managing hvac techs who treat the service van like their personal garage sale

got a crew of four techs now and half of em are treating the vans like a damn flea market. found a milwaukee m18 battery charger in one that wasnt even on my inventory list, turns out the guy was 'borrowing' it for his side hustle. another ones got half-empty r-410a cans rattling around from jobs last month, superheat checks be damned. ive been using housecall pro for scheduling but it aint helping with the mess inside the rigs. anyone got tips on keeping these knuckleheads from turning company gear into their own toolbox? saw a post in the hvac techs network fb group about random drug tests to keep em in line.

same here man, my guys leave wrenches and gauges everywhere like they own the place.

yeah its a constant battle, especially with the younger apprentices.

had a tech who pawned a ridgid seesnake head for beer money. pissed me off for weeks.

lmao my guy tried selling copper scraps on the side during lunch. caught him red handed with the company truck.

check inventory weekly with a barcode scanner app. saved me from losing $500 in fittings last year.

private equity rolling up these hvac shops is making it worse, they push for more jobs but dont care about the van chaos.

customer called because the tech left his lunch trash all over her attic. had to apologize and comp a filter. embarrassing.

why do they do this? like, just ask for the tool if you need it.

you do weekly inspections or just spot checks? how often do you catch stuff?

these pe vultures buying out local hvac outfits just to squeeze every dime, no wonder the techs are stealing to make ends meet.