
I've noticed that, like each survey plat we produce, each surveyor has a unique way of setting up his or her own survey truck. So, for the last couple of years, it's been a vision of mine to create a platform where we surveyors can show off our survey vehicles--all in the interest of having some competitive fun of course. And POB is making it happen.
In the coming months, POB will be compiling "My Survey Truck," an online feature showcasing your survey vehicles. "My Survey Truck" will highlight not only how you set up your survey truck, but why and how. Why did you choose to build a wooden box instead of buying a premade one, and with what parameters did you design it? What makes your truck special over all the others? Why do you organize it the way you do? What special features does your truck have that your colleagues may not?
Your participation, of course, is essential. And it's easy. Simply submit your answers to the following questions along with a maximum of six photos (.jpg or .tif attachments) that show off your truck (be sure to include yourself in one of them). Then send your submission to lyonsw@bnpmedia.comby Friday, Feb. 27.
Name, Credentials:
Title:
Employer:
Survey Duties:
Vehicle(s):
Survey Equipment:Special Features and Comments:
What I like most about my truck:
What I like least about my survey truck:

My Survey Truck
Name: Joseph D. Fenicle, PS
Title: Chief Surveyor
Employer: Office of the Fulton County Engineer, Wauseon, Ohio
Survey Duties: Boundary, Topographic, Construction, GPS, Corner Recovery and Remonumentation
Vehicle(s): 1998 Chevy 1500 4x4 w/2006 John Deere Gator HPX 4x4
Survey Equipment: Trimble 4700 & 4800 RTK GPS, Sokkia Set 4BII, tripods, rods, etc.

Special Features and Comments: My survey truck, Unit 5, has been pieced together by multiple surveyors over a span of 10 years. The box is custom-made to fit the equipment and surveying supplies necessary to complete the required field work. The extended cab provides an excellent place to store most of the GPS components and keep them secure. The GPS receiver sits on brackets on top of the box; it is very convenient and makes for quick initialization. There is a small set of drawers that is bolted on top of the box that holds all of the survey nails, shiners, ribbons, caps, etc. I have also bolted down an old milk crate to hold railroad spikes, bolts, hubs, etc. The total station and level sit in a depressed portion of the box and are surrounded with padding. Pelican cases hold the prisms and tribrachs in the cab of the truck. The Gator is mainly used for right-of-way staking and large ditch surveys. The truck also has an AMS distance measuring system installed, which is one of my favorite options while doing construction staking and searching for section corners.


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The purpose of "My Survey Truck" will be to share our ideas and help others make their survey truck better and more efficient. So, what does your survey truck look like? I look forward to seeing your entries.
Joseph D. Fenicle, PS