Why a Standard Truck Wasn’t an Option
Dignified Cemetery Services is a professional cemetery services company based in Concord, NH, serving families and cemeteries across New England since 1979. Their scope includes grave openings and closings, vault sales and installation, excavation, and monument installation and cleaning. It’s demanding, year-round work that depends on reliable, heavy-duty equipment. These trucks, known as vault trucks, are central to how the work gets done.
Despite how essential they are, vault trucks aren’t something you can source from a local truck dealership. They’re built on cab-chassis trucks, meaning the vehicle is delivered without a bed. What arrives is just the cab and exposed frame, ready to be outfitted for a specific application. This is the standard starting point for custom commercial builds and something our team at Macy Industries works with regularly.
The stakes are high when it comes to quality. These trucks are used every day, in all four New England seasons—including snow, mud, and everything in between. Their equipment must hold up over time without constant issues or downtime.
Designing the Build
Macy’s role started well before our team started cutting metal. During the project kickoff, our office personnel and lead fabricators met with the client to measure the new trucks and talk through their needs.
The team used Dignified’s older-generation unit as a starting point. They compared it to the new trucks, took field measurements, and worked from that existing foundation. A key part of the process was identifying upgrades based on how Dignified was using the existing trucks day to day.
One area of focus was the overhead I-beam and gantry structure, which supports a chain hoist that lifts and positions heavy vault and monument materials in the field. Our team adjusted the design to fit the exact dimensions of the new truck frames while improving overall usability.
Because multiple trucks were being built, with more planned, we also developed CAD documentation to support future projects.
This is the kind of work that happens before anything hits the shop floor. By the time fabrication began, the layout, fit, and function had already been worked out.
From Frame to Finished Truck Body
Fabrication began with the flat deck. The team built the base structure from carbon steel, then topped it with pressure-treated wood decking to complete the bed surface. From there, they moved on to the uprights and the overhead I-beam gantry structure. The entire truck body and gantry were fabricated in-house from start to finish.
Because the new body had to work with the truck itself, Macy’s fabricators also modified several existing components, including the fuel filler neck, lighting, and backup camera. These updates ensured everything functioned properly once the truck was back in service.
With fabrication complete, the trucks were finished with epoxy paint. At this size, epoxy is a standard choice for truck bodies and heavy equipment, offering the durability needed for year-round outdoor use.
Both units were completed on new Ford F-450 cab-chassis trucks, built to the same specifications and ready for daily use.
What the Final Build Delivered
At the end of fabrication, Dignified had two purpose-built vault trucks, fully operational and ready for the demands of professional cemetery work. When the client came to the shop to pick them up, they were pleased with both the craftsmanship and the consistent quality Macy delivers. Plans to build additional units are already underway for later this year.
While vault trucks aren’t an everyday project, custom truck outfitting is a significant part of what Macy does. Whether it’s cemetery services, landscaping, construction, or utilities, if a standard truck won’t get the job done, Macy can design and build one that will.
If your operation requires equipment that doesn’t exist off the shelf, that’s exactly the kind of problem our team at Macy Industries is built to solve. From the first design conversation through final fabrication, we handle the entire process in-house. Contact Macy Industries to start a conversation about your next custom build.