Cargo Management Solutions: New and Classic Standards

We accumulate a lot of stuff, and that heap of gear requires proper cargo management solutions to stay safe, secure, and organized. Truck owners have long depended on toolboxes, personal fabrication methods, or merely a stroke of luck. Because, let’s face it, an open bed is bound to cause valuables to shift at every speed, bump, and turn.

Automotive trends come and go, but one persisting constant is the popularity and continual growth of the truck market – and in turn, the demand for quality cargo storage. According to the SEMA Light Truck Snapshot, 57.6 million trucks were registered in the U.S. in 2020. That’s 20% of all vehicles on the road nationwide! What’s more, 21% of new pickups sold in 2020 were midsize or smaller. That means drivers need new and innovative ways to make the most of their limited bed space.

SEMA’s findings also reveal that drivers need practical solutions, based on what they’re hauling. Of those surveyed, 83% said they used their truck to carry outdoor recreation items. In comparison, 92% use the truck for longer trips like a family vacation. Top go-to categories include truck bed accessories like toolboxes and cargo racks, as well as cleaning products and exterior upgrades like bed mats, liners, and tonneau covers.

The Universal Toolbox

Toolboxes are one of the most popular upgrades for truck bed storage. More than a handy accessory for work trucks, toolboxes present a suitable cargo management solution for anything drivers want to protect from the elements and secure from theft. Manufacturers need to offer more than just a metal box with a lid, though.

“The traditional crossover toolbox is an almost ubiquitous solution found in the back of many trucks. It certainly has its place, but the one thing it doesn’t allow is actual access and easy use of the storage that is available,” says Greg Randolph, Director of Marketing at DECKED. “Unless you are 7′ tall and have the wingspan of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, you have to crawl into the back of your truck or stand on a tire to reach into it.”

“Most of these boxes end up with a few commonly used items on the top layer of storage, but the depths of these boxes are filled with all sorts of junk, forgotten tools, rusty water, leaves, and the like,” adds Randolph.

This perspective resonates with many end users who demand more from their truck beds: versatile storage options that enhance, not compromise, the form and function of a daily driver pickup. Today, shop owners and consumers alike have the power of choice. Easily-removable options like the TruXedo Expedition and BEDSLIDE five-piece Bed Bins are readily available. There are also abundant racking options for the outdoor enthusiast to hold gear like kayaks and standup paddleboards. The Dee Zee Invis-a-Rack offers a weight capacity of 500 pounds and slides down into the bed rail casings when not in use.

Complementary Accessories

Meanwhile, commercial-grade items like BACKRACK’s line of headache and cab racks present an excellent option for both work truck owners and drivers who want more durable, safety-conscious options for bed storage. The manufacturer makes a full line of racking options to protect the back window of a truck cab, as well as tool holder attachments and siderail configurations like the TOOLBOX RAIL to accommodate a cross-bed toolbox. BACKRACK’S products also boast reinforced steel construction, plus a protective black powder coating to guard against scratches, chips, and corrosion.

For drivers who want a little more security and refined organization, Tuffy builds storage lockboxes that add protection and durability to a truck bed’s storage capabilities. Plus, they mount to the side of a truck bed, allowing more room for cargo in the middle of the bed.

New Changes: Overlanding and Worker Needs

According to SEMA, the truck market has been through a few iterations since 1990, when 48% of pickups sold in the U.S. were “smaller” pickups. Through the 1990s and into the 2000s, that trend shifted towards bigger, bulkier trucks. By 2014, only 11% of pickups sold were mid-size or compact. In SEMA’s report, 21% of trucks sold in 2020 were smaller pickups, showing a gradual shift back towards lighter-duty trucks.

With the shift to lighter trucks, accessorization has also evolved. One of the more noticeable trends in the last few years has been the rise in popularity of Overlanding. While Overlanding was already gaining momentum pre-COVID, the pandemic accelerated interest. Scores of drivers wanted ways to get outside and explore while still being safe. That popularity is seen in the sheer numbers at the pastime’s key tradeshow, Overlanding Expo.

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen meteoric growth in both the industry and the number of attendees. Overland Expo started in 2009 with a handful of exhibitors and 500 attendees to more than 1,200 exhibitors and 55,000+ attendees across the events,” said Lindsay Hubley, Lodestone Events in the SEMA report. “In 2020, in the year where we could not host any live in person Overland Expo events, we had more than 44,000+ new attendees come through our virtual education programs.”

The aftermarket has made a quick study of this boom.

Overlanding Adventures

Brands like Yakima boast a full line of products made specifically for the hardcore adventurer with its Basecamp line. The manufacturer makes other durable products like rugged aluminum construction racks for hauling kayaks, coolers, and camping gear, with payloads as big as 500 pounds. Thule has also been a go-to name for the outdoors enthusiast, with racking options plus a line of rooftop tents built to fit a wide variety of truck fitments. The manufacturer’s Tepui line of tents also features tents that slide over the back of the bed with an extended canopy that sits on the ground.

