Gunny
Gold Member
I think it depends on the contractor. A guy came here, from a big company and he did have stuff on his truck but I'm sure the landlady was billed for the extras.
A smaller independant might not have that stuff readily available and probably worked it into the price if he did. No?
It depends on the job being done. A serivice truck might have all sorts of odds and ends on it because they never know what exactly they might need.
A construction truck is going to have a basic amount of fittings, conduit, wire, conduit benders, shovels, etc to get the basic job done. Normal practice is once a contract is signed, the subcontractor gets a "draw" (a percentage of what they are being paid) and purchases material for that specific job according to that job's plans.
There is however always odds and ends of material in the truck. But not 15-20 receptacles and switches. That goes beyond "odds -n- ends."
Taking it a step further, EVEN IF I had 15-20 receptacles and switches and their covers on my truck, I'm not giving them away. They were paid for at one time and to just give them away goes into the monetary LOSS column.
And yes, the size of the company matters as far as overhead is concerned. Smaller companies naturally have to play it closer to the cuff. An individual electrician even closer. The odds are, that larger company can use whatever over-ordered material they have on another job becuase they are turning them over at a fast pace; whereas, your individual is usually doing what we call "side work" (moonlighting) only when he can, and turnover is much, much slower.
Size also comes into play where the shop is concerned. A larger shop is gong to have a much larger, on-hand inventory than a smaller shop or some individual working out of his garage.