Tower Controller voiced concern regarding FBO fuel truck runway crossing requests complicated because of the limited communications in the trucks.

Narrative

We are a Contract Tower to the FAA. [We have a] single runway operation with the airline terminal on opposite side of field from FBO (contract fuel). Many times daily fuel trucks request permission to transit active taxiways and cross runway to service commercial flights as requested. Unfortunately; their company only provides them with hand-held radios in which they are expected to hear and respond to ATC instructions. The trucks can occasionally hear us; but they can not communicate with the Tower at all. I had an instance where I instructed the fuel truck to cross the runway and follow an airplane to the terminal; the driver did not respond nor move to follow. I had two other aircraft on final at the time; I issued a hold short to the truck several times and cleared aircraft to land (both exited mid-field). I contacted company (FBO) and they contacted the driver who repositioned on the taxiway to gain line of sight with the Tower. I then cleared him to cross the runway and proceed to the terminal. There is a certain expectation that we should 'work-around' this communications problem; yet it appears that the only reasonable solution would be to hard wire radios in the fuel trucks to assure consistent communications.