5 Ways to Reduce Equipment Loss in Your Rental Business

Missing panels, bent braces, and misplaced porta-potties are usually treated as a cost of doing business. In reality, most losses are 100% preventable with better controls at the handoff points between office, yard, crews, and customers.

1. Capture condition photos on every delivery

Give drivers a checklist inside the mobile app so every drop-off includes timestamped photos. When equipment returns damaged, you have proof that it left your yard in good shape.

2. Track accessories separately

Feet, clamps, and privacy screen account for 25% of total panel value. Log accessory counts as discrete line items instead of burying them under “fencing.” Customers take them seriously when they see a replacement cost.

3. Create on-site inventory zones

Ask foremen to stage panels in labeled zones on large jobs. When pickups begin, crews know exactly where to look, which reduces “couldn’t find it” write-offs.

4. Automate pickup reminders

Automatically schedule follow-up tasks every time a job hits its target end date. The sooner you recover panels, the lower the chance they disappear or get scrapped by another trade.

5. Share loss dashboards with customers

A monthly scorecard showing “panels delivered vs. panels recovered” nudges GCs to treat your material like their own. Transparency drives compliance.