When you work as a professional contractor, you rely heavily on your truck. In addition to providing you and your family with necessary transportation, you might have to use your truck to haul heavy construction materials from job to job, and to haul around all of your tools. Fortunately, truck accessory manufacturers understand the rigors of your workday. Here are two truck accessories that might make your life easier, so that you can stay organized and avoid frustrating situations.

1: Truck Bed Extenders

Nothing is worse than running to the hardware store to pick up extra materials for a job, and then having those items fly out of your truck on the way back because you couldn't close your truck gate. Not only does losing boards, pipes, and bags of hardware on the freeway cost you money, but it can also threaten the lives of other motorists. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 25,000 car crashes and up to 90 fatalities per year are tied to flying road debris.

Fortunately, you can secure long or strangely shaped items into your truck by using truck bed extenders. Here are a few different types of extenders that might help you to keep your costs low, and other drivers safe.

• Standard Cage Extenders: Cage extenders allow you to enclose the back of your truck, even when the back gate is down. These nifty devices attach to your truck gate hardware, keeping large equipment and long materials from flying out of an open bed.
• Slide Out Shelves: If you have to haul loads containing lots of small objects, you might worry about materials escaping through hardware crevices or open cages. Fortunately, slide out shelves are designed to sit inside of your truck bed, and then extend out to the length that you need. These shelves generally consist of solid metal panels, so you won't have to worry about tiny items or tools falling through the cracks. 

Before you try to strap difficult items into your truck and haul them across town, think carefully about the problems that a few loose materials could cause. Truck bed extenders are effective and easy to use, so that you can keep items where they belong when you are on the road.

2: Built-In Toolboxes

If you are like most professional contractors, you probably use your truck like a moving workstation. Ladders, drills, and boxes of screws get tossed into the back of your ride before you go to work, allowing you to easily retrieve them after you evaluate the job site. Unfortunately, leaving your materials out in the open can cause a few problems too.

Tools can become rusty or corroded by constant exposure to the wind and rain, and thieves might be tempted to steal a brand new drill sitting unattended in the back of a truck. If you want to protect your items from damage and theft, consider installing a built-in truck bed toolbox.

In addition to being created from super strong corrosion-resistant materials, these toolboxes can be bolted to your truck frame so that you don't have to worry about them sliding around while you navigate tough terrain. Truck toolboxes also give you an easy way to stay organized during your day. Instead of having to root around for small nails or the right screwdriver, toolboxes generally have customizable internal compartments so that you can organize your haul.

Built-in toolboxes can help you to avoid replacing your tools sooner than you need to, while keeping your truck bed neat and tidy.

Making your truck more functional with the help of accessories can help you to avoid losing expensive cargo, so that you can stay in business.