,000–$14,000 depending on size and configuration. Crane bodies with a truck-mounted crane start around $18,000–$50,000+ fully installed. For utility fleets, the math often works like this:
- If your crew needs lifting less than a few times per week, a service body + renting a boom truck as needed is cheaper
- If your crew lifts daily, a crane body pays for itself quickly by eliminating rental fees and wait time
- If you run mixed crews, consider splitting your fleet: some service body trucks, some crane trucks
Chassis Considerations for Utility Fleets
Service bodies fit well on Ford F-250/F-350, Ram 2500/3500, and Chevy 2500HD/3500HD platforms. Crane bodies typically require at minimum a Ford F-450 or Ram 4500, and often a chassis cab (F-550, Ram 5500, or Chevy 5500HD) for larger crane configurations.
We can advise on cab-to-axle measurements and chassis compatibility before you order — an important step that saves thousands in rework costs.
Talk to Star Truck Equipment
We’ve built utility fleet trucks for electric cooperatives, telecom contractors, pipeline service companies, and municipal crews across Texas and Louisiana. Whether you need a clean, organized service body for your inspection fleet or a crane-equipped work truck for your line crews, we’ll help you spec it right the first time.
📞 Call us at (979) 532-1486 — located in Wharton, TX, serving fleets statewide and into Louisiana.
Browse our service bodies for sale and crane bodies for sale, or explore STI truck bodies to see what’s in stock.
