For fleet managers, standardization can simplify maintenance, technician training, parts inventories, purchasing, and equipment management. But when it comes to mobile air compressors, standardization does not necessarily mean installing the exact same compressor on every service truck.
A utility truck, mobile tire service truck, mechanics truck, and heavy equipment repair truck may all require compressed air, but they may use it very differently. Air demand, duty cycle, chassis configuration, available space, hydraulics, payload, and future equipment requirements can vary significantly across a fleet.
The better approach is application-based standardization: establish consistent specifications and equipment standards for trucks that perform similar work, while allowing different compressor configurations where the application requires them. VMAC Product Specialist JP Chartier summarizes the principle clearly:
For fleet managers, that creates an important distinction. Standardize where it creates operational value, but don't standardize at the expense of getting the right equipment for the job.
Managing a mixed fleet can become complicated quickly. Different vehicles may have different engines, transmissions, service bodies, cranes, air compressors, hydraulic systems, and other auxiliary equipment.
Every additional equipment configuration can potentially mean another set of parts, maintenance procedures, service intervals, troubleshooting processes, and training requirements. This challenge extends well beyond compressed air.
Gerry Mead, executive vice president, maintenance & equipment at Hub Group, told Fleet Maintenance:
The same principle can be applied to the equipment installed on service vehicles. If a fleet operates dozens or hundreds of similarly configured service trucks, establishing common air compressor specifications can help technicians become more familiar with the equipment they maintain. Fleets may also be able to simplify preventative maintenance procedures, parts stocking, operator training, and equipment replacement planning.
Government fleets have reported similar advantages. Dave Mallum, fleet manager for the City of Moline, Illinois, explained to Government Fleet:
The operational argument for standardization is strong. The challenge is determining what should actually be standardized.
A fleet standard should not begin with a compressor model. It should begin with the work technicians are expected to perform.
VMAC's approach to compressor specification has traditionally been application-first. As Chartier explains:
Future requirements should be considered as well. A truck that meets today's workload may remain in service for years, during which tools, technician responsibilities or auxiliary equipment can change. Looking at both current and anticipated requirements helps fleets establish standards that remain useful throughout the vehicle's service life.
Trucks performing similar work can often be grouped according to their pneumatic tools, required CFM and PSI, duty cycle, and whether multiple air tools need to operate at the same time. The vehicle itself also matters. Chassis, engine and transmission configuration, available payload and deck space, and the presence of hydraulic, welding or auxiliary electrical equipment can all influence which compressor configuration makes the most sense.
For a fleet, the same process can be applied on a larger scale. Rather than beginning with a single compressor model and trying to make it work across every vehicle, fleet managers should first look for common patterns in how their service trucks are used.
These vehicles may primarily use impact wrenches, ratchets, inflation equipment, and other tools with relatively modest air requirements.
These trucks may require continuous compressed air for maintenance and infrastructure work while also carrying substantial tools, equipment, and materials.
If the truck already has a hydraulic system for a crane, a hydraulic driven air compressor may integrate efficiently into the existing truck configuration.
These vehicles may operate larger pneumatic tools or multiple tools and require higher sustained airflow.
Mobile tire, railway, construction, mining, and other applications may have requirements that justify a different compressor configuration. This approach allows fleets to standardize equipment within each operating class, rather than assuming every vehicle needs identical equipment. It also creates a repeatable specification process as trucks are replaced.
A fleet may be tempted to specify a higher-CFM compressor across every truck simply to cover every possible scenario. But excess capacity can add unnecessary cost, size, or weight when a truck's normal workload does not require it.
The opposite approach creates its own problems. Undersizing an air compressor can leave technicians waiting for air or unable to operate tools effectively.
VMAC's truck-first specification guidance identifies typical requirements ranging from approximately 25 to 30 CFM for lighter maintenance work, 30 to 60 CFM for medium-duty applications, and more than 70 CFM for heavy or simultaneous tool use.
Fleet managers should therefore document both air consumption and duty cycle when creating compressor standards.
That information can become part of the fleet's formal vehicle specification instead of being reconsidered from scratch every time a new service truck is ordered.
For every new service vehicle, the fleet could document:
Lifecycle considerations: expected years in service, maintenance requirements, replacement strategy, and anticipated future equipment.
That gives purchasing, fleet management, technicians, dealers, and upfitters a common framework. It can also reduce the risk of an outdated specification simply being copied from one vehicle procurement to the next.
