Tacoma as a Work Truck?

What do you think about a double cab 4x4 Tacoma's functionality as a full time work truck in a construction/civil eng environment?
Talking about hauling equipment and 1 or 2 workers in addition to driver. Would serve as a mobile office. Lots of offroading in remote areas and high speed driving on bad roads required. Light towing ~3k lbs occasionally. 100% of daily progress relies on truck's dependability and functionality. Drivers pay for their own fuel and use their own personal vehicle (pay for their own repairs). Downtime not an option.

Does a Tacoma fit the bill?
Vote and post a supporting reason why you think that way

 

What does 'hauling equipment' mean? As an ex surveyor I can guess, but I don't know what it means to you.

Do you need to have a winch and recovery gear?

What does 'mobile office' mean? If you're speaking hard mounted laptop like LEOs often have, there's not much space left for a full passenger load

What does 'high speed driving on bad roads' mean? What kind of bad roads, what kind of speeds?

As far as downtime, like any vehicle, that is 95% how it's maintained and 5% luck of the draw.

While it gets ok MPG, it's not stellar, but no truck is.

Depending on your normal crew, it's possible a full size, like a Tundra or F150 would be a better choice.

 

You guessed it. Surveying.

Computer mount not needed.

Recovery gear helpful but not a must.

50 mph down bombed out lease roads

 

Tundra with E load tires.

 

2nd gen for reliability since they're proven.

Edit:
My bad...I just saw this was already in the 2nd gen section.

I'd say there would be no better choice.

 

It could certainly work, but a Tundra would probably be better.

 

I wouldn't use a Tacoma as a work truck. sure they can do it, but why would you want to beat up on a Tacoma. Best to buy a crappy old truck and use that.

 

I think it would work for a solo truck, but 3 people plus PPE and equipment, you're gonna be cramped for space.

My work vehicle is an Expedition. Not the greatest, but it's free. It's about to be replaced with a Suburban soon. I'm a civil engineer by training and do dam inspections, some easily accessible, some very remote. When you put 3-4 guys plus PPE and equipment, it fills a full size SUV up fast. If I was driving a truck vs SUV, it'd be a crew cab with camper shell and bed slide.

 

Would be fine I believe with a longbed can haul more gear an easier to park. I see Tacoma work trucks all the time lawn, construction, an oil rig type stuff.

 

The fact that you need to ask is already showing that you question the quality of the Tacoma to get the job done. Get a full-size and you know the answers to all your questions. Search some posts , that truck would be toast in a year.

 

Usic utility markers use tacomas, frontiers and old crappy rangers for those work trucks. Orkin pest control uses tacomas. Since there is no more ranger many fleet companies that need trucks are moving towards the tacomas. I've seen a few colorados as work trucks. Full size work trucks I see are stripped down plain Jane silverados and f150s. No power anything and the plastic/rubber floor. Usually driven by a v6

 

Tundra would be better for what your going to use it for.

 

If you don't need to carry over 500lbs of equipment at a time and no heavy towing it might do just fine. But you would need long beds.

To do actual truck work you need an actual truck (ie full size). A Tacoma cannot haul and tow heavy loads regularly without heavy modification. A huge expense and liability for a company.

I worked in construction for a short time and a Tacoma wouldn't be sufficient at all.

 

I don't know all the details on this, but an accountant once told me that part of reason you see very few Tundras as work trucks (vs. F150s) is because the Toyotas hold their value much better and from a business/tax standpoint there's an advantage in the faster depreciation of the Fords. And honestly, as much as I love my Taco if i had to spend all day in a truck I'd take my buddy's F150 crew cab in a heartbeat. Just a ton more room in there, and the interior quality is nicer than our 2nd gens.

 

Plus a nice big tailgate to sit on as you wait for the wrecker to pick it up when it breaks down

 

If it's just for you, I think the Tacoma would work well for your needs, however, once you start adding additional people I think the whole mobile office thing goes out the window. My dad just bought a 2017 F150 crew cab and my god is that interior HUGE. You can transport 5 adults no problem and leave a regular sized laptop on or even in the center console. Go full size - it will work so much better for you and you'll only be sacrificing a little bit of off-road capability and mpg. You're going to feel so crammed in a Tacoma if you're planning to work out of it with other people.

 

My Toyota has more problems than any Ford Ive owned. 3 each over 100k miles. I won't buy any other maker moving forward.

I think it also has to do with the substantial up front cost difference. No way as a company man would I buy Toyotas for my people. I could get an F150 in the low 20s at fleet cost, Tundras would cost 10k more.

 

For a mobile office go with a F250 king ranch

 

get a 3/4 ton

 

As an accountant I can tell you that you'd depreciate both trucks identically. The IRS doesnt take into account that Tundras have a slightly higher resale value than F150s. The real reason you don't see Tundras as fleet vehicles is because they are way more expensive up front, especially when you consider the Fleet pricing Ford offers and all of the available incentives and discounts you can get on the domestics. A Tundra would make more sense to a self-employed or small business owner. When you're talking about buying 20 or 100 or 1000 trucks, the money you save on buying the F150 more than pays for any lack in perceived reliability/repairs.