Electrician Van Setup For Optimal Tech Efficiency

Electrician van setup basics

When it comes to electrician truck setup, accessibility and safety are key. The more time your electricians take to get their hands on the right tools or materials, the longer it takes to finish the job. Not only that, but a mess in the back of the truck bed may cause customers to question the quality of your work.

"I think what really changed our technicians' mindset is the idea that their truck is a marketing tool," says Dominic Durbin of Tiger Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical Services. "When they're working on a job, and a lot of people are walking their dog or walking by and see a truck full of trash, that's not a good image for the company."

Best practices for electrician van organization include:

• Set a schedule for electrician work van interior and exterior cleaning, organizing, and general vehicle maintenance.

• Maintain an inventory list on each work van.

• Conduct weekly service truck inspections.

• Perform thorough inventories quarterly.

Every electrical service business operates differently, so customize your van upkeep policies to meet your company's needs and goals.

Electrical van upfit solutions

Electrical van organization depends on your needs and specialized equipment. Whether you purchase a shelving system or prefer a DIY approach, choose the electrician service van setup that works best for your team. 

Consider HVAC tech or plumber organizational tips to devise your own electrician van racking ideas or storage solutions. Possible upfits include:

• Create a numbered van rack and storage-bin system.

• Use color-coded shelving with dividers.

• Design pegboards for quick tool access.

• Think outside the box (truck) and use cargo nets attached on top, hooks, magnetic strips, or customized tool holders to increase vertical storage.

• Install a roof ladder rack for transporting ladders and electrical conduit.

• Use a ceiling storage system for ladders, or install brackets or cords for other long items.

• Incorporate the bulkhead or interior of van doors for additional tool storage.

• Keep small parts for specific jobs in individual tool boxes or wire spools for easy access.

• Install LED light strips for increased visibility.

• Leave enough floor space for spools or other heavy pieces of equipment.

• Keep cleaning supplies, such as sanitizer and dusters, on the truck for quick clean-ups.

• Designate a spot for a trash can to minimize mess.

Pro advice: Electrician van organization

If you manage a fleet, that's a lot of techs, and trucks. Your team needs to be accountable for your company's van organization and inventory procedures. Here are tips from home service professionals on how they encourage their team to keep their vans in tip-top shape.

Organize for safety

Not even the newest truck or tools make a difference if techs lack organization. Take the time to keep your work vans clean and organized, so you don’t end up like this:

“Before I was the manager, we had one guy who just threw everything onto the floor of his cargo space. One time, he tripped over stuff while trying to find a part in his truck and fell out of the back. He ended up in the ICU for a concussion.

“As a manager, I perform weekly inspections both inside and outside each truck (before it gets) on the road. If it’s dirty or messy, the tech has to wash and organize it before it can leave the parking lot.”

— Kevin Pearl, Dauenhauer Plumbing, Heating & Air

Keep techs accountable 

“We hold our technicians 100% accountable for the organization and maintenance of the vehicle. They are graded on every single thing, from the first aid kit being complete to the fire extinguisher’s location—we even grade down to the tire tread. 

“Every 90 days, the employee with the lowest truck grade is now in charge of truck inspections for the next 90 days. We repeat this until everyone in the company understands the importance and relevance of an organized truck.”

— Georg Efird, Blue Planet Plumbing

Reward proper setup

"The most impactful thing we’ve implemented so far is a rewards program. Techs earn points for truck cleanliness. (Is it properly stocked? Is it clean?) They can exchange their points for gift cards, cash, a day off work, or even a vacation. 

“Our techs can accumulate these points month-over-month and can get even more points for stuff such as: being on time, improved efficiency, higher sales, positive reviews, and more. This rewards program even incentivizes techs who do installs…and those types of trucks get very dirty!

"We also use Fleetio to maintain our trucks’ oil changes, tire rotations, maintenance, tags/renewals, and inspections. You even get alerts when it’s done!"

