Electrical contractors buying their first fleet truck — or replacing an aging one — almost always land
on the same question: service body or flatbed? Both configurations show up on electrician work trucks across
Texas and Louisiana, but they solve different problems. Get it wrong and you’re either short on secure tool
storage or fighting a cramped deck every time you haul conduit, wire reels, or a panel. At
Star Truck Equipment in Wharton, TX, we build both
configurations daily and can help you figure out which one actually fits how your crew works.
Service Bodies: Built for Tool and Material Security
A service body gives an
electrical crew rows of lockable, weatherproof compartments for meters, hand tools, wire nuts, breakers,
and small parts inventory — everything organized and out of the weather instead of rattling around a
pickup bed. Our STI (Service Trucks
International) lineup is a popular fit for electrical contractors because the compartment layout keeps
frequently-used tools accessible from the curb side without climbing into the bed, and the enclosed
storage cuts down on job-to-job theft — a real cost for crews running expensive testing equipment and
brand name tools.
Flatbeds: Built for Hauling Material
Contractors who regularly haul conduit runs, pipe bends, spools of wire, transformers, or panel
equipment tend to prefer a flatbed truck
body. The open deck and stake pockets make it easy to strap down long material that would never fit in
a service body compartment, and a flatbed loads and unloads faster with a forklift or hand truck at the
supply house. Norstar and CM flatbeds both hold up well under repeated
loading from spool racks and material carts, and can still carry a smaller lockable toolbox mounted to the
headache rack or under the bed rails.
Which One Fits Your Fleet?
- Choose a service body if your crew is mostly service calls, troubleshooting, and
repair work — small parts, meters, and tools need to stay secure and organized. - Choose a flatbed if you’re regularly hauling conduit, wire reels, panels, or bulk
material to new construction or commercial buildouts. - Running both service and installation crews? Many electrical contractors run a mixed
fleet — service bodies on the troubleshooting trucks, flatbeds on the material trucks.
Either way, pair the body with the right
truck accessories — headache racks, ladder racks, and toolboxes — to round out the setup for daily
electrical work.
Get Your Electrical Fleet Truck Built Right
Star Truck Equipment installs service bodies and flatbeds for electrical contractors across Texas and
Louisiana from our shop in Wharton, TX. Call us at (979) 532-1486 or browse our
service bodies and
flatbed truck bodies to get started.
