Pimping Your Truck

Why Upfit?

Upfitting your vehicle simply means upgrading it, and when it comes to the interior, it means organizing it to be more efficient.

You don't need to hire a professional organizer (although that might be quite an enlightening experience), but you may have to think like one to properly evaluate whether your vehicles are efficiently housing your tools and equipment.

The basics of organizing are relatively simple: consider whether there is a logical order to the systems in place behind the scenes in your vehicles.

The following scenarios may ring a bell:
1. Your contractors are halfway to a job and turn around because they forgot cabling;
2. Your equipment is scattered in so many places throughout the truck that finding the right tools takes precious time;
3. Your crew can't stand in the truck easily and find themselves with aching backs;
4. Your shelving is rusty and the racks are heavy and cumbersome.

If any of the above rings true, it's time to do a bit of organizing. Fortunately, there are many systems available for upfitting. Many truck dealers even offer free upfits when you purchase a new truck or fleet.

If you're not in the market for a new truck fleet, you can still upfit your vehicle by reorganizing the top racks, adding a utility body or buying shelves and storage organizers for the interior.

"Enclosed services bodies" offer a completely enclosed work and cargo area similar to a van, but have an added advantage of exterior storage compartments for easy access of frequently used items.

Some companies offer new models with aerodynamic styling, which gives a contoured design and might even save fuel. One truck equipment company, Reading Truck Body, offers ergonomically correct grips for drawer units, helping to prevent injury from repetitive use.

One dealer, King of Prussia, Pa.-based JM Resources, has taken the minimalist approach to organizing, finding indeed that less is more.

"We removed most of the bins from inside our vans to make more space available," says Arie Upfalow, president of JM Resources. "As integrators, we need to accommodate large boxes which hold our central vacuums and TVs."

The company works only with the full-size Chevrolet 2500 model of vans. Upfalow found that anything larger than a full-size van is too bulky to handle in day-to-day operations.

Since space is a key issue for most home theater businesses, other companies vary the size of their trucks to accommodate all of their equipment.

Calgary, Alberta-based Showcase Home Theatre (SHT) uses three different models, but also keeps the interiors fairly simple. In its GMC three-quarter-ton cargo vans, the interior is sparse, with only one rack to the side that holds small parts and boxes of wire, with the rest open for bigger equipment.

On its half-ton extended cab GMC trucks, it added roll-top bed covers to house various wire and gear whenever necessary. When it needs to carry big equipment over, it simply unrolls the cover. Its security department uses five of the Toyota Matrix, which adds up to sound economics for SHT.

"We found that we don't have to carry as much wire or parts, and it is one-third the cost to run," says Joe Strang, president of SHT. "We still have them fully 'logoed,' but other than that, we just lower the back seat and we're good to go."

Oldsmar, Fla.-based S&S Electric has been busy upfitting its fleet to accommodate growth in its business and to maintain efficiency. Its complete line of trucks includes pickups, SUVs, vans, flatbeds, and box and delivery trucks.

In 2000, it began using small trailers to store material at its job sites. Another interesting change happened when it switched from custom interior shelving to factory-installed shelving manufactured by Adrian Steel.

"We find that these are adequate for transporting and storing the various materials we need," says Shawn Smith, vice president of S&S Electric. "We used to order and install custom shelves, but we are happier now that we have switched to the factory-installed product."