If you are set on a truck, it's research time. I would start with a list like this
chart, or
this that will tell you if your ladder will fit inside the bed of a certain truck in a certain configuration. Then head over to
fuelly or
truedelta to get an idea of what kind of realistic MPGs to expect. Keep in mind just because a particular truck gets good mileage, the MPG can drastically change between year models, not to mention different configurations.
If you want to see what a particular truck
can achieve, ecomodder has a
list of vehicles that members drive. There is a truck section, by gas and diesel, about halfway down the page. You can also visit
Fuel Economy which can be useful for comparing vehicles according to EPA estimates, but take those with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Finally, visit
this thread by
aerohead and
this thread by
bamzippow for ideas and inspiration.
Good Luck!
