Another value tidbit of information from Gus the Surveyor!
How I set up a mobile office for land surveying that actually works (and doesn’t drink my coffee).
I once watched a fresh cup of coffee surf a stack of plats, hit the e-brake, and cannon into my vest pocket like a caffeinated torpedo. That was the morning I admitted the truth: my truck is my office. Not a glamor office—more like a rolling toolbox with a heater and a bad sense of humor. But when you’re doing boundary surveys, construction staking, and chasing control with a GNSS rover and total station, the way you set up that truck can make or break the day.
If you’re hunting for land surveyor truck setup, surveying truck organization, or just tired of losing the 25’ tape under a herd of lath—pull up a tailgate.
A survey rig has five jobs:
Protect the expensive stuff (instruments, data collectors, batteries).
Move fast (find it, grab it, deploy it).
Keep folks safe (traffic, weather, wildlife, contractors).
Capture clean data (power, backup, workflow).
Stay legal & sane (payload, maintenance, paperwork tidy).
Design your setup around those five, and efficiency shows up like a good crew—early and ready.
Cab = The Office. Clip board, project folders, laptop/tablet sleeve, pens/Sharpies, spare glasses, USB‑C PD chargers, radio, notepad. Coffee upright, please.
Back Seat = Daily Kit. PPE, rain gear, lunch/water, first-aid, survey crew safety checklist, headlamps, spare socks, gloves, sunscreen, bug dope.
Bed/Cap = Equipment Bay. Total station, GNSS base/rover, tripods, prism pole, bipod, rods, targets, nails, lath, hubs, paint. Keep it dry and strapped.
Exterior = Racks & Recovery. Tripod rack, shovel, tow strap, traction boards if you’re feeling muddy.
Cases: Hard cases with foam for instruments; soft bags for rods and bipods.
Color-Code: Red = control, blue = boundary, green = construction. Tape the handles to match.
Labels: Painter’s tape + Sharpie beats “mystery bin” every time.
Dust/Moisture: Rubber floor mats, gasketed totes, silica gel packs.
Battery Strategy: One “live” battery bank, one “charging” bank. Rotate daily. Nothing goes to bed dead.
Gus Tip: Magnetic trays (the kind mechanics use) keep tribrach screws and adapters from doing a disappearing act in gravel.
Inverter + USB-C PD: Mount a small pure-sine inverter and a PD hub on a “charging rail.”
Cradle for the Collector: A little 3D-printed or wood cradle so the data collector charges face-up—less “where’d it go?”
Tailgate Ingest: After field, I dock SD cards/receivers right on the tailgate: copy → verify → cloud sync when you have service → portable SSD as on-site backup.
Cable Discipline: Velcro wraps, labeled lengths, duplicates of the cables that always fail on Fridays.
Heat: Instruments hate hot attics. Park in shade, crack windows (safely), use reflective windshield shade.
Cold: Batteries lose oomph below freezing. Keep a small insulated “battery bag” in the cab.
Wet Gear Protocol: Wet goes in a dedicated bin with vent holes. Dry your vest and boots before tomorrow’s 6am stakeout.
High-Vis & Cones: Two vests, six cones, collapsible triangle, amber beacon if you’re on roads.
First Aid & Fire: Full kit + tourniquet, burn gel, eyewash, small ABC extinguisher.
Recovery: Tow strap, soft shackles, small shovel, compact compressor, tire plug kit.
Lightning Rule: If you hear thunder, lay down the lightning rods we call “poles” and get low. Metal and electricity are old friends—don’t set them up on a blind date.
Payload Math: Add up instrument cases, racks, bins, and lumber. Stay under rating. Your suspension and brakes will thank you.
Tires & Brakes: All-terrains with real load rating. Rotate on schedule.
Spare Parts: Fuses, bulbs, wipers, DEF (if diesel), hose clamps, zip ties, nitrile gloves.
Cleaning: A 5-gallon “wash bucket” with rags, glass cleaner, hand wipes, and a little broom keeps the cab from becoming a field museum.
Stakeout Kit: Nails, PKs, shiners, paint, ties, carpenters pencil, mini sledge, pin flags.
Boundary Kit: Caps, rebar, trowel, wire brush, whisk broom, flagging colors, witness posts.
Control Kit: Tribrach, forced-centering adapters, prism, extra bubbles, mini level, plumb bob.
“Uh‑Oh” Kit: Duct tape, epoxy, hose clamp, super glue, JB Weld, spare bipod feet, spare pole clamp.
Coffee vs. Plats: Coffee won. Plats lost. Cup now rides in a deep, rubberized holder.
Dead Battery Day: Cloudless sky, perfect control… and three dead rover batteries. Now I rotate like a short-order cook.
The Flying Drawing: Tailgate drafting in a thunder gust. My site plan went to Narnia. Binder clips now live in the door pocket.
The Missing Nails Incident: Mile from the truck, ready to set hubs—no nails. Stakeout kit now lives within arm’s reach of the tailgate.
Start with bins and labels. Milk crates and gasketed totes beat chaos.
Add power/charging. Inverter + PD hub becomes the heartbeat.
Build drawers later. Slide‑outs are great but not required to be organized.
Upgrade racks last. Solve your daily flow before bolting steel everywhere.
PPE: high‑vis, hard hat, gloves, safety glasses, ear pro
Cones/triangles, headlamps, first aid, extinguisher
Total station + tribrach + prism + poles + bipod
GNSS base/rover + bipod + extra batteries
Data collector + chargers + spare cables
Tripods (2), mini level, plumb bob
Stakeout kit (nails, paint, flags, hammer)
Boundary kit (caps, rebar, trowel, whisk)
Measuring gear (tape, wheel, steel tape if needed)
Tools (wrench roll, drivers, zip ties, duct tape)
Power: inverter, USB‑C PD, portable SSD, card reader
Weather gear: rain shell, sun hat, sunscreen, bug spray
Recovery: tow strap, shovel, compressor, plug kit
Cleaning: rags, wipes, glass cleaner, broom
Water & snacks (crew morale is a safety item)
If your truck looks like a yard sale in a windstorm, you’ll work like it. If it feels like a mobile office for land surveyors, jobs go smoother, gear lasts longer, and your survey project efficiency jumps without anyone staying late. Treat the truck like a partner, not a trunk. And keep the coffee upright. Ask me how I know.