Stuff We Love: 7 Essentials You Should Always Have in Your Truck
You'll reach for these time and time again!
In this episode of Stuff We Love, host Marty Dyck shares a collection of tools and gear that pros should always keep in their truck. There are a lot of things you can run across on the road, both literally and figuratively, and it pays to be prepared.
Bungee Flag for Extended Loads
Driving with materials jutting out past the end of your truck bed isn’t just a safety concern. It’s also potentially illegal, especially if the materials aren’t marked by a flag. Keep a few of these bungee flags in your truck at all times so you can haul extended loads without getting in trouble with the law.
Cleaning Wipes for Messes
You never know exactly when things are going to get messy on the job, but you can pretty much always count on it happening. Keeping a tub of heavy duty cleaning wipes in the backseat of your truck could save you from having to run into the nearest gas station bathroom and “borrowing” handfuls of paper towels. Armor All wipes are also great for keeping your vehicle dust free and looking great, which is a must if your truck doubles as your office.
An Extra Pair of Work Gloves
You can never have too many work gloves. Keep a spare set of leather gloves around for times when you are doing a lot of loading and unloading, and have a box of disposable gloves on standby for messier jobs like checking your oil.
An Extra Truck Tape (or Two)
You don’t want to show up to work on a jobsite or go to make an estimate at a potential job and realize that because you forgot your belt you don’t have a tape measure. Marty actually keeps two tapes in his truck. They don’t have to be the most expensive tape measures on the market, just something to get the job done in the case of an emergency.
Stretch Wrap for Load Security
Having materials bouncing around in the bed of your pickup is unsafe and looks unprofessional. And if you’ve got your company logo plastered on the side of your work truck, unsecured loads are a bad look for your business. Make sure those extended loads of lumber aren’t bouncing around everywhere in the back of your truck with a handy roll of stretch wrap.
Save the Day with a Tire Repair Kit
Speaking of bad looks for your business… being late to a job is never a good idea. But with some jobsites doubling as minefields covered in screws, nails and other sharp objects intent on puncturing your wheels, flat tires can seem sort of inevitable. Having a cheap tire repair kit in your glove box could be the difference between getting somewhere late (not great) and not getting anywhere at all (a disaster). Plus, you might even be the person who fixes someone else’s tire and then all of a sudden you’re known as a hero to your fellow workers. Next, check out more gear pros should have at the ready.
About Marty Dyck
Marty is a professional woodworker and the owner of Good From Wood, a custom woodworking shop located in Stillwater, MN. Specializing in unique, vintage barn doors, custom skateboards and other innovative wood products, Marty hopes to always build the piece that everyone talks about.
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