Jeff Vanlaningham

I have been working in the Automotive Aftermarket for 8 years now.  When I started, I had trouble telling apart a Chevy or a Ford.  I didn’t understand all the different terminology for crew cab, super cab, extended cab and such.  It was all new to me.   I first attended the SEMA show (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) in 2002, I was blown away by the sheer size of this industry and the amount of enthusiasm people have for their truck.  I was also amazed at how many different products there were to place on your truck.  Well, if I was going to work in this Industry, I was going to have to sample the products.  So here is my journey into Truck Accessories

Before the chrome tidal wave

2003 Blue Dodge Ram AKA “The Mayor”.  I was so excited to get my first truck.  I did not meet a truck accessory that I did not want to put on it.  It literally looked like a Truck Accessory store threw up on my truck.  Here is a list of the many products that I placed on it.  Chrome grille insert, Chrome bug shield, chrome headlight covers, nerf bars, chrome mirror covers, bed caps, tonneau cover, bed liner, chrome tailgate handle, taillight covers, new taillights, air intake system, led tailgate bar, dash kit, interior neon vent lights, snow plow, pickup bed storage unit, fuel door cover, pillar post…. You get the idea.  This truck had so much chrome on it, I don’t even know if it was street legal.  Way too much going on here.  Lesson learned, take it down a notch. 

So with the next truck…

Looks good..

2005 Black Chevrolet Silverado, Crew Cab AKA Maybelline.  Now I was wiser to the ways of Truck Accessories.  I knew that sometimes less is more.  Take your time and ease in to things.  We started out with a black soft roll up tonneau cover.  20’ chrome wheels.  Huge chrome nerf bars.  So far so good.  (Although, the bigger the nerf bars, the more likely they are to brush up and stain your dress pants)
Brushed Nickel Fuel door cover.  Don’t know what I was thinking here.  People tried to get me to add all sorts of stuff including hood scoops, bug shields and underground effects lighting.  I stood my ground.  I am not going to lie; this was a good looking truck.  Simple, elegant and cool.  The drawback, it looked almost too good to do any actual work with.  The first time I had to haul branches, I was terrified it would scratch my paint.  This truck was not bought to be a beauty pageant contestant, we have work to do (for by this time, I had learned all of the benefits of owning a truck) so now I had a great looking truck but not very practical. 
I also bought a 2007 Chevy Extended Cab, tan.  I tried a new experiment of accessorizing it with all black parts.  Big mistake and one I don’t even want to waste your time explaining. 

So now I am again looking to find a new truck.  Not sure what I am going to go with yet.  I am leaning toward the Ford F-150 but also like the look of the new Dodge Ram.  Either way, this go around, I am bringing all my knowledge of truck accessories and am only going to put on the essentials.  So I would like to share with you what has ultimately made my list.  This list will reflect my need to customize my truck and make it look flashy but also hold true to the idea that I need this truck for a variety of different projects and it needs to be practical. 

Tonneau Cover:  This is a must.  It adds a nice finished look to your truck box and also helps protect your gear.  This is always the first accessory I get.  For me personally, I like the soft roll up covers.  Good protection and roll up out of the way.  Don’t need to mess with taking them off.  Personal recommendation:  Literider roll up cover.  Stupid name but it is one of the best values for the money.

Bed Rug:  I love this product.  Its HD carpet for your bed.  Great for when you have to crawl around back there and protects things like luggage or a box full of Christmas presents for the long road trip to grandmas.  You can wash it out with a hose and it holds up to anything.  Be careful when hauling leaves thought as they can be a pain in the butt to get out.

Running Boards:  I don’t know if running boards look as cool as nerf bars but I know they work better.  A bigger flatter surface so that your foot wont slip through he cracks.  I don’t personally need running boards to get in my truck but it helps my wife and kids.  This is one where I am going to sacrifice what looks cool for what works even better. 

Grille Insert:  this is purely a flash purchase, but the front of your truck is making the first impression.  A nice mesh chrome grille insert adds a lot to your vehicles appearance.  My recommendation would be the Putco grilles that just snap right on.

LED Tailgate bar:  This just plain look cool.  I suppose you could argue that they increase the exposure of your turning signal or something but we both know that’s not why you buy this.  My personal recommendation would be anything that you just have to plug in.  Do not bother with any LED bar you have to hard wire.  They are a pain in the ass.

So that’s my list of essentials.  There are lots of great products out there that can enhance the way your vehicle looks or functions, but for me, this is my must have list of truck accessories based on my years in the industry.