In California construction, nothing derails a project faster than missing or late traffic control equipment. A single missing truck-mounted attenuator, a faded sign that fails inspection, or an arrow board that won’t power up can shut down an entire lane closure, idle crews, trigger penalties, and create unsafe conditions. Industry-wide studies show that 38–42% of traffic control rentals arrive late, incomplete, or non-compliant. The hidden cost of those failures runs into tens of thousands of dollars per incident.
Safety Network Inc. has spent the last 15 years building the most dependable rental operation in the state. We currently serve more than 800 active contractors and public agencies, move over 50,000 pieces of equipment every year, and maintain independently audited performance metrics that far exceed industry norms. This article explains the seven core systems that eliminate virtually every common rental headache.
1. Live, Statewide Inventory You Can Actually Trust
Most rental yards give you a phone rep who “thinks” they have what you need. We give you a real-time portal that shows exactly what is on the ground, right now, in every yard.
The portal displays:
- Every cone (with collar type and reflectivity grade)
- Every sign (material, size, sheeting type, and current condition photo)
- Every message board and arrow board (pixel test results and battery status)
- Every TMA and AFAD (MASH certification documents attached)
- Every pedestrian channelizer, ADA pad, and detectable dome
Because the inventory is updated by barcode scan every time an item leaves or returns, what you see on your screen is what actually exists. No more showing up to a yard and discovering the “available” message boards are out on another job.
2. A Fleet That’s Always Ready to Roll
We don’t wait for your order to start loading trucks.
Every morning our yard teams stage the most commonly requested packages onto dedicated delivery vehicles: standard lane-closure kits, full freeway-closure packages, pedestrian detour bundles, and emergency crash-response sets. When an order comes in, the nearest pre-staged truck is already loaded and rolling within minutes.
Each truck carries GPS units that feed live location data directly to you via text message the moment the driver leaves the yard. You can watch the truck’s progress in real time and know exactly when your equipment will arrive on site.
3. Zero “Missing Item” Surprises
Every cone, sign, sandbag, and delineator is barcoded and scanned out of inventory when it leaves the yard and scanned again when it is delivered. This creates an unbreakable digital chain-of-custody.
The result: 100% order accuracy for the last eight consecutive years. No more discovering at 5:00 AM that the driver “forgot” the arrow board or only brought half the cones you ordered.
4. Paperwork That Never Slows You Down
Traditional rental companies still require faxed insurance certificates and multi-page contracts for every single order. We eliminated that years ago.
Your insurance certificate and standard rental terms are stored securely in your client profile. Once verified the first time, they apply to every future rental—no re-submission, no delays, no phone calls chasing paperwork.
5. Multiple High-Speed Will-Call Locations
For contractors who want gear immediately, we operate four large will-call yards strategically placed across the state:
- Fresno (headquarters)
- Sacramento
- Riverside
- San Diego
Drive-up lanes, overhead doors, and on-site forklifts mean the average contractor is loaded and back on the road in under ten minutes. Every item is pre-staged and waiting with your name on it the moment you arrive.
6. Equipment That Never Fails Inspection
Nothing wastes more time than Caltrans or a local inspector rejecting rental equipment because a sign is faded, a message board has dead pixels, or a TMA is out of certification.
Every single piece of equipment that returns to our yard goes through an automated 21-point inspection and maintenance protocol:
- Full power-wash
- Structural damage check
- Reflectivity verification (ASTM standards)
- Battery load testing and charging
- Pixel-by-pixel message board test
- Hydraulic and crush-zone inspection on attenuators
- RFID tag update with full service history
Items that do not pass are immediately pulled from circulation. That is why our clients have recorded exactly zero equipment-related rejections from any California agency in the last eight years.
7. One Point of Contact Who Actually Knows Your Business
Large national rental companies route you through call centers and 800 numbers. We assign every regular client a dedicated account manager who understands your typical projects, preferred equipment configurations, and project locations.
Your rep can pull up your entire rental history, duplicate a previous large order with one click, and anticipate needs before you even ask. Many of our clients have worked with the same account manager for 5–10 years.
The Hard Numbers Behind the Claims
| Metric (2024–2025) | Safety Network Inc. | Industry Average |
|---|---|---|
| On-time delivery rate | 99.7% | 58–62% |
| Order accuracy | 100% | 91% |
| Equipment rejected by agencies | 0 | 4–7% |
| Client retention rate | 94% | 67% |
| Average client tenure | 6.8 years | <2 years |
These figures are third-party audited and available for review.
The Size and Depth of Our Inventory
We own more than $10 million in traffic control equipment spread across four yards:
- 8,500+ traffic cones
- 1,200+ Type I, II, and III barricades
- 420+ solar message boards and arrow boards
- 180+ MASH-certified truck-mounted attenuators
- 95+ automated flagger assistance devices (AFADs)
- 3,000+ pedestrian channelizers and ADA solutions
- Full lines of water-filled barriers, crash cushions, and temporary rumble strips
Because we own everything outright, no third-party brokers or middlemen, we control quality, availability, and condition from end to end.
Why Contractors Keep Coming Back
- Same equipment shows up clean, charged, and fully compliant every single time
- No surprise shortages or last-minute substitutions
- One reliable partner for the entire state instead of piecing together multiple local vendors
- Equipment that has already passed the toughest Caltrans and local-agency inspections hundreds of times before
- A team that understands the urgency of construction schedules and never treats your job as “just another rental”
When your reputation, schedule, and safety are on the line, “good enough” is never good enough. You need a rental partner that has systematically removed every variable that can go wrong.
That partner is Safety Network Inc.
Visit Safety Network Inc. today to create your free account and see the live inventory portal for yourself. Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for real-time availability updates and new equipment announcements.
Because the only thing more expensive than renting the right traffic control equipment is not having it when the inspector, or the traveling public is counting on you.