Commercial Truck Caps 101

What Are Commercial Truck Caps?

A commercial truck cap is an OEM or aftermarket top that covers the bed of your pickup truck . Commercial truck caps are made especially to provide a higher level of security than other truck caps.

They’re more specifically designed for field service workers and professionals (such as HVAC technicians, roofers, contractors, etc.) who use a work truck to travel to job sites.

If you’re in the market for a deluxe commercial unit or just want to learn more about these mythical creatures, stick around. We’re covering everything there is to know about them in this article.

How Would a Commercial Truck Cap Benefit You?

Source: Leer

If you work out of your pickup truck and haul a metric sh*t-ton of gear, odds are a commercial truck cap will benefit you. That math is simple and checks out. But besides the obvious benefit of some more secure cargo space, let’s review some other benefits that slide under the radar.

A heavy-duty commercial truck cap is one of the most secure truck cap options available for protecting the contents of your pickup. When you’re carrying expensive tools and equipment needed to complete your job, you want to lock that stuff down, keep it safe, and live to see the next payday. A commercial truck cap can offer security not just from prying eyes and opportunists, but from professional thieves who specifically target tradespeople for their very expensive tools.

It’s a convenient bonus that it also gives solid protection from the weather. Because commercial truck caps are made to be a little sturdier and more durable than a classic aluminum or plastic truck cap, you can rest assured your gear is pretty safe from the elements. Side doors, windows, and other access points are usually equipped with strong, durable stainless steel hinges, t-handles, and other fittings, too, so you’re pretty well protected on those fronts.

Adding a truck top allows you to use the otherwise wasted vertical space above the truck bed. It increases your storage capacity and can allow for better organization of tools and equipment as some models come with built-in storage solutions and shelving. You can also add roof racks and other organizing solutions to suit your needs.

An often unexpected benefit to enclosing the back of your truck is increased aerodynamics . That’s right, streamlining your vehicle reduces fuel consumption, making your truck more efficient to run. But this is a delicate dance; it only applies if you’re not overloading your pickup with every piece of machinery, all the tools in all your belts, and good ol’ Uncle Earl. Also, if you’re thinking of getting extended height with a walk-in cap, raising the height above the truck cab decreases the aerodynamics again, killing your fuel efficiency before you even start loading your gear.
If you’re ever in trouble with the missus, it makes for a pretty warm and safe doghouse. (We’ve all been there.)

Different Types of Commercial Truck Caps

Commercial truck caps come with some standard features and some unique to the various brands. There are so many options and upgrades available; you can really make the topper a part of your truck, reflect who you are, and cater to your needs. These days, commercial truck caps could very well be a secret Transformer.

To make sure you’re not pissing off the next Optimus Prime, here’s a basic rundown of all the different types so you can tell what you’re messing with.

Types of truck caps

Aluminum truck caps: Stronger and sturdier than regular/non-commercial aluminum truck caps, the commercial version is made to withstand the demands of a hard-working vehicle while still being lightweight. While this is true, aluminum exteriors can still dent and are less durable than fiberglass commercial caps, so you might not want to expect a high resale value.

Fiberglass truck caps : These caps are slightly more expensive, but they offer more durability and security. With that, fiberglass toppers are on the heavy side (commercial fiberglass caps can start reaching that $2,000 range). However, they tend to look better for longer than aluminum, so the resale value is much better here.

Steel truck caps: Steel truck caps are (at least visibly) the most secure of the different commercial truck cap materials. These, however, might not give you the most rearview visibility and are probably the heaviest option.

Mid-rise: A mid-rise truck cap encloses the area above the truck bed but is not as high as the true truck cab.

High-rise: These enclose above the cab height (about an extra foot). High-rise truck caps allow more headroom, and if you’re planning on frequently carrying tall items, just make sure they’ll fit under the topper.

Cab-high: These come right up to the height of the cab and are the best in terms of aerodynamics. The cab-high provides a lot of space and increases fuel efficiency more than other toppers or tonneau covers .

Walk-in: These often have full-length side doors, exceed the height of the truck cab, and start to resemble a cargo van , more or less. They’re not technically “walking” height, but the idea is that you don’t have to be completely folded over or crouching. However, if your name starts with LeBron and ends with James, you’re still crouchin’.

Brands

LEER : With extensive storage options and security features to choose from, LEER produces an excellent range of commercial truck caps.
SpaceKap : With a focus on quality, versatility, and sustainability, SpaceKap is Canada’s largest manufacturer of fiberglass truck caps.
Unicover : Rugged construction and loads of customizable features, the Unicover brand is a family-owned business that aims to offer high-quality accessories at reasonable prices.
DECKED : DECKED provides the same storage, organization, and security solutions as truck caps but does not present most of the problems that truck caps have. Made right here in the USA, DECKED is an affordable truck cap solution and alternative.

Choose DECKED For Your Storage and Security Needs

DECKED’s mission is to make your life easier. This means you can use DECKED drawers with or without a truck cap to fit your exact needs and purposes; there’s no need to just pick one.

DECKED WITH A TRUCK CAP

You don’t have to army crawl under your truck cap to grab your gear. You get easy access from the truck rear. Just pull out the drawers.
If you sleep under your truck cap, it gives you a bigger, flat sleeping platform by covering your wheel wells .
Keeps your stuff safe, secure, and dry in any kind of weather.
You don’t need a truck bed liner.
You won’t need extra shelving; just opt for our modular organization solutions .
It keeps all the stuff you need access to organized and easily accessible, rather than floating around among the giant pile of things under your cap.

DECKED without a truck cap

All of the above still applies, but here are some added bonuses:

DECKED keeps your gear secure and out of sight (does this better than a truck cap because you can’t actually see inside).
Don’t quote us, but it probably costs less, too.
It’s completely waterproof. Don’t believe us? Watch us put it to the ultimate test .
DECKED allows you to still load bulky things like a refrigerator, a bunch of plywood, or an ATV on top.
DECKED comes with a limited lifetime warranty.