Building the Ultimate Work Truck | A Guide for Contractors and Equipment Suppliers

A good work truck shouldn’t just be reliable transportation—It needs to be a toolbox, a mobile office, a hauler, and more… Here’s a complete guide to building a work truck that works as hard as you do. Work Truck Job Requirements When it comes to the different work truck functions, here are some questions to get you started… Passengers. How many people will you have to fit? Some trucks offer a way to easily reconfigure the interior to accommodate more people or more cargo. Load. How much weight do you need to haul? If you regularly haul heavy equipment to job sites, you may want a truck with a high towing capacity. Tools. What kinds of tools do you need to keep handy in the truck? You’ll want a way to organize and secure them and may want to consider aftermarket accessories as well—But more about this later. Distance. How far do you travel each day? If you’re clocking in some heavy miles, a hybrid or all-electric work truck could save you some dough. Terrain. What kind of terrain will you travel on? You may not need an all-wheel-drive (AWD) if you’re just driving on regular pavement. Truck Size You want to be comfortable! One indication that the truck may not be the right size for you is your need to move the seat to maximum positions—For example, do you need to move all the way up and forward in order to see over the wheel? Or will you want to lower the seat and recline it in order to avoid hitting your head? Don’t judge a truck by a photo, alone—You’ll want to take a seat inside the real thing! Truck Hauling and Towing If you regularly move equipment and other heavy items, we recommend getting the highest rated towing capacity that you can afford. For some, sacrificing interior space for a longer truck bed will suit their hauling needs. It is not necessary to buy a work truck large enough to tow items that you rarely have to transport. In the event you have a super heavy load, you can always just lease a larger truck. Truck Wheels You’ll want the type of wheels that can handle the terrain you are most likely to encounter on a regular basis. Some like the look of oversized tires, but it can be harder to get into a truck that is high off the ground. You can be dazzled by expensive rims, but you’re going to work, not a truck show. These are opportunities to save money to buy more practical accessories. Truck Safety Airbags are standard these days, but some newer work trucks include some impressive safety features, including braking when a living being is detected in front of you or warning you if you start to drift into another lane. And backup cameras are getting more sophisticated with guides to help you back into spaces and warning signals when you’re getting too close to a wall. Tools There are several ways to organize your tools. Here are just a few options: Decked offers a unique drawer system that doesn’t take away your bed space. Bedslide makes it easy to slide your tools and equipment out from your truck. Weather Guard has their line of Pack Rat pull out storage in various sizes. Ram offers the Rambox Cargo Management System on some models. It has locked storage that lines the bed of the truck.