Keeping Your Car Clean

New Truck Owner? Consider These 3 Accessories To Make Hauling Easier

13 July 2015

Patrick Fuller

When you become a new truck owner, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the wide variety of truck accessories available to make hauling more comfortable and fun. If you're not sure where to start looking for the most helpful additions to your pickup, you can begin with these three helpful items.

Tarps And Nets Keep Tickets Away

You might think you don't need to secure your cargo when it's only going to be in your truck for a short time, but your state's police officers may disagree. If you want to avoid a ticket for failure to secure, it's important to at least have a tarp or net over the contents of your truck bed. Even if the items can move around under the tarp, covering them will prevent anything from flying out of your truck and hurting other drivers or polluting the roads.

In some cases, like when you haul garbage to the landfill or junkyard, you may not even be allowed entry without a tarp. Other companies may refuse to sell you bulk goods if you cannot demonstrate a way to safely transport them home. Having a tarp and hooks to secure it can ensure things go smoothly no matter what you're hauling, or where to.

Bed Extenders Help Secure Long Objects

Wooden beams, metal poles, plastic kayaks, and all manner of long items can be vexing to a truck owner with a short bed. As you drive with one of these items sticking out of the back or side of your bed, you can start to feel anxious about your cargo security. What if something sticking out of your truck hits another driver's vehicle? What if the end of a ladder gets caught on something as you're driving and falls out of the truck without your knowledge?

A truck bed extender can help to alleviate these worries by giving you an extra foot or two of bed length. This means the longer items you want to haul can now be laid down flat and covered with a net or tarp to prevent them from sticking out. With a bed extender installed, you don't have to worry about anything sticking out of your truck or shifting around as you drive.

Cargo Covers Can Protect Your Belongings

Some things are just handier to keep in the back of your truck.. Power tools for work, sports and hiking equipment, and other valuable goods that travel with you can be a hassle to unpack from your truck bed each day. Unfortunately, if you don't have a bed cover, you'll have to do this to ensure that nothing is stolen while you sleep. With a locking cover, you only have to take things out of the back of your truck when you need them, and nighttime security isn't an issue.

Covers protect your possessions from more than potential thieves. Most covers are waterproof as well, meaning your tools and other metal items won't be at risk for rust if it rains when you're away from your truck. Leaves, bugs, and the dust you kick up while driving are all kept out by a good cover, too, so you can keep sensitive items in your truck bed without having to worry about damage or contamination from the elements.

Hauling cargo in your truck can be a great way to make you feel more independent and capable, but there's no need to make it harder on yourself than it has to be. If you're going to be transporting goods frequently in your truck, it might be a good idea to look into a few time- and hassle-saving truck accessories that will make your life simpler.

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