November 3, 2025
Desk on wheels, feelings on fire
My Truck Desk
The scrapped F‑150 ‘office’ that sparked cheers, cubicle politics, and van‑life jokes
TLDR: A plant worker-writer lost his DIY “Truck Desk” when his beat-up F‑150 was scrapped. Commenters split between applauding gritty make-time creativity, wishing it were a techy truck-office build, and arguing he could’ve charmed a cubicle instead—plus jokes about Ford’s steering wheel tray show the hack is already a product.
A welder-writer’s beloved beater F‑150—home to his DIY “Truck Desk”—got hauled to the scrapyard, and the comments section peeled out. Many swooned over the grit: “Awesome story,” one fan sighed, arguing that making time beats having fancy gear. Others expected a full-on “gaming rig in a pickup” reveal; one reader admitted the title had them picturing a tricked-out cab workspace and felt playfully baited when it was actually an essay about hustle and heart.
Then came the spicy office-politics take: a commenter insisted the whole saga could’ve been avoided by schmoozing the office staff for an unused cubicle. That lit a mini culture war—team DIY loner vs. team be nice, get the keys. Meanwhile, the jokesters rolled in with “Ford already sells this” energy, dropping a Ford Transit steering wheel tray link like a mic. A bookish crowd chimed in too, recommending John Jerome’s classic “Truck” vibe via this rec.
The verdict? The truck died, but the ethos lives: make your own conditions—even if it’s a plank balanced on a steering wheel. The community is split between romanticizing the grind, craving gadget porn, and arguing that a smile to HR beats shellac on plywood.
Key Points
- •The author was rehired at a petrochemical plant and discovered his old F-150 had been scrapped after its engine failed.
- •He had built a custom portable “Truck Desk” to write during breaks, which was lost with the truck.
- •The crew’s task involved disassembling a heat exchanger and using a crane to lift parts for inspection before repairs.
- •Breaks are spent in a lively trailer environment, leading the author to seek quieter spaces like the machine shop to write.
- •Over two decades, the author has used work breaks and site delays to write, emphasizing the need to create one's own conditions for creative work.