How an Own-Op Plumber Upfit His Transit

4 Vans to 1 Van

In Bob's original business, he had 4 trucks set up identically with everything labeled, so that any employee could use any truck at any time.

Now, he's a single owner-operator working in a small section of Brooklyn.

Bob's current van is a Ford Transit 150. While he thinks a Transit 350 would have been more appropriate in his previous business, the 150 suits him just fine as a single owner-operator.

Since he's the only one using the truck, he doesn't have a need to label parts and bins as with his previous vans.

The current Transit van was upfitted by Einstein's Truck and Auto in New York.

Why a Van?

He'd love to have a box truck, but the van is smaller. The area that he works is a largely residential area and has limited parking - homes are close together, there is little off-street parking, and he often needs to double park and meter-feed due to the limited parking.

Why Not a High Roof Van?

Bob says his garage simply won't fit a high roof van, but this van is just fine for him.

The Mobile Office

The cab of the van is incredibly clean! While the low miles certainly help, it's clear that Bob runs a neat and organized mobile office out of the cab.

He keeps a paperwork organizer on the bulkhead between the seats. A larger steel center locking console holds hanging file folders (just like a mini filing cabinet), keys, and a few cleaning supplies.

He keeps a bag with his invoices, clipboard, and a bluetooth credit card reader for gettin' paid.

Keeping the Jobsite Clean

Bob no doubt impresses his customers by showing them he's clean, without making them wonder or ask.

Booties, handwipes, and disposable coveralls are stored behind the driver seat and a dropcloth is easy to grab out of the back of the van.

Imagine Bob showing up at your door with his disposable booties. You're probably not going to worry how he'll leave your bathroom.

The Side Door Access

A full-length drawer spans the width of the Transit van and holds a variety of tools. For power tools, Bob uses an assortment of 12 volt Milwaukee products.

He uses the empty space between the bulkhead and the drawer to store auger wire and levels. Short lengths of all-thread and smaller pipe can be stored in a bulkhead-mounted 4" PVC pipe.

His van upfitter made a shelf system that holds Stanley storage boxes. The boxes hold parts: faucet parts, waste parts, screws, electrical parts, sink parts, taps and dies, and pipe hanger hardware.

The Pipe

Bob points out the 6" PVC pipe that extends through the rear cargo area and into the cab. It stores long lengths of copper and PVC pipe, plus threaded rod.

The pipe is mounted through the shelves at floor level, which means he doesn't have the annoyance of feeding or retrieving long pieces of material into a tall rack or roof-mounted piece of PVC.

The PVC can handle long lengths, extending into the rear cargo door recess.

Even Without Labels, He Knows Where It Is

One of the very obvious things about Bob's truck is that he keeps a ton of inventory. He says you "can never have enough on your truck".

But despite not having a single label, and many of the bins looking exactly the same, he knows where everything is.

He's got sections for: - valves - toilet parts - lots of tools - Milwaukee Packouts with 1/2" and 3/4" fittings - caulking - individual parts and spares that he likes to keep on the truck - gas fittings - glue/putty/teflon tape - 1 1/2"-2" brass and PVC fittings - chrome and stainless sink and toilet parts - sewer caps - 1/2" and 3/4" nipple trays

While some truck and van owners don't have their organization layout memorized, Bob knows exactly where everything is.

Want More?

Check out more from Bob:

• his Tool Bag tool list
• his Youtube channel
• his website