Quality tools and equipment can be expensive. No matter whether you’re looking at a high-end socket wrench set or a truck-mounted bridge inspection unit with a 66-foot long platform, the price can be prohibitive.
Which is why, in many large-scale bridge construction, repair, maintenance, and inspection scenarios it makes much more fiscal sense to rent bridge access equipment than to buy.
The Volume of Bridge Work is Expected to Increase in the US
Thanks to the recent passage of a massive infrastructure bill by the federal government, it is expected that funding will be available to pursue hundreds, if not thousands, of long-awaited or sometimes long-neglected bridge repairs, replacements, and even new construction.
As we have pointed out here often, there are more than 617,000 bridges in the United States, and, of those, it is estimated that approximately 231,000 U.S. bridges need major repair work or should be replaced, according to an American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) analysis.
The thing is, as any bridge inspector or contractor will tell you, no two bridges are exactly alike.
What this means for bridge workers is that the differences in designs and settings requires the use of a wide variety of equipment types and sizes necessary for construction, inspection, and maintenance teams. In simple terms, one piece of bridge access equipment won’t cut it!
The challenge for transportation agencies, engineering and contracting firms, and other bridge workers is gaining access to different machines as they are needed. Which is why renting this type of equipment is almost always far more fiscally feasible than building a fleet of purchased vehicles.
The Need for a Reliable and Wide-Reaching Under Bridge Access Equipment Source
Of course, renting tools and equipment is common throughout most construction fields, and it’s quite common to rent rather than buy an under bridge platform, for example.
However, if you’re building a new bridge, repairing an older one, carrying out routine bridge maintenance, or conducting an inspection you’ll need various types of access equipment to complete the job safely and effectively.
Every state in the nation has highway bridges, for example, which must be inspected regularly. In addition, these structures require regular cleaning and maintenance as well as periodic repairs. And almost every state has functioning bridges that are deemed unfit and need to be replaced.
For example, even the District of Columbia, an area significantly smaller than even the smallest state of Rhode Island, has 246 bridges. And the state with the largest number of bridges is Texas, perhaps, not surprisingly, with more than 55,000. That’s more than double the number of bridges in the runner-up state of Ohio.
What this means is simply this: inspectors, contractors, DOTs, and municipalities all need access to a fleet of bridge access equipment to support all the different demands and requirements of bridge work.
For most of these entities, purchasing a bridge access vehicle or under bridge platform for each new demand would be prohibitively expensive. And even purchasing one or two machines that can’t be used on every job makes no fiscal sense either.
However, renting provides fast and cost-effective access to the right equipment.
The Benefits of Renting Under Bridge Access Equipment
While there are arguably several benefits and advantages to renting your bridge access equipment, here are a few of the most significant:
- Reduced Capital Expenditures
A used piece of under bridge access equipment such an Aspen Aerials A-30 in good condition, for example, can set a firm back almost $250,000 or more. Renting the same vehicle is a mere fraction of that cost.
Few engineering or construction firms, nor municipal agencies, can sustain this type of capital outlay, never mind providing for several similar purchases.
- Improved Logistics
A firm or agency with just one piece of bridge access equipment can be hobbled logistically if the equipment is needed at multiple locations or, as often happens with busy enterprises, at two sites on the same day.
A certain amount of manpower is taken up with each equipment move or relocation, which decreases the available personnel at any given job, as well.
By renting the equipment when needed, it can be delivered to a site by the rental company, effectively eliminating those logistics issues.
- Increased Versatility
Being constrained by only owning and having access to one or, perhaps, two pieces of bridge access equipment can limit your capabilities. And a piece of equipment that cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars will likely be used beyond its safety lifetime.
If you rent your equipment, on the other hand, you’ll always have access to the latest equipment. And newer equipment is usually far safer and improved features can help your crews work more efficiently.
Let Under Bridge Platforms Be Your Bridge Inspection Access Equipment Partner
The experts at Under Bridge Platforms are proud to serve all of the Western States, including California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming, by providing the best selection of high quality under bridge access equipment.
Our large and expanding inventory of under bridge access platforms includes state-of-the-art self-drive access platforms such as the versatile Aspen Aerials A-40 Bridge Inspection Unit and the DFM Bridgemaster-Art-B-4.
As a professional firm you can rely on us to guide you through the process of buying or renting the right under bridge inspection vehicle and equipment. No matter the size or type of project, the team at Under Bridge Platforms is here to help you make the proper selection.
We take a great deal of pride in being the only company in our industry based in California that offers total under bridge access. Because we believe in providing only quality customer service, we have managed to build long-lasting relationships with our esteemed customers.
And we intend to keep it that way.
Contact us today and let us help take care of all your under bridge platform needs.
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