In a well-maintained workshop, every tool and supply has a place. In a well-maintained mobile unit, the same holds true. Successful portable businesses and service technicians keep their field workshop well organized. Van shelving and fixtures installed and organized in a reasonable, thoughtful way can save countless hours by having everything within easy reach.
A quality floorplan taking the operator needs into account is an important first step to outfitting a work truck.
Assess your need
Repair technicians invariably have a particular nut or bolt that emerges as the go-to repair part. These items should be within easy grasp as soon as the doors are open on a service truck. Large items or temporary carry-alongs also need a place to nestle in even if for a short while.
Putting the design on paper helps the storage architect change and position the necessary shelves, bins and holders without having to build on the fly. This is the time to decide shelving and bin sizes and quantities that will be needed on a day-to-day basis in a service truck. Then you can go shopping.
Pick your rigging
Trucks bounce, parts jangle, and tools and supplies can become projectiles without the proper shelving rigs for the job. According to Advantage Outfitters, “If your arsenal includes nuts and bolts, a series of lidded storage bins fastened into a suspended rack may be your ticket so jostling and careening won’t make a mish mash of the supplies. Just make sure you can easily access the bins without having to climb over other shelving and storage pieces.”
Yard groomers or heavy contactors may need large machinery that can spell the end of a work truck if not properly secured. Heavy tie down rings mounted in the floor or along the wall supports — able to hold cinch straps — may get priority placement over a plethora of tools and small item storage. Easy egress and ingress must also be taken into account.
Make it tight, secure and strong
Big box store shelving units may be great in a hobbyist garage. But for commercial use in a mobile workshop, reinforced shelves with front lips make more sense. Proper bracing for secure mounting to interior support beams ensures the weight of tool boxes and equipment won’t rip a shelving unit off the wall sending it crashing to the floor. Small items serve well to be stored in boxes with lids that slide into racks, or slide bins that keep the parts in place even on rough roads.
A quality interior setup used to its fullest advantage can prevent daily headaches when it comes to mobile business. A little thought and planning and taking care to build a quality setup can ensure years of productive service.
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