How to manage van inventory (truck stock)

Why truck stock is worth the trouble

Every time a tech leaves a job to go get a part, you pay for the drive, the wait at the counter and often a second visit. Every part that rides around in a van for a year is cash sitting on a shelf. Good truck stock management is about both: the right parts on board, and not too many of them.

It also shows up directly in your first-time fix rate. A skilled tech without the part still has to come back.

Build a standard stock list

Start from what you actually use, not from what a catalog suggests.

1. Pull six to twelve months of invoices or job records and list every part used.
2. Sort by how often each part was used, not by cost.
3. Anything used on many jobs goes on every truck.
4. Anything used a few times a year goes on one or two trucks, or stays in the shop.
5. Add the parts that are cheap but job-stopping if missing: the fitting, fuse or capacitor that ends the visit when you do not have it.

Give every service truck the same core list, in the same bins, in the same place. A tech who borrows another van should be able to find a part without looking. Specialty trucks (drain, install, commercial) get the core list plus their own add-ons.

Set a minimum and maximum for each item

For each part, decide the lowest number you are willing to carry (the minimum) and the most you want on board (the maximum). When stock falls to the minimum, restock back up to the maximum.

These are examples. Your levels come from your own usage and how far the van is from the supply house.

Pick a restock routine and stick to it

The method matters less than doing it the same way every time. Common options:

• Restock from the job. Each part used on a job is logged against that job, and the restock list is built from those records. This is the most accurate and also gives you job costing for free.
• Weekly count. Each tech counts the van at a set time, say Friday afternoon, and fills a restock list against the max levels.
• Shop shelf restock. The shop keeps a stocked shelf, and techs pull from it at the end of the day against a sign-out sheet.

Many shops combine the first and second: log parts per job, then do a full count once a month to catch what slipped.

Charge every part to a job

A part that leaves the van without a job attached is a cost nobody sees. That makes jobs look more profitable than they are and makes the van impossible to reconcile. Make "what did you use?" part of closing every job, ideally by picking from a list that matches your price book so the part, the price and the cost are all in one place. This is the link to job costing.

Watch the expensive items more closely

Not every part needs the same attention. A simple split:

• High value (equipment, valves, controls, meters): count them often, keep few on board, assign to a specific tech.
• Medium (common repair parts): min/max and the regular count.
• Low value consumables (tape, solder, wire nuts, screws): restock by eye, do not waste time counting each one.

For special-order parts, raise a purchase order tied to the job, so the part is matched to the customer when it arrives.

Common van inventory mistakes

• Every truck stocked differently. Nobody can cover for anybody.
• Stocking for the rare job. Overstock ties up cash and space.
• No minimums on cheap job-stoppers. A $3 part sends the tech back across town.
• Counting only at year-end. By then nobody remembers where the shrink went.
• Never updating the list. Review it every quarter. Usage changes with seasons and with the work you sell.

How SWITCHBOARD helps with parts

In SWITCHBOARD, techs add the parts they used to the job from your Price Book, so the job shows its cost and margin. You can look up parts across your price book, suppliers or a store, and a browser button adds a part or a supplier cart. Supplier price changes are drafted into your prices for your OK, so your costs stay current.