The technicians at Harmon Plumbing Services Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., don’t know the folks at the local parts warehouse nearly as well as they might. They don’t visit often, thanks to the company’s two spacious 1999 Ford step vans.

“We stock our trucks to the point where they can do about two weeks’ worth of work without restocking,” says owner Steve Harmon, who does business as a Rooter-Man franchise. “The trucks truly are rolling warehouses. We save fuel and labor on trips to the parts warehouse. Plus we can sell, sell, sell without running all over the place. The guys can sell more fixtures at one location because they have them in stock.

“The best thing you can do is keep your guys away from a supply warehouse. Being very conservative, I’d estimate each truck saves us at least five hours a week, or about 500 hours a year in all. That adds more than $125,000 to our annual gross sales.”

 

Government surplus

The 1-ton vans have aluminum bodies made by Utilimaster Corp. and tandem rear tires that can carry extra weight. Harmon bought the vans from a local Ford dealer, who bought them at a government surplus auction. The trucks had logged about 24,000 miles apiece, and Harmon paid $12,500 for each of them.

“I was really excited,” says Harmon, who had always wanted the large vans because of their high ceilings (6 feet, 1 inch); roomy interiors (a little more than 12 by 7 feet); wider high-visibility windshields; and large sides for big, eye-catching graphics. “I felt like I hit the jackpot because I knew I could make money with them,” Harmon says. “It wouldn’t take long to get a good return on my investment.”

Harmon and his crew added fluorescent lights inside and bought generic 2-foot-deep industrial shelving for storage. They flipped the shelves upside-down to make use of a half-inch lip that holds plastic storage bins in place. “We like to stay organized so guys aren’t fumbling around for tools and equipment,” Harmon says. “With the high ceilings, our guys can walk through the aisle without crouching over.”

Each truck carries about $6,000 worth of parts, plus a RIDGID K-60 cable machine, a Super-Vee handheld cable machine from General Pipe Cleaners, and a GO 50 cable machine from Gorlitz Sewer & Drain. The company also owns a Gorlitz GO 15 cable unit.

 

Lots of ad space

To advertise his business, Harmon took advantage of the vans’ sidewalls, which offer about three times as much space as a conventional cargo van. “On the side, from the cab door to the rear door, you’ve got about 12 feet of space,” he says. “And because they’re white trucks, the graphics really stand out. We use 3M reflective graphics. If one of my trucks goes around here at night, every one knows it.”

The extra space lets Harmon list the phone numbers for all three metropolitan areas his company serves, and he can use much larger numbers, easily visible from a distance. “We get a couple calls a month from people who see the trucks,” he notes. “One recent call turned into a $6,500 residential sewer line replacement.”

Another benefit is that even though more than 10 years old, the vans don’t look out of style. “That’s important because customers are concerned if you park something in their driveway or on their curb that looks old,” Harmon says. “You don’t want to give the impression that you’re not successful enough to buy good, modern equipment.”

To make the vans easier to maneuver, Harmon had rear-view backup cameras installed. “Before, we were limited in many ways by smaller trucks,” he says. “Now we can stock three to four times as much in terms of tools, material and equipment. We’re fully prepared for anything.”