For everything American police do, pickup trucks make a lot of sense.
For many departments, moving big pieces and parcels of equipment is a primary advantage. SWAT teams carry shields, body armor, and breaching tools. Incident management teams need space for mobile command centers and power for prolonged responses. The drone operations proliferating among PDs require transport and rapid deployment capabilities for their high-value equipment.
With the versatility to meet all those needs, police pickups have moved from mostly rural and border applications into metropolitan departments. But while trucks carry lots more gear, they pose a new problem: quick access.
Items at the far end of the bed require awkward reaching, climbing and lifting – none of it conducive to deft responses.
EXTENDING BED WORKS WITH TRUCKVAULT STORAGE SYSTEMS
With the new TruckGlide, an extending cargo bed, TruckVault developed its own solution for quick cargo access in police pickup trucks. With a 1,500-pound payload capacity, TruckGlide offers easy 100% extension with the pull of a handle and boasts the lowest deck height on the market at 4 3/8 inches. Rapid retrieval of contents from three sides instead of one dramatically decreases deployment time.
TruckGlide comes in half-width (24 inches) and full-width (48 inches) versions and a range of lengths from 60–92 inches. The surface-coated deck simplifies maintenance and cleaning. Additionally, the unit is designed to sit atop TruckVault drawer systems like units from the Covered Bed and All-Weather lines, creating comprehensive storage and transport solutions.
Wacth this video demonstration of TruckGlide’s weight capacity.
“The biggest thing for me is that it’s the lowest-profile height on the market right now, so you’re not wasting that height in the bed,” said Lisa Herrera, TruckVault’s West Coast public safety territory manager. Herrera worked with officers and gathered input from the company’s numerous public safety clients to help shape TruckGlide’s key attributes. “The structural strength is very impressive – it’s a fully welded steel frame, which is a lot stronger and more rigid than some aluminum frames. They last a lot longer, and they’re fully serviceable. So fleet guys can have these in their fleets for years and years, and they’ll outlive the vehicles they’re used in.”
While the TruckGlide is new, that durability has certainly been characteristic of TruckVault’s other products.
“I often hear from our past customers that their TruckVaults have transcended numerous generations of vehicles,” said Ross Roberts, the company’s marketing director. “They’ll transfer them multiple times because they just outlive the life of the vehicle.”
TruckVault has helped police transport high-value items and sensitive gear securely for more than 25 years. Their rugged drawer systems for trucks, SUVs and other vehicles safely move weapons and gear in the field. The security-first design protects against theft, water and fire, wear and tear, and time-wasting disorganization. TruckVault units are entirely customizable to departments’ vehicles and needs.
“Many specialized requirements exist within various departments, be it fire, EMS, SWAT, or other domains,” explained Roberts. “Departments may possess gear that doesn’t always conform to a standard design, such as a single lockable drawer. So, we tailor our designs to accommodate their gear and provide something custom.”
Each TruckVault and TruckGlide system is built to order, meaning TruckVault can accommodate whatever unique spaces customers have for their specific needs. This lets the systems work together as a comprehensive unit that meets not only individual but departmental needs in a holistic, organized way.
COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS BRING RELIABILITY, SUPPORT LONG-TERM USE
Extending truck bed slides aren’t a new idea. Before bringing the capability in house with TruckGlide, TruckVault partnered with other manufacturers to add similar products to vehicles. Doing it themselves, however, provided the company some key advantages.
“We were seeing a lot of variation in the products we were getting,” said Herrera. She recounts the quality control issues that accompanied pairing other glide brands with TruckVault systems. TruckGlide is designed for TruckVault products specifically. In-house compatibility sets a standard of quality control from which both TruckVault and its customers benefit. “Customers who know and have used our products can be assured they’ll be getting the same quality they’ve always gotten,” Herrera added. “That [is] huge for us, and we’ll stand by it.”
From a serviceable system and replaceable parts – a feature not common in the extendable cargo bed market – to a one-year manufacturer warranty, TruckVault stands behind the value its products offer.
TruckVault’s commitment to custom design continues to product development of new products. An upgrade planned for 2024 will bring key command center modifications to TruckGlide.
“We are an extremely responsive company,” says Herrera. “I’ve been here almost seven years, and TruckVault has been great at really taking care of people – whether something’s our fault or not, just working to keep everybody happy and helping them get what they need to keep these vehicles on the road.”
For more information, visit TruckVault.
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