How Custom Vehicles are Transforming the Utilities Sector

For councils, contractors, and service providers, the demands of the utilities sector are constantly evolving. From waste and recycling collection in rural areas to essential road repairs and maintenance, each task comes with its own unique challenges - which is why generic vans and trucks rarely meet these requirements. Instead, businesses are increasingly turning to bespoke vehicle conversions that are designed for safety, efficiency, and durability in real-world operations.

At AKFS Special Vehicles, we’ve spent decades engineering utility vehicles that are Built Without Compromise. By combining craftsmanship, innovation, and close collaboration with customers, we deliver utility vehicle conversions that help teams work smarter, safer, and more productively. 

The Rise of Bespoke Vehicle Conversions in Utilities

Utilities work spans a wide range of activities: waste and recycling collection, road maintenance, traffic management, and transporting heavy tools or garden equipment. This is why many organisations have found that a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work for them. Vehicles need to be adaptable to the task at hand, while also maximising payload, keeping operators safe, and reducing downtime.

This is where our bespoke vehicle conversions excel. By tailoring design and build to the specific challenges faced by utilities teams, AKFS ensures every vehicle becomes a practical asset, not just a mode of transport. Whether it’s optimising storage for tools, enabling on-site asphalt mixing, or providing modular pods for recycling, our focus is on creating vehicles that directly improve day-to-day operations.

Store & Go®: Secure Storage, Maximum Efficiency

Tool security and organisation are vital for many utilities crews, particularly those working across multiple sites in a single day. The Store & Go® was developed specifically to provide safe, secure storage alongside an impressive payload capacity of up to 1100kg.

With full-height lockers and additional storage under the vehicle bed, the Store & Go® keeps valuable tools and equipment organised and protected. Its flexible design allows for optional extras such as fall arrest bars, work lights, or even a hand wash station, ensuring the vehicle can be customised to meet the exact needs of each operator.

For councils and contractors who rely on efficiency and security, the Store & Go® demonstrates how utility vehicle conversions can transform the way crews work.

Transit Utility Vehicle

While the Store & Go® focuses on tool storage, the Transit Utility Vehicle takes versatility to the next level. With a payload of up to 1135kg*, full-height lockers, LED scene lights, and Chapter 8-compliant graphics, this vehicle is designed to be a true all-rounder.

Optional extras, such as auxiliary power systems, shelving, and sliding storage, give operators the freedom to tailor the vehicle to their working practices. This adaptability makes the Transit Utility Vehicle a strong example of how AKFS special vehicles support councils and contractors in delivering reliable, day-to-day services.

By combining payload efficiency with clever storage solutions, it provides the kind of operational flexibility that is essential in the modern utilities sector.

*Payload includes 100% fuel and a 75kg driver.

Recycle & Go Innovative Recycling Vehicle

Waste and recycling are among the most resource-intensive areas of utilities work, especially in rural communities where narrow roads and long distances present unique challenges. The Recycle & Go Innovative Recycling Vehicle was developed to tackle exactly these issues.

Built on a 3500kg GVW chassis, it uses eight lightweight, removable recycling pods that can be easily swapped with a forklift. This modular design enables quick turnaround times at depots, helping councils and contractors maximise route efficiency.

Compact, manoeuvrable, and efficient, the Recycle & Go represents a significant shift in how utilities vehicles can be designed. Instead of relying on large refuse trucks that are unsuitable for tight spaces, councils can deploy a lighter, more flexible vehicle that reduces costs and improves service delivery.

Tip & Go® Tipping Dropside

Many utilities jobs require the transportation of bulk materials, from aggregate to equipment. The Tip & Go® Tipping Dropside is designed to provide the durability and flexibility needed for such demanding work.

With its aluminium construction, it offers optimum payload while remaining lightweight and easy to load. Standard features include a 3500kg GVW, reversing camera, LED light bar, and Chapter 8 safety markings, ensuring both functionality and compliance.

Optional extras, such as mesh sides, tool lockers, or a 500kg tail lift, make the Tip & Go® adaptable to different tasks. It’s a clear example of how bespoke vehicle conversions allow operators to match vehicle capabilities precisely to operational needs.

Roadmender Vehicle

One of the most innovative solutions in the AKFS range is the Roadmender Vehicle. Traditional road repair often requires multiple trips to asphalt plants, wasting valuable time and resources. The Roadmender solves this problem by enabling on-site, on-demand mixing of hot asphalt.

Safe to use in all weather conditions, it produces premium hot-mix asphalt directly where it’s needed, making it ideal for pothole patching and utility reinstatements. By removing the need for constant trips to a plant, it increases efficiency, reduces environmental impact, and helps keep roads open and safe.

For councils under pressure to deliver more with limited budgets, the Roadmender represents how AKFS special vehicles combine innovation with practical problem-solving.

Dropside Vehicle

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most valuable. The Dropside Vehicle remains one of the most versatile options in the utilities sector, trusted for its stability, durability, and ease of loading.

Its aluminium construction ensures optimum payload, while optional features such as working-at-height barriers, digital tachographs, and a 500kg tail lift allow for complete flexibility. Available across a wide range of chassis brands, the Dropside is proof that utility vehicles can be both straightforward and highly effective when designed with care.

Built Without Compromise: Why It Matters in Utilities

The utilities sector is demanding. Vehicles are expected to perform every day in challenging environments, often under time pressure and with no margin for error. That is why every AKFS vehicle is Built Without Compromise.

From the Store & Go® to the Roadmender, our builds combine high-quality materials, robust engineering, and practical design to ensure that our utility vehicle conversions are not only reliable but also tailored to the exact challenges operators face.

Driving Progress in the Utilities Sector

As the sector continues to change, the vehicles that support it must also adapt. From secure storage and recycling innovation to on-site asphalt mixing and flexible tipping solutions, AKFS is proud to deliver bespoke vehicle conversions that are transforming the way utilities work.

For councils, contractors, and service providers, these vehicles are critical tools that enable teams to work safely, efficiently, and sustainably.

With over three decades of expertise, AKFS special vehicles continue to set the standard for durability, innovation, and customer-focused design. And with every build, from concept to delivery, we remain committed to creating utility vehicles that are tailored, practical, and Built Without Compromise. Contact us today to find out more about adding a new utility vehicle to your organisation’s fleet.

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