Along with camping gear, the growth in Overlanding has increased demand for other truck accessories like sidesteps, lighting, and winches. Simply put: trucks are the preferred way to get those campers to their getaway destination, so anything that makes the trip easier and more ergonomic is in high demand.

Modern Worker

Anything that prioritizes organization and ergonomics remains king on the work truck side, as well. As does cargo securement. Straps, ties, and tarps, along with the more obvious ladder racks, shelving, drawers, slides, and bins are all popular add-ons for drivers in this category.

Companies like KargoMaster have been delivering extra safety for years with reliable ratchet straps to secure everything from piping and lumber to ladders and canoes. Meanwhile, manufacturers like Dee Zee offer heavy-duty tie-downs built from cast aluminum, many of which mount easily into existing truck bed holes.

DECKED recently released its Truck Tool Box built with high-impact, injection-molded polymer ASA and HPDE resins. DECKED said the box offers “bombproof protection” against dents and punctures and anti-corrosion, waterproof construction.

This particular model also features a ladder that nests beneath the lid. While DECKED isn’t necessarily marketing the box specifically to smaller truck owners, products like this box that consolidate space with built-in features could be more attractive to the small pickup owner who needs to be crafty with their space.

Shelving and drawers also keep truck beds secure and organized.

Cargo Ease continues to focus on offering newer, safer, and more practical pull-out slide designs.

“Both our ramp loading system and safety break locking system have been recognized by peers through SEMA,” said Jordin Lyne, Sales, and Marketing at Cargo Ease. “The safety break system is a locking system that stops the slide from moving any time the slide handle is released. That’s a great feature if you have commercial (1,500 lbs., 2,000 lbs.) or Titan Series (2,500 lbs., 3,000 lbs.) capacity slides that are off-road and on an incline; you want the slide to stop when you release the handle to avoid losing control.”

Cargo Ease also designed a proper commercial-grade locker that holds up to 600 pounds per drawer and a deck that holds 2,000 pounds or 2,500 pounds, depending on the locker model.

With its rolling truck bed toolbox, DECKED also has a pulse on the racking and storage market. The DECKED team crafted a winning design wherein storage volume can be evenly divided into two drawers that slide out at tailgate height, thereby creating a more organized and accessible experience without physical strain or the need to paw through stacks of tools and gear. Because DECKED’s toolbox covers the wheel wells, consumers get the entire footprint of the bed for lumber, a sleeping platform, or just ensuring a larger flat surface area for carrying loads.

“In all cases, our product was designed to encourage good ergonomics and be light in weight, but still have the payload of the half-ton truck bed (2,000 pounds), be impervious to the elements, and be easy to install/remove,” said Greg Randolph.

Cargo Management for New Trucks

Looking ahead, smaller pickups look like they’ll be here to stay, especially judging from recent rollouts like the new Ford Maverick. Models like the Maverick still offer plenty of the standard trappings of a small pickup. Still, Ford and other automakers are marketing these smaller trucks to newer generations of “makers” and outdoors enthusiasts. On the Maverick, the automaker called the truck bed a “FLEXBED” and referred to it as a “makerspace,” which it said drivers can use for DIY racks and gear.

Along with smaller pickups aimed at drivers outside the commercial and construction markets, electric vehicles present a new challenge for cargo storage. Because EV trucks have battery packs in place of big roaring engines, that free space under the hood changes where and how drivers will stow their gear. For example, the Ford Lightning offers drivers a 14.1 cubic foot “frunk” or front trunk for storage.

Additionally, most of these vehicles use innovative chassis configurations which create more cargo management opportunities. One strange (but practical) concept is the 2022 Rivian R1T electric pickup’s gear tunnel. Due to the vehicle’s unique skateboard platform, a storage area sits under the rear seat. Accessed via drop-down panels between the back doors and rear wheels on either side of the bed, it offers a reported 11.6 cubic feet of space. While not cavernous, it does provide clever storage for oddly-shaped items like snowboards or more secure storage for gear you would prefer not be rolling around the bed.

How do frunks and gear tunnels impact cargo storage?

The short answer is that truck bed accessory manufacturers will most likely have to focus on these areas of EV pickups. While EV adoption in the U.S. has been a slow burn, the enthusiasm is starting to bubble up. Ford recently capped reservations on the F-150 Lightning after tallying up 200,000 requests for the pickup. A reservation isn’t a sale, but that type of excitement shows customers are growing more interested in EV pickup options. Suppose manufacturers can offer the same reliable, sturdy gear for frunks and gear tunnels as they do truck bed accessories. In that case, this area of the truck market is a profitable sector to keep an eye on.