Reading Truck Body has been providing the upfit set-up for about a third of the Scotts LawnService fleet of Ford F-150 to F-450 trucks at its Louisville, Ky., site, Reading announced.

Reading provides the majority of its upfitting in Louisville across the street from a Ford plant, so it can provide easy access to Ford's ship-thru transportation network. 

Reading is providing the upfit on Scotts' Ford vehicles, which makes up about 800 of the fleet's 2,500 trucks and range from F-150 to F-450 models.

"Reading takes care of everything, from spray units with 250 gallon tanks, to power inverters and onboard technology system mounts, to fire etinguishers and spill kits to full decalling for brand recognition in the field. Our technicians depend on all of this to get the job done," said David Buhn, Scotts fleet operations manager.

Reading manufactures its own products, engineers the design and installation of ancillary equipment, and applies the finishing touches.

"When Reading is installing equipment and bodies, they know what they are doing because they built the product," Buhn observed.

Scotts LawnService, a corporate subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro, utilizes a single truck to offer both tree and lawn service. Residential lawn services include fertilization, crabgrass preventing, and weed/pest control, and certified technicans use the company's own products to maintain customers' lawns.