An injury, arthritis, or another chronic knee condition can make it hard to get in and out of your work truck. This, in turn, could put your career in jeopardy. Fortunately, there are customization options available that can help you overcome any physical limitations. Consider the following and adopt those that are most beneficial for you.

Running boards

Sometimes stepping up or down is the most difficult part of using your work truck. Fortunately, this is also one of the easiest problems to fix. Installing running boards will make it easier to get in and out of the truck since you will no longer have to over extend your knee.

Truck steps

Sometimes, though, running boards aren't a good option. For trucks that require a high lift, a running board may not be enough to bridge the distance. Or, if you have to drive on rough roads, the running board could be damaged. In this case, consider truck steps. There are steps that fold up when you begin driving, so there is no need to worry about damage. You can also get multi-step configurations if you need a bit more help to get into a high truck.

Grab bars

Most trucks come with an interior grab as a standard feature, but it may not be sufficient. Another common tactic is to grab the steering wheel, arm rest, or center console and treat it as a grab bar. The problem with this is you are likely to damage the car. Install after market grab bars where you need them most, instead. This can be inside the truck cab or outside. Get in and out of your truck a few times and determine where you want to grab for balance to decide the best location. You can even have bars installed along the edge of the bed to help you get up to tend to your load. As an added benefit, bed mounted bars double as tie down points.

Drive customization

For those that spend a lot of time sitting down and driving, the simple act of sitting in one place may put undue stress on a chronically injured knee. A seat customization can help overcome this. There are a variety of customization options available. Some are for the seat itself, such as installing one with an extended seat for more upper leg support. Others are simply for the driver side area, such as pedal extenders that ensure you don't have to over-extend your knee to hit a brake, gas, or clutch pedal.

For more help, talk to a truck accessory dealer.