Driving when Retired

Most tradespeople own a work vehicle. Here are two vehicle accessories which professionals of this kind may find useful.

A ladder rack

A ladder is a crucial item which virtually all tradespeople, including electricians, plumbers, decorators, plasters, and carpenters, need to use on a daily basis in order to reach things that are positioned at a height. However, whilst this equipment is undeniably useful, it is also quite cumbersome and can take up a lot of valuable space inside a work van or truck.

If the storage area in the vehicle is not long enough, keeping a ladder in it can also be quite dangerous, as the tips of the ladder are likely to extend into the front of the vehicle and obscure the tradesperson's view whilst they are in the driver's seat.

As such, in instances where the vehicle's storage area is not large enough to contain a ladder, or where the tradesperson needs to store other work equipment in this area, it is sensible to invest in a ladder rack.

Ladder racks are metal handling systems that can be attached to the roof of a vehicle. They provide a convenient and safe method of storing a ladder on top of a truck or van. Racks of this kind are extremely robust and will keep the ladder securely fastened to the roof, even when the vehicle to which it is attached is being driven at high speeds.

A protective liner mat

Much of the work that tradespeople perform on a day-to-day basis is extremely messy; decorators usually get covered in paint, whilst plasterers and carpenters may find themselves covered from head to toe in dust.

A lot of this debris and dirt then ends up being transferred into the interior of the work vehicle. If the vehicle has carpeted flooring, the dust, dirt and paint particles may become ingrained into the carpet fibres, leaving the fabric looking matted and filthy. This can be a nightmare to clean and can leave the vehicle's interior looking extremely unsightly and neglected. If the carpet then becomes wet (due to a spillage or as a result of being stepped on with wet shoes), mould could also develop.

Lining the vehicle interior with a protective rubber mat eliminates all of these problems. Rubber is extremely easy to clean, requiring little more than a quick hoovering and an occasional wipe with a damp cloth.  Because it dries out very quickly, this material is also far less likely than carpet to succumb to mould.