If you are in construction, TV reporting, or any other job that requires you to bring expensive tools to another location, then you know the frustration of leaving tools behind. On a somewhat related note, I left a camera behind at a wedding that I went to last week, and all I could think was: “oh, I should have done a quick inventory of my things before I just drove off”.

DeWalt is thinking the same thing when it created Tool Link, a way of keeping track of tools with RFID tags. The system comes with an RFID scanner with software for a truck’s dashboard computer, as well as two RFID antennas for a truck’s bed.

It also comes with 50 RFID tags that can be attached to any tool. So when you leave the job, you can check the computer and see if any tools were left behind, and track down the ones that are missing.

Of course, you will have to make a database for this, and you might wonder if the $1,500 price tag to install Tool Link in your Ford truck is really worth it. Just think of it as insurance. Is it easier to pay the high price now, or keep paying every time a tool gets lost?

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