Managing assets distributed between vehicles, such as tools 6A, 6B stored in a van 2A or storage spaces 5A, 5B, 5C available in a truck. An asset determination module 7 on the vehicle determines whether an asset is available on the vehicle. The vehicle transmits asset availability data to a remotely located control module and/or to another vehicle. A control module may arrange access to the asset in response to a request, such as arranging for a user to borrow a tool from another vehicle. This control module may be remotely located or may be local to the vehicle. The asset availability data may comprise an inventory of assets available on the vehicle, a time period during which each asset is available for use or access, vehicle location data or vehicle identification data. The asset determination module may comprise an asset locating device, such as: a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, a video or image recognition system, a barcode reader, a weight sensor, an optical sensor, a presence sensor, or another automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) system. The vehicle thus acts as a hire station for lending tools and storage spaces to other vehicles in a fleet.
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