All Pickup Trucks Should Come Standard With Tonneau Covers From the Factory
You know I’m right.
This past February, I found myself behind the wheel of the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. By all means, it was a very nice truck—but there was one issue with it that wasn't really its fault. It was more the fault of how trucks are sold here in general, and the issue was this: They don't come standard from the factory with tonneau covers. This needs to change.
I am well aware that there are countless options for tonneau covers, both aftermarket and dealer-installed. Also, they're likely a highly lucrative revenue stream for both parties. Let's do away with that system altogether and make it not an option at all. Like with doors and cupholders, a tonneau cover should just be another one of those things you automatically receive on your truck when you buy it new without having to do any extra work to get it. It increases the practicality of the bed, increases security for your stuff, and keeps dust and leaves out. Not being able to store things back there due to poor weather because your truck didn't come with a cover is plain stupid.
I'll give you the anecdote that kicked off this whole thing. When I had the Tundra, I needed to transport two suitcases, a laundry hamper, groceries, a gown, and some suits. It was February. The weather was atrocious. But because the truck had no tonneau, we had to cram everything into the back seat. This was fine because we had no one else to drive around, but it seemed like an awful waste of all that bed space. But what other choice did we have? I didn't feel like cleaning road slush off my stuff. This whole thing could have been avoided if there was a tonneau cover.
Furthermore, when we arrived at our destination in Vermont, I saw that every pickup truck owner in that Shaw's parking lot had a tonneau cover. They knew what was up. They made the conscious decision to make their trucks more practical and weatherproof. Why did it need to be a conscious decision, though? It should just be a given. You don't order a convertible and then spend a minute or two debating whether or not you also need the roof. The point is the car should come from the factory that way with a top—for the bed or for its passengers—and then you have the option of whether or not you want to actually use it.
But because I'm not a dictator and I understand that not everyone wants or needs a tonneau cover, the second part of my proposal is that you should also be able to delete the cover as a no-cost option. Don't want it? Get rid of it! But don't punish the people who do need it. Check out the way Porsche does things. There are a ton of no-cost delete options on all of its configurations.
It's ridiculous that it's, like, basically 2023 and this still isn't a thing yet. Think I should start a petition?
Want to reach out about how correct I am? Holla at kristen@thedrive.com
