A plumbing van is a vehicle designed specifically to carry tools and equipment used by plumbers, as well as be customized with racks, ramps, partitions, storage compartments, and cooling units to maximize workflow efficiency, safety, and security. Upfitting usually includes installing racks, ramps, amps, partitions, storage compartments, and cooling units.
An organized truck lends a professional air to any business and saves both time and money in the long run. Therefore, every plumbing company should establish clear policies regarding van maintenance.
Cargo Space
Your work van is more than a vehicle; it serves as a mobile office, workshop, and equipment storage area. An efficiently organized plumbing van allows for more efficient operations, productivity, and safety on every job site – but being stuck searching for tools or spares could prove unprofessional and have severe repercussions if there is an emergency service call when every minute spent searching can mean more water damage caused by delays in arriving to service calls.
Your fleet of plumbing work vehicles should be fitted out with all of the appropriate accessories to make them an integral part of your business. Custom-fitting solutions, such as shelving, cabinets, bins, and locking drawer units, will keep tools organized and easy to find. Utilizing the roof and walls of a van can also maximize storage space – for instance, magnetic stripping allows you to hang frequently used items like hammers and pliers from interior door panels; ceiling racks suspend lightweight materials like extension cords so they are within easy reach.
An upfitter with experience in plumbing van upfitting can create a customized plumbing van solution to meet the unique requirements of your business. They can incorporate partitions, storage compartments, cooling units, and power inverter systems – creating an ergonomic workstation explicitly tailored for you and your job requirements.
Storage
Storage options designed specifically for plumbing vans will help keep your tools organized and easy to locate for every job. Outfitting your work truck with shelving bins, partitions, and other solutions creates a custom mobile workstation that improves productivity and safety for employees at every location.
As an example, you could store small parts such as screws and nuts in containers on a pegboard; use hooks to hang power tools and medium-sized items; or install a roof rack to store ladders or long PVC or copper pipes that won’t fit inside the cargo area of your vehicle.
An organized work truck can save both time and money. Finding tools quickly when they’re needed makes life much simpler for everyone involved; plus, it sends the message that your team takes its professional appearance seriously.
Your plumbing work and truck storage strategy should reflect your unique business, but there are some universal van-racking principles every plumber should abide by. These include using vertical space efficiently in order to reduce clutter, placing commonly used tools at easy access points, and keeping heavier objects close enough to the ground so you can safely lift them.
Safety
A plumber’s van needs to be equipped with all of the tools and supplies required for repairs, such as essential plumbing tools like pipe wrenches, pliers, and pipe cutters. Some plumbers also carry more specialized equipment like hydrojetters or drain snakes. Furthermore, basic first aid materials like bandages and gauze should also be stocked within. Lastly, various copper and PVC pipes, fittings, and tubes, as well as straight and angle stops, should also be present within.
An efficiently organized plumbing van can assist plumbers in completing more jobs faster, saving fuel costs and cutting back on field service operations. Conversely, poorly organized or disorganized vans may slow field service operations down, creating frustration among customers and harming a business’s reputation.
Upfitting a work vehicle with storage compartments, shelving, and racks increases productivity by making it easier for employees to locate tools quickly when needed. Furthermore, doing so can reduce workplace injuries. For instance, fitting vans with anti-slip flooring prevents workers from slipping while carrying equipment.
Labeling tools and equipment is an easy way for plumbers to keep track of everything they have available for each task, which reduces risk by making it easy for them to identify each item they own and where it should be kept. Doing this reduces accidental usage of dangerous or defective tools while simultaneously making sure the right ones are used on every task. Keeping more extensive tools stored nearer the floor or lower parts of a van makes them safer to access quickly.
Organization
As a business owner, you must ensure your plumbers have all of the tools necessary for successful performance in their jobs. That means ensuring their van is well organized and prepared when they need it; that is why fitting it with tradesman-tested organization tools such as shelving units from Ranger Design could save them both time and money while making workers more efficient on job sites.
Your plumbers’ van could benefit from adding storage containers for small parts and screws to make finding what they need easier when working on jobs. Hooks may also help save space while creating more ergonomic arrangements in the vehicle.
Label all of your plumber’s tools and supplies in their van for optimal efficiency on each job. This will allow them to keep track of everything, as well as prevent them from using inappropriate tools for different jobs. By having easy access to the tools they need, your plumber can work more quickly and effectively on each project.
