As the first truck shows for 2017 have come and gone, it is once again time to get the truck back to being show-spotless again beginning with the toolbox space on my frame-rail. Care is always taken as a Team Run Smart Pro to always have a clean truck that is well maintained, but being at shows with it to me means making people have to think twice when they are told that this truck actually hauls freight to make my living every day.
Having various sockets, wrenches and other specialty tools in my toolbox that get used then mixed in all together, I figured a good way to keep them clean and organized would be in heavy-duty clear zipper baggies that are individually labeled. This works well for getting to a specific set of tools quickly when I need them and reduces the chances of let’s say, cutting one’s hand on a sharp drill bit when a simple socket is needed (real world lesson there!). It is also nice that the bags can be cheaply replaced if they get dirty or greasy, instead of having to replace the nice canvas bags I used to use! Tossing out the unneeded stuff I had collected along the way and getting rid of duplicate tools always proves to be another way I keep my tool space on the truck tidy. Laying everything out by type, size, or special function makes easy work of finding where a specific tool is later when I need it. I also take an extra step to sort the tool bags into three categories consisting of cleaning supplies, tools, and spare parts.
On top of the fact that everything is much cleaner now and my toolbox is no longer a filthy mess, it brings satisfaction to know exactly what I have on hand and where it is, should I need a tool later down the road in a hurry. Washing and cleaning the outside of your truck is all good in my book, but true pride in one’s ride starts with the parts of the truck that most people do not often see. In high school I was a pro at shoving things under the bed or into hidden spaces to make things appear clean, but now real pride comes from organization and true functionality of my working space inside the truck. With all the washing and chrome polishing, be sure to take the extra steps to clean the toolbox you may depend on later for vital repairs!