— Mike Hudson and Fredy Trinidad, Nice Home Services

Top electrician van inventory

From standard safety equipment to specialized power tools, we’ve compiled an essential electrician tool setup for inside the service truck:

Safety:

• Insulated gloves

• Safety glasses

• Headlamp

• First aid kit

• Knee pads

• Voltage tester

Basics:

• Pen, pencil, Sharpie

• Tape measure

• Level

• Electrical tape

• Cable ties

• Conduit

• Shop vac, broom, dustpan

Power tools:

• Power drills

• Impact drivers

• Power saws

• Angle grinder

Hand tools:

• Pliers

• Wire strippers

• Screwdrivers

• Wrenches

• Hammers

• Cable cutters

• Staple gun

• Cutters and saws

• Wire-pulling rods

Top-rated electrician work vans

Good electrician work van setup requires the right vehicle and organization. If you don’t have enough space for needed equipment, you might need a better-equipped cargo van. Consider whether your company needs a van with a high roof for more storage space, or more payload capacity. The following cargo vans may work for your team, depending on your needs:

Maximum Storage Capacity: Ford® Transit-250 Cargo Van

“We're exclusively moving toward the Ford Transit-250s, because we can store water heaters and furnaces with the taller roofs…[and it’s] the most economical way we can grow our fleet.”

— Dominic Durbin, Tiger Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, & Electrical Services

Durbin has gone through many kinds of trucks over the years, but he ultimately found the Ford Transit-250 Medium Roof w/ 148" wheel base to have the best and most practical storage capacity for his 45-truck crew—especially for jobs that require bulky equipment.

This cargo van model won the 2019 Edmunds Best Retained Value Awards, which means it achieved the highest projected residual value five years after its introduction. 

Cost-Effective & Practical: Nissan NV® CARGO

“They are the most cost-effective van on the market today…they’re 25% less than name-brand competitors and they come with a five-year, bumper-to-bumper, 100,000-mile warranty. They help us maintain our investments and have a better bottom line by not paying for fancy vehicles like Ford, Chevy, or Mercedes.”

— Georg Efird, Blue Planet Plumbing

One of the unexpected benefits of this vehicle is its multitasking lockable center console for your mobile office. Its fold-down passenger seat creates a convenient work desk.

Efird says one downside to the Nissan NV® is that you can only fit a 9-foot-by-6-inch piece of pipe in it when the van contains a pipe cage inside to protect the driver, and most of their team's pipes come in 10-foot lengths. 

Fuel-Efficient City Slicker: Nissan NV200® COMPACT CARGO

“Nissan NV200s are very efficient on gas and ideal for the city because they’re smaller.”

— Mike Hudson and Fredy Trinidad, Nice Home Services

This van is perfect for shops that service customers in busy cities. It comes with rear suspension specially designed to minimize any intrusion into the cargo space. It also includes wide-swinging rear doors and dual-sliding side doors, which makes it easy to access every inch of the cargo area. It does fall short in regions where snow is an issue, since it lacks the power and size of other cargo vans.

Other options:

Ford Transit Connect® Cargo Van: The Ford Transit Connect® features two wheelbases and lengths, and several features to optimize your day-to-day work.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter® Cargo Van: The Mercedes Sprinter® features standard and high-roof heights, three wheelbases, three lengths, and several safety features for optimal work function.

Ram ProMaster® Cargo Van: The Ram ProMaster® features two heights, three wheelbases, four lengths, and safety and security features to meet a variety of electrical work demands.

Optimize electrician paperwork

Whether in the electrician work truck or on the job site, job information needs to stay organized, too. 

Bypass paperwork with ServiceTitan Electrical Contractor Software, so your tech's van no longer functions as a messy desk, littered with work orders, estimates, and receipts.ServiceTitan Dispatch Software keeps job details in one place, so techs arrive at the job prepared. 

ServiceTitan's Field Service App enables your electrical company to streamline the process from start to finish, ensuring techs price jobs right, can bundle add-ons in the field, and upload the right forms to finish the job.

When your electrical company can track and assess jobs in real-time, you can improve efficiency and grow profits.