Question about carrying 4'x8' plywood

Ok, really dumb question. Tomorrow, I need to pick up a few sheets of plywood and plan to use my short bed ’17 Tacoma. I’ve carried plywood and drywall previously however one edge of the sheet invariably falls inside the wheel hump whereas the other side stays on top, causing a twist in the material. For prior projects, a slight twist in material was acceptable, but I'd like to avoid it this time.

Despite owning this truck for 4 years, only last evening did I notice there are recesses molded in the bed wheel humps that appear to be sized to fit a 2x6.

The dumb question . . . do folks use a 2x6 spanning these recesses to support carrying sheet materials?

 

Yes

 

Yes, I just did it on Sunday.

 

Yes. That's exactly what those pockets are for and they work great!

 

Yes, you got it!

Important: be sure to also ballast the cab when you do this. See @tonered ’s photos for reference.

 

Gotta be able to hit the corners and haul the mail.

 

If you do this regularly, a rack can be helpful as well. I have a long bed and supporting the ends of the sheet goods hanging over the tailgate can be helpful too.
https://youtu.be/RMrIIqq26c0?si=W372KnvniHODdyfP

 

I posted this years ago (my very first post) and a handful of people have used it to help haul long loads. It can be aligned pretty well with the 2x6's you mentioned.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/adjustable-tailgate-cables-on-the-cheap.477171/#post-14489293