As VMAC National Sales Representative Dean Gary has previously cautioned:
“A common mistake fleets make when spec’ing a compressor is basing the decision strictly on the upfront cost of the unit without looking at the life-cycle cost or application.”
Standardization also becomes easier to justify when fleets have confidence in equipment that has already demonstrated reliability across multiple vehicles and applications. K.E. Rose Company, an Ohio upfitter that works extensively with municipal fleets, has installed UNDERHOOD® air compressor systems on service trucks for many customers. “I think our customers buy them because they’ve been highly reliable for them,” said Dustin Larck of K.E. Rose.
K.E. Rose Company employees (left to right): Titan Larck (Installer), Dustin Larck (Special Project Manager), and Jeremy Wagner (Installer).
A standardized compressed air strategy does not require every service truck to have an identical equipment layout. Different chassis, tools and job requirements can still dictate different installations.
That flexibility is particularly important to upfitters, according to Larck:
“There again, it’s because of the footprint. You can put something on a vehicle where you may not be able to put an underdeck system because of the tools they’re using or how they want the truck set up.”
A good fleet standardization strategy starts by identifying the work each class of truck must perform and then establishing equipment specifications around those requirements. This is particularly important for multipurpose municipal and service trucks. For rural municipalities like Castor, where equipment must be versatile, dependable, and cost-effective, hydraulic air compressors can help crews do more with less while keeping essential community services running smoothly.
For the Town of Castor's municipal fleet, “That means every piece of equipment installed on the truck must earn its place.”
For fleet managers, that principle can provide a useful starting point for standardization. The goal is not necessarily to make every truck identical. It is to reduce unnecessary equipment variation while ensuring each truck has the air capacity, tools and capabilities required for its work.
A fleet operating several unrelated compressor types may need to stock different filters, oils, service kits, and replacement components. Technicians may also need to learn different diagnostic and maintenance procedures.
Reducing unnecessary variation can make maintenance easier. That principle is well established in fleet management. Government Fleet reported that the City of Charlotte used standardization to focus technician training rather than training technicians across numerous heavy-truck manufacturers.
Fleet standardization can also improve familiarity. When technicians repeatedly service the same equipment, diagnostic knowledge and experience accumulate over time.
However, maintenance commonality should be considered alongside application requirements. It also makes future requirements an important part of fleet standardization. Chartier explains:
Fleet managers increasingly have access to maintenance records, telematics, equipment diagnostics, fuel data, repair histories, and other information that can show how vehicles and onboard equipment perform. The result is a standard that evolves based on actual field experiences.
More than 76% of survey respondents operate service trucks or vans, and 45.8% reported having an air compressor installed on every service truck in their fleet, according to VMAC's 2026 State of the Mobile Compressed Air Industry research. Also, 35.2% identified the air compressor as the single most important piece of equipment on their service vehicle.
Additionally, 73% of air compressor users also reported preferring rotary screw technology over reciprocating compressors. For fleets that depend on compressed air every day, compressor specification is therefore more than important than any other accessory decision. It can directly affect how technicians work and how effectively the truck performs its job. Read the full article for free: 2026 State of the Mobile Compressed Air Report
A fleet with several different service applications may realistically need several different compressor configurations. For the Town of Castor, one piece of equipment helping support this idea is a municipal service truck equipped with a VMAC hydraulic-driven rotary screw air compressor. The advantage of a hydraulic air compressor is its ability to power a wide variety of pneumatic tools from a single municipal service truck. For communities like Castor, where crews are responsible for everything from transfer station maintenance and road repairs to facility upkeep and emergency response:
“Instead of investing in separate equipment for every task, municipalities can maximize the value of a single vehicle while improving overall fleet productivity.”
VMAC offers multiple mobile air compressor categories because trucks and applications differ, including UNDERHOOD® air compressor systems, direct transmission mounted PTO driven systems, hydraulic driven air compressors, gas and diesel driven air compressors, and multifunction power systems (including optional hydraulics).
The better fleet strategy is to identify where commonality makes sense and establish a limited number of well-defined compressor specifications around those applications. Start with the work, then understand the truck. Calculate actual air requirements and always consider the maintenance and lifecycle costs. Plan for future requirements and then determine where standardization can reduce complexity without compromising performance.
As Chartier puts it:
For fleet managers, the same principle applies across the entire fleet: the best standard is not necessarily one compressor on every truck. It is a consistent process that puts the right compressed air system on every truck.