Contractor = Pickup truck …right?

This is pretty true for nearly every fellow contractor I’ve worked with over the last few years. A few exceptions include some that work out of a van, or lighter-duty painter-types that work out of Subaru wagons.  I’ve been a Toyota Tacoma owner for a long, long time — longer than I’ve been a remodeling carpenter. Back in the old days we were quite adventurous and would often head out for a little off-road camping. My truck could handle serious terrain, all of our gear and four large dogs. We still get out now and then but lately, it mostly serves as my mobile office, mobile shop and rolling hardware store.

Hauling Tools and Materials

I admit I have a good handful of tools in my truck at any given time. I have to, to rebuild roofing in Denver. The bulk of these are smaller cordless tools and hand tools. For specific projects I will load up the specialty tools, like my 10” tile saw, the 12” miter saw, one of my compressors, my portable table saw or floor sanding equipment. Each job often involves materials too. This is where it gets tricky. How can I haul tools and materials? Fortunately most big material jobs are often spread over a few days where supplies and tools can be transported separately. For minor projects I get by with smart loading and my roof rack. For really big projects there's always my 5 x 8 trailer.

Bed "Deck"

The camper shell of my truck originally kept our camping gear out of the weather and contained the four-legged furry friends on our adventures. When I switched careers the modifications to the truck were pretty necessary and simple. The first modification was the construction of a bed “deck.” This allows the simple task of hauling full-size plywood and drywall without undue manipulations. In a fullsize truck the distance between the rear wheel wells is a bit over 4 feet; sheet stock can simply lie in the bed.  In a compact truck like mine, I built a frame and deck that rises just above the wheel wells, allowing sheet stock to fit easily. 

Hinged Storage Space

As a bonus I have a hinged storage space below that can hide/store other tools and supplies. Initially this met my needs, but as I kept having to move more common tools in and out frequently I upped the storage with a tool shelf in the camper shell. This tool shelf extends out from the cab about 16” or so and supports two tool buckets, my corded drill, a few nail guns in their cases and some tool boxes that house my electrical, plumbing and stone tools. This shelf rests on the lip of the camper shell and still allows sheet stock to fit below. With the front corners rounded this shelf can be lifted out when needed. This makes “sleeping” in the camper shell easy and pleasant on our continued adventures. I cut access holes in the bed deck's front corners that accommodate our 5 gallon water jugs, keeping 80 pounds of sloshing containers from bashing other stuff if the roads gets rough.

Roof Rack

On top of my camper shell I have Yakima rack which supports a “ski box”, it can used for bikes too when needed, by attaching the bike racks. Conveniently, I can carry a slab door in the ski box, or my miter saw stand. Long 12’ lumber and trim can be strapped to the cross-bars of the roof rack. If I am only transporting a few sheets of plywood I can still close the rear window of the camper shell. This allows for some protection if the weather is snowy and keeps the loads clean.

Room for Improvement

Is it perfect?  Almost.

This arrangement has been serving me well for nearly a decade now. I have the ability to carry both tools and materials. I even have enough height on my bed deck to house smaller appliances and cabinets. Dishwashers, water heaters and cases of tile slide in and out over the carpet of the bed deck. Looking back I can only see one minor improvement that needs to be made to my truck. My roof rack cannot handle heavy cement board siding too well. Twelve-foot long HardiePlank tends to dip too much on the ends. (It's not as stiff as 12' wood planks). I might try using my extension ladder as a support for the next siding load to the cabin.

Kevin Stevens writes for Networx. 

Updated May 29, 2018.