You never know what you might need to complete a general contracting job, and the best thing you can do is be as prepared as possible to help save yourself time and headaches. Luckily, we've compiled some essential tips for stocking your contractor truck you can find below.
Stay Organized
Due to normal day-to-day activities, it's bound to get messy inside your truck. One of the most helpful things you can do after a hectic workday is take some time to assess and reorganize all your tools and equipment. Make sure you've got everything in an easily accessible spot so you can quickly grab whatever you need.
Dealing With Clutter
Dirt and debris tend to be the biggest culprits when it comes to all the clutter that accumulates in the back of your truck. Keeping a few simple items on hand, such as compact garbage cans, trash bags, a dustpan, broom, and cleaning wipes can help you maximize the space in your truck or van. Wiping down surfaces, sweeping floors, and collecting garbage at the end of the day goes a long way towards helping you stay organized.
Don’t Overlook Your Doors
Many contractors overlook the surface inside their doors to increase cargo space. Install magnetic strips along the interior of the doors to hang metal hand tools such as hammers, pliers, and seamers. You can also drape cloth and install plastic organizers along your truck's doors. These low-cost alternatives can act as pockets to collect compact and lightweight items you extensively use on each job.
Go Vertical
You should take advantage of vertical space along the walls of your truck or van whenever possible. Use storage bins to keep all your screws and nails in one place while making them easy to stack on top of each other. Sort everything by keeping your smaller tools and supplies at the top, then work your way down.
Consider putting up a board and hooks to store medium-sized equipment like hand and power tools. You can also install hanging poles that rest across your truck bed or the length of your van. These are perfect for hanging lightweight items.
Load Large Items on the Floor
Keep heavy, oversized objects on the floor. This makes lifting easier and reduces stress on your back. Doing so also helps you take full advantage of your space. Some examples of things you should keep down low include generators, HVAC equipment, and drain cleaning devices.
Install Transferable Service Bodies in Trucks
Slip-in service capsules, also known as transferable service bodies, are mobile workstations you can place in the back of your pickup truck. Transferable service bodies work by providing additional storage and making the vertical grouping of all your essential supplies a breeze. You can also install these devices in your van to take advantage of your cabin space.
Keep a Running Tab on Your Inventory
You must ensure that you are hitting the happy medium of having all the equipment and resources you need for a project while avoiding overstock. Although having an excess amount of equipment ensures that you are always prepared for any unforeseen event, investing in far too many supplies can rapidly drain your finances. By keeping careful checks on your inventory, you can ensure that you're on top of refilling basics without overordering.
Consider an Inventory Management System
This step heavily depends on your budget and the scope of your business. If you're a one-person show, you might find it simple to keep track of what you have and need by hand. However, having an app or system to manage everything is crucial if you're managing a considerable number of employees or dealing with a significant volume of jobs and supplies.
Most inventory apps use a just-in-time approach, which relies on having the smallest amount of inventory on hand to perform a scheduled job. Using these apps ensures you're only racking up enough expenses to complete a project without being left with extra supplies you don't need. Furthermore, these apps can predict what items you need to restock before running out, so you always have what you need.
Provide Yourself Ample Lighting
After you've guaranteed that everything inside your vehicle is well-stocked and organized, you should add lights to ensure that you can see everything. Mount tap-activated lights along interior surfaces so you can get better visibility during inclement weather or after-hours service calls.
Attach lanterns or a work light in the back walls of your vehicle to make it easier to spot tools you may not use very often. Using a battery-powered work light or lamp with a clip can make maneuvering from your truck to the job site and vice versa a breeze.
Don't Forget Your Foam Products
Foam materials are especially useful for heavy-duty applications. These heavy-duty applications include working on driveways, sidewalks, parking decks, and insulation. Be sure to keep these products in stock alongside your hand and power tools to take on whatever job might get thrown your way.
Closed Cell Foam Backer Rod
Backer rods are typically circular, pliable pieces of foam that you use as backing in joints or cracks. The rods help you effectively manage the volume of sealant or caulking you use and create a backstop.
You can distinguish closed cell foam backer rods because their cells are entirely enclosed by walls and do not link with other cells. This type of design ensures that the material doesn't wick moisture, making it perfect for joints featuring a high water concentration or those in damp environments.
Expansion Joint Filler
Expansion joints are gaps or connections between slabs or construction materials such as concrete to allow for material expansion and contraction due to temperature variations. These empty spaces are functional, but they create several aesthetic and practical challenges. You can install foam expansion joint fillers inside these gaps to prevent cracks in concrete slabs, driveways, and walkways.
The material is flexible, lightweight, and long-lasting, so you can rest assured that it will be effective for an extended period. It's also relatively simple to install when you need it.
We hope you found our essential tips for stocking your contractor truck beneficial for getting ahead of any potential inventory management or organizational issues. Honor Trading Company is proud to offer many essential foam construction materials to use on a wide variety of contracting service calls. Feel free to contact us with any questions about our comprehensive selection of products.