5 Truck and Piggyback Customizations that Improve Daily Operations

Across a full route, small problems tend to stack up. Loading conditions change from stop to stop, ground is rarely level, and crews are often working around tight sites, weather, and time pressure.  

Do you notice loads shifting on the deck, or that the forklift feels less steady during pickup or transport? Do you lose time hunting for tools or working in low light at the worst possible stop?   

We hear these same problems in the shop all the time. They start as small delays. Then they turn into bent hardware, worn frames, broken lights, and extra service time that nobody planned for. 

This post covers five customizations we use to tighten up daily operations. Each one is built around what happens in real work: loading, travel, unloading, and the wear that shows up after hundreds of stops. 

1. Flatbed Reinforcements  

A flatbed tells on itself when it’s working too hard. You’ll see deck flex as the forklift rolls on and feel a bounce when a heavy pallet settles. If the ground isn’t level, the load starts to walk. 

That movement slows everything down. Operators make extra corrections, the forklift backs off and comes back in, straps get rechecked, and loads get nudged and reset. On a busy site, that’s where time disappears.  

Reinforcing a flatbed is structural work. We add strength where the truck takes abuse: crossmembers, deck support, and the areas that see repeated point loads. Thicker steel and stronger supports spread weight across the bed instead of letting stress concentrate in one spot. That cuts down on flex and helps the truck frame take less of a beating over time. 

There’s also a safety angle here that’s hard to ignore. A Washington State investigation into a flatbed unloading fatality shows how a heavy load can shift and crush a worker during unloading when control is lost. That report’s worth reading because it shows how ordinary loading conditions can turn dangerous when a load isn’t fully supported or controlled.  

When we build a flatbed, we build it for the way the truck actually gets used. A custom flatbed designed around daily material handling gives operators a steadier surface during pickup and placement. That reduces forklift adjustments and helps loads settle where they’re supposed to. Over time, custom construction like this holds up better under repeated heavy use and supports safer, more predictable loading day after day.  

2. OEM Princeton Mounting Kits  

We’ve seen a lot of “creative” forklift mounts. Some look fine sitting still, but the problems show up on the road. Braking, turns, rough pavement, and steep driveways all put different forces into the mount. If the system wasn’t engineered for that, the stress ends up where it shouldn’t. 

That’s how you get frame wear, cracked brackets, loose hardware, and a forklift that never feels locked in the same way twice. And if a mount starts moving, it usually gets worse fast. 

OEM Princeton mounting kits are built for the weight and geometry of the Princeton PiggyBack® and the truck it’s riding on. The mount holds the forklift where it needs to be and spreads the load the way the truck was designed to carry it. That protects the truck frame and keeps the forklift stable during transport. It also keeps you closer to what the manufacturer expects for safe operation. 

Our shop installs piggyback forklift mounting kit systems the right way. That means hardware that matches the application, correct alignment, and a finished install that doesn’t introduce new stress points.  

When the mount is right, drivers can stop worrying about it. The forklift rides smoothly between stops. The truck frame takes less impact. You also avoid downtime tied to broken mounts and frame repairs. That kind of stability pays off long before you see it on a repair ticket. 

3. Storage and Tool Organization 

Tool chaos is one of the most expensive “small” problems in fleet work. It doesn’t show up as a line item until something goes missing, gets crushed, or causes a delay at a stop. 

A cluttered deck changes how loading happens. Crews start working around gear instead of working clean. Forklift access gets tighter. Straps and chains end up buried. Then you’re climbing up and down the bed trying to find what you need, adding downtime to your busy schedule. 

Underbody boxes, headache racks, and storage layouts are part of the vehicle upfitting work that gives tools a real home, not just “somewhere on the truck.” Instead of riding loose or getting moved around, tools stay where crews expect them to be, and the deck stays clear for cargo and forklift access. 

In fleets that run multiple trucks or routes, this kind of commercial vehicle upfitting helps keep setups consistent. Drivers can step into a different truck and still know where everything is. 

We can build storage solutions around how your crew works. Some fleets want the same layout across every truck so any driver can jump in and find everything. Some need a different setup for a specific route or commodity. With tools stored where crews expect them, the bed stays clear, and loading happens without extra work. 

4. Visibility and Lighting Upgrades 

Lighting problems usually show up as impact, not complaints. Forks miss pallet pockets. Loads get bumped during approach. Deck edges, rub rails, and headache racks take hits they shouldn’t. In low light, operators end up correcting by feel instead of sight. 

Without enough light at the work area, loading takes longer and gets rougher. Those extra movements add time at every stop and increase the chance of damage during loading and unloading, which are already high-risk parts of the job.

Lighting upgrades focus on the work zone, not just visibility for the road. Deck and rear work lights help operators see the bed clearly, line up forks, catch hand signals, and place the load without having to pull back and try again. Over a full route, better lighting reduces wear on equipment and helps crews keep stops efficient and predictable.  

5. Protective Coatings 

Steel wears down in predictable ways. Moisture sits in seams. Road chemicals get sprayed everywhere. Pallets scrape the deck. Forklift tires grind grit into the surface. After a while, you see rust starting in the same places every time. 

Protective coatings slow that cycle down. They protect the steel from moisture and abrasion, and they help the bed stand up to repeated contact and impact. Coatings slow corrosion and help the bed hold up longer, which cuts down on repairs that pull a truck out of rotation. 

Over time, surface protection makes a difference in how long a flatbed holds up. Fleets that add coatings during flatbed work and repairs tend to see less rust, fewer soft spots, and less edge damage as the miles add up. That helps keep trucks working instead of sitting for repairs. 

Strengthen Fleet Performance with Beamer’s Piggyback  

Here’s the takeaway. The right upgrades help trucks work the way they’re supposed to, keeping your fleet safer, more reliable, and on schedule.  

This is the work we do every day. We look at how your trucks load, travel, and unload in real conditions, then build upgrades that reduce wear, cut delays, and keep equipment under control across a full route.  

Contact us today to discuss upgrades that make your trucks easier to run, easier to maintain, and better suited to the work they do every day.