5 Truck Topper Ache Factors — Solved – Upfitting
Small cargo vans have been slowly transitioning out of the market, pushing many fleets to make the swap to pickup vehicles.
Pickup truck gear makes the transition simpler to suit the identical instruments and gear right into a smaller area, however many are discovering truck caps to be problematic.
Frequent points embody safety, rigid designs, ergonomics, and particularly lengthy lead occasions. Thankfully, all of those challenges may be resolved.
Problem #1: You’re caught with what you ordered.
While you order truck caps, chances are you’ll not know whether or not you’ll want a ladder rack, a toolbox, or different add-on equipment sooner or later — particularly if it’s your first time changing to a pickup truck.
Within the present state, fleet homeowners should determine whether or not they need ladder racks or toolboxes on the time they place an order with the truck cap producer. The difficulty is that if they aren’t positive at the moment or change their minds later, they received’t have the choice so as to add them.
Fleet wants change over time and if the truck cap you ordered can’t be modified to satisfy your necessities, it could possibly negatively impression productiveness, operator security, and even drive your hand to put money into a brand new truck cap or automobile.
“We see this drawback so much with pickup fleets. There isn’t any approach for a fleet to ensure its wants would be the similar down the highway, so manufacturing truck caps that don’t flex to fleet wants isn’t practical. To ship essentially the most worth, a truck cap wants to have the ability to accommodate upfit adjustments,” mentioned Mike Filipiak, director of engineering for Adrian Metal. “That’s why we rolled out the new Adrian Metal truck cap, which incorporates a modular design that makes customization straightforward — whether or not that occurs on order or down the highway.”
Problem #2: Lengthy lead occasions
One of many greatest truck cap challenges is the lead time.
The industry-standard lead time for truck toppers is at least eight (8) weeks — however some producers have as a lot as a 20-week lead time. 5 months is a very long time for vehicles to be grounded, particularly as a result of homeowners are seemingly lacking out on income alternatives whereas ready for his or her vehicles to be upfitted.
Adrian Metal has collapsed the lead time for truck caps down to simply 5 days for manufacturing.
“Storing tops exterior will increase danger of injury from the weather,” mentioned Katie Groves, Adrian Metal’s fleet nationwide gross sales supervisor. “As soon as broken, order to supply lead time begins over once more and your title goes to the underside of the checklist. Adrian Metal developed a just-in-time mannequin for our industrial grade-aluminum truck cap that avoids these points and slashes lead occasions.”
Problem #3: In case your truck cap will get broken, it’s a must to purchase a complete new one.
Let’s say a hailstorm blows by means of and also you solely have harm to 1 facet of your truck cap. With most, it’s a must to substitute all the cap.
With Adrian Metal’s new modular design, fleets solely have to interchange the broken portion of the topper.
“We have skilled an uptick in weather-related truck cap harm currently, so we designed the brand new Adrian Cap so solely the broken portion must be changed,” Groves defined. “This strategy reduces waste, alternative value, and automobile down time.”
Adrian Metal’s modular design can also be what permits for topper parts to be saved safely indoors.
“Storing truck caps indoors is big as a result of it prevents harm from the weather. For many producers, a broken topper means the shopper has to attend for one more one to be produced, making an already-long lead time longer,” Groves mentioned.
Problem #4: Safety
Truck caps must do greater than shield a truck mattress’s contents from the weather; additionally they want to guard the contents from theft. That’s particularly vital for fleets, for the reason that instruments, supplies, and gear inside require a big funding.
Thieves will do something to get inside a truck cap: pry it open, poke by means of it, or smash its locks. A topper must be made of fabric and outfitted with locks which can be robust sufficient to face up to a break in, however many don’t stand as much as the duty.
“It’s devastating, to not point out costly, when a truck is burglarized. We manufacture our new pickup truck cap out of .08 commercial-grade aluminum, which is thicker than most toppers available on the market and reduces the prospect of punctures or being pried open simply,” mentioned George Bernwanger, Adrian Metal’s chief engineer. “Our sturdy 3-point locking handles supply superior theft safety as properly.”
Though the Adrian Metal truck cap prevents thieves from accessing a truck’s cargo area, drivers can entry it far simpler. The door entry measurement is 30% bigger than comparable toppers, making for easy loading and fewer accidents for drivers.
Problem #5: Graphics
When your truck cap options your brand and call info, your truck does double responsibility as a automobile and as a rolling commercial for your enterprise.
The difficulty is graphics may be costly and take time to put in — which is further painful in case your pickup vehicles have already been sitting for months ready for a cap.
Adrian Metal has addressed each the time and expense points.
Their truck caps have flat surfaces which can be graphics pleasant. This makes set up quick and simple, which in flip reduces graphic set up prices. Adrian Metal additionally installs graphics on web site to save lots of time and bills.
“Adrian Metal installs graphics as a part of the ship-thru course of. This spares fleets from the time, expense, and problem of transporting automobiles to a different web site for set up,” Groves mentioned.
Able to Resolve Your Topper Troubles?
Should you’ve been combating these frequent truck cap challenges, Adrian Metal’s pickup truck topper can ease your frustrations. Adrian Metal additionally presents purpose-built truck mattress storage packages designed to extend productiveness for fleet drivers, no matter {industry}.
Truck Caps are at the moment accessible for the beneath fashions:
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 6.5’ & 8’ Mattress – 2019 and Newer
- Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 6.75’ & 8’ Mattress – 2020 and Newer
- Ford F-150, 6.5’ & 8’ Mattress – 2021 and Newer
- Ford F-250/350 6.75’ & 8’ Mattress – 2017 and Newer
- Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500, 6.3’ & 8’ – 2019 and Newer
Extra fashions coming in 2024 embody:
- Ford Maverick, 4.5’ Mattress
- Ford F-150, 5.5’ Mattress
- Ford Lightning 5.5’ Mattress
- Nissan Frontier 5’ & 6’ Mattress
Should you’d prefer to be notified in regards to the newest Adrian Metal topper and pickup truck mattress packages, signal as much as obtain updates.
