Regarding the wheel arches on compact pickups: Most compact pickups that can’t fit a sheet of plywood flat on the floor between the wheel arches have notches in the side of the bed for crossboards. That allows you to easily build a platform for sheet goods. Like this:
That’s what the rectangular notches in the side of the Slate’s bed are for:
I have a similar setup on my truck even though it doesn’t have those notches. I just don’t like having the overhang flopping in the air and not even being supported by the tailgate anymore so I just don’t bother with it. A mid-size pickup simply isn’t good for that. If it’s just a few sheets I’ll put them on the roof but for more than that I just use a trailer instead.
Regarding the wheel arches on compact pickups: Most compact pickups that can’t fit a sheet of plywood flat on the floor between the wheel arches have notches in the side of the bed for crossboards. That allows you to easily build a platform for sheet goods. Like this:
That’s what the rectangular notches in the side of the Slate’s bed are for:
I have a similar setup on my truck even though it doesn’t have those notches. I just don’t like having the overhang flopping in the air and not even being supported by the tailgate anymore so I just don’t bother with it. A mid-size pickup simply isn’t good for that. If it’s just a few sheets I’ll put them on the roof but for more than that I just use a trailer instead.