Picking one battery platform for a trade crew.
When a four-person crew runs three different cordless brands, half the gangbox fills up with mismatched single-bay chargers and someone is always hunting for a charged pack. Standardizing a truck around one main 18V/20V platform (plus one compact 12V line when the trade calls for it) cuts dead time and makes bare-tool replacements simple.
Ask about a crew kitTwo-tier truck rule
Compact packs (2.0Ah to 3.0Ah): Ride on the belt or in the tool bag for impact drivers, drywall screw guns, and service lights.
High-output packs (6.0Ah to 12.0Ah): Stay on the tailgate or miter stand for circular saws, reciprocating saws, SDS rotary hammers, and table saws.
Choose the platform by the specialty tool, not the impact driver
Every major pro line makes a capable 1/4-inch impact driver and 1/2-inch drill. The differences show up on the tailgate.
List the two hardest tools your trade runs cordless
For framers, that is the 7-1/4 inch rear-handle or worm-drive style saw and the cordless framing nailer. For plumbers and electricians, it is the copper/PEX press tool, the knockout punch, the right-angle stud drill, and the drain snake. Pick the battery line that builds the specialty tools your trade actually uses.
Check whether a dual-voltage charger covers small and big tools
Some platforms put both 12V and 18V/20V slots on the same multi-bay charger, or run high-voltage saws on packs that step down to fit standard 20V hand tools. One four-bay sequential or simultaneous charger bolted in the trailer beats four loose plastic bricks on a power strip.
Phase out orphan brands as batteries die, not all at once
You do not have to throw out working tools on day one. Stop buying replacement batteries for the odd brand out; when an orphan pack dies, move that tool to backup duty and buy the bare-tool replacement on the crew's main platform.
Keeping crew batteries from walking off
Batteries are the first thing to get mixed up when two crews share a slab or a mechanical room.
- Paint-pen and stencil the pack rails, not just the bottom. Spray a stripe of high-visibility stencil paint across the top rail area that sits hidden inside the tool foot, and write the truck number and purchase month/year with an industrial paint marker.
- Keep compact packs with the bags and big packs at the saw station. Give each hand two compact 2.0Ah to 5.0Ah packs marked for their bag, and keep the heavy 6.0Ah to 12.0Ah high-output packs in a crate next to the multi-bay charger for the saws, grinders, and rotary hammers.
- Retire dropped packs with cracked latches right away. A battery with a broken latch tab vibrates loose in a reciprocating saw and arcs across the tool terminals, cooking the contact block on both the pack and the saw.
- Pull batteries off the truck charger in freezing weather. Lithium-ion cells will not charge below freezing and degrade fastest when baked on a dashboard in August. Mount the charger inside an insulated gangbox or ventilated cabinet.
Ask about a crew kit
Moving a crew onto one battery platform or outfitting a new truck? Tell us the trade, the crew size, and the batteries you already run.
Requests come to us, the people who publish this site. If we can help, we reply by email. We do not sell tools, so a request is not an order or a quote.
Companion guides: Framing belt weight guide · First-day apprentice kits.