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Inexperienced and Young Tech Egos

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,544
Location
WWW.
Funny thing about this business---have any of you seen the book keeper or secretary, bank teller, parts
counter person or any other profession lugging their own computer into work, supplying their own office
supplies or what have you. Just where did this notion of supplying tools come from? I have been asking
the same question for 48 plus years. It must have started with Henry Ford because he was a rotten SOB.
 

AzIron

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
1,541
Location
Az
Funny thing about this business---have any of you seen the book keeper or secretary, bank teller, parts
counter person or any other profession lugging their own computer into work, supplying their own office
supplies or what have you. Just where did this notion of supplying tools come from? I have been asking
the same question for 48 plus years. It must have started with Henry Ford because he was a rotten SOB.

I have mixed feelings on the subject but I know wrenches that earn far and above what operators ever will simply because of tooling expenses

I try to do what I can for my guys that can wrench but I dont have a full time mechanic I gave one a coue of millwakee impacts and a socket set for them and about 3 months ago I started buying 2 Milwaukee grease guns a month with battery and charger I give them to my operators its there's to keep if they leave but anyone who is caught running a machine that's not greased owes me a steak dinner so far I have only had one
 

muddog1975

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
Messages
163
Location
knoxville tn
Early 90s, When I worked for a LTL carrier they would give us a hundred dollars for tools once a month, if we provided a recent for tool purchases. That lasted about 3 months and then it stopped. No explanation on why it was stopped. But at that point most of us were at a hundred dollars a week! Now my tools are worth as much or more than my house, without including my service truck! Pretty crazy!
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
I could write a very thick box on jobs,companys and having your own tools. I will flip burgers before i have to work a job that you need to supply your own tools.
 

thepumpguysc

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
7,445
Location
Sunny South Carolina
Occupation
Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
I’ve NEVER heard of a place that turns wrenchs for a business plan, supplying the tools.. wrenchs, sockets and ratchets..
I can understand supplying “special tools”.. but not basic hand tools..
I find it quite interesting, the people that respond who never bought a tool.. I’d really like to know what kinda business they worked in and what there job entailed..
AND where this job is..The States or Canada.??
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
The US Navy provided every tool you would ever need for your work center. Think about that statement though. If a tool was of any use to anything other than a highly specialized component designed to be part of a killing machine, it got stolen or traded with another ship's crew for coffee.
 

sfrs4

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
683
Location
Great Britian
Occupation
parts admin
When I worked fitting passenger lifts ( elevators ) , I supplied the basic tools and the company supplied any specialist tools, when I started I was required to have a complete tool box of tools, when/If you left you went to the local tool suppliers and made sure your box was complete again before leaving.
I can see both sides of the tool story but I don't think there is one correct answer there are a few things to look at. Firstly it depends on wages, if the company pay an average to below average wage, then they should provide tools, if the pay is above average to high pay then they can surely expect you to provide your own.
Secondly if you want premium tools, you ought to provide your own, then you'll look after them. If you don't mind what tools you have then the company can provide what they want, and as my last company, if there any specialist tools that you need then the company definitely provides them, but the caveat on that is you abuse it = you replace it.
As for the stolen aspect, I had my tools insured if they were stolen on site ( which happened once in 10 years ) I claimed on my insurance who ended up claiming off the site for lack of adequate security.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,430
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Starting out in a truck shop the floor mechanics were to supply Basic Hand tools up to 1/2" impact stuff, Screw drivers, drill motors(Not Mag Drills), Allens and eventually TORX bits, the shop supplied anything specialized as Axle Nut sockets, 3/4 or 1" drive tooling, reamers and drill bits, Hones, anything considered as consumables. As I moved around the Quarries had the Oddball tooling for the Eucs and heavier loaders, most of the tooling for the crusher plants was furnished by the supplier of the crusher when constructed(NOT Portables). Most of the excavation companies had a small shop with heavier jacks, stands, hoists and such. Then life moved on, companies got tired of the ever changing tools designs and expenses so began the 'Well if YOU Need that socket to do your job you had better own one' commentaries. In the Chargeable hours shops on production rate we would have certain specialty tools of our own, SOME guys would allow to use their tools others were on a go buy your own basis. I had and still have most(NOT All) of my own torque wrenches thru 3/4", impacts and sockets thru 1", used to have Coffing Hoists and chain falls with specialty set up chains, straps, misc. connectors and shackles for track or swinging components in large machines work, had small specialty frames used for hanging the hoists to do field work where sold a great deal of those as left certain industries behind. JY got a number of the "Antique" tooling I had for DD and Cummins work, Liner Stuffers, Piston Ring Compressor(855) even the Injector Nozzle Bore reamer for the old END Macks I still had. I maybe got 30% of what had cost me in sales as just too specialized mechanisms for daily mechanics, many today would have NO concept of some of my older tooling.

Today a Well Established field hand with a service truck likely has a couple hundred K in tooling and truck if owns their own, shop techs can be anywhere from a few tens of K to a easy 100k in tools and not even realize it.
 

Vetech63

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
6,362
Location
Oklahoma
I got rid of the old DD stuff years ago, that way when someone asked me about working on one
I could honestly say I have no tools. Best thing I did.
LMAO! I'm sure I have everything you got rid of.
As for tooling, I've never worked anywhere that supplied anything other than specialized tooling. Back when I started there wasn't Harbor Freight or the big box stores that carry basic tooling like there is now. My choices were Snap-On, Matco, Mac, or craftsman (and they were limited). I remember fondly the days of old when my paycheck went from my hand to the Snap-On man the same day.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
I’ve NEVER heard of a place that turns wrenchs for a business plan, supplying the tools.. wrenchs, sockets and ratchets..
I can understand supplying “special tools”.. but not basic hand tools..
I find it quite interesting, the people that respond who never bought a tool.. I’d really like to know what kinda business they worked in and what there job entailed..
AND where this job is..The States or Canada.??
I worked at 2 places that supplyed tools. The first place was on older heavy equipment so you didnt need alot of hand tools. I knew the owner well and was talking to him years before i worked for him he was looking a Craftsmans catalog about to order several sets of tools. He ask what was the diferents in 2 sets . I told him one had metric and the other didnt i found out when i started working for him he ordered the set with metrics in them? I dont remember what i did for tools until a coworker died and i got his. The sets were missing alot of tools by then but like i said you didnt need alot of stuff.
the next place i worked was at a shop that did tires ,oil changes and small jobs. But when i got there i started working on there fleet of trucks.They had a miss matched set of Craftsman, China junk and other stuff. In the summer i would have a basic set with me and do alot of work out side or in anther building. I didnt care if i upset the office if the shop needed a tool i would order it without asking they had alot better tools when i left.
I worked for a big company they payed ok not great but they wanted you to have about $200.00 worth of tools. It was a welding shop but there also was some assembly work but some guys never did any thing but weld. About 20 out of 100 had tools. One day they said every one needs tools by this date or else i thought if they go through with this its going to be lonely in the shop. Every morning meeting you need to get tools or else that day came nothing changed.
 
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