Contractors lose an estimated 5-10% of revenue annually to inventory problems. Overstocked trucks, expired parts, emergency supply runs, and theft all eat into your margins.

Why Inventory Management Matters

Every emergency supply house run costs $50-100 in lost labor time. If your techs make 2-3 emergency runs per week, that's $5,000-15,000 per year in wasted labor - plus the fuel and the lost job capacity.

Top Options

ServiceTitan Inventory

Enterprise inventory integrated with dispatching and invoicing. Per-truck tracking with automated reorder alerts.

Best for: ServiceTitan users with 5+ trucks.

SortlyPro

Visual inventory with barcode scanning and photo tracking.

Pricing: Pro from $49/month.

Best for: Simple inventory needs with barcode tracking.

Fleetio

Fleet and inventory management combined.

Pricing: $5/vehicle/month for tracking.

Best for: Combined fleet and parts management.

Truck Stock Optimization

The biggest savings come from optimizing what each truck carries. Instead of generic kits, stock each truck based on the tech's typical job mix:

  • Water heater techs carry water heater parts
  • Service techs carry diagnostic tools and common repair parts
  • Commercial techs carry different fittings than residential techs

AI inventory prediction reduces overstocking by 20-30% by analyzing usage patterns and seasonal demand.

Set up inventory management

Get Started

Getting Started

1. Audit current truck stock - what's on each truck right now?

2. Set minimum stock levels for high-usage parts

3. Implement barcode scanning for check-in/check-out

4. Set up automated reorder alerts

5. Review monthly: what's overstocked, what's causing emergency runs?

Worked Example: Inventory Management ROI

5 trucks averaging 3 emergency supply runs/week at $75 in lost labor per run. Annual cost: 3 × $75 × 52 × 5 = $58,500 in wasted labor. With per-truck stock optimization and reorder alerts: reduce emergency runs by 70% = $40,950/year saved. Add 5% revenue loss from stockouts (couldn't complete job, customer cancels): on $500K revenue = $25,000/year. Total savings: $65,950/year. Software cost: $49/month (SortlyPro). ROI: 112x.

What Not to Do

  • Don't carry the same kit on every truck. A water heater tech doesn't need drain cleaning parts. Stock each truck based on the tech's specialization and typical job mix.
  • Don't skip cycle counts. Parts walk off trucks. Monthly inventory counts catch shrinkage before it becomes a $5,000+ annual problem.
  • Don't wait for stockouts to reorder. Set minimum stock levels and automated reorder alerts. Running out of a $3 part that delays a $500 job is an expensive mistake.
  • Don't forget seasonal demand shifts. AC parts in summer, heating parts in winter. Adjust truck stock quarterly to match seasonal job mix.

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