Protect your Valuables/Cargo this Winter with a Tonneau Cover

Protect your Valuables/Cargo this Winter with a Tonneau Cover

Protect your Cargo this Winter with a Tonneau Cover

As we head into the winter, with its cold temperatures and terrible weather, the protection of their cargo is one of the biggest worries for truck drivers. After all, it would be a disaster if, having driven all the way with a precious load, it gets there damaged after having been exposed to elements such as rain, wind and snow.

Potential Damage

When driving, in the winter especially, your cargo is in danger of damage from a number of areas, such as:

  • Wind
  • Rain
  • Snow
  • Extreme temperatures
  • Stones
  • Ice
  • Falling leaves and fruit
  • Hail Stones
  • People
  • Rough terrain causing the dislodgement of cargo
  • Animals


In addition to these unavoidable ´natural´ dangers, you should also be thinking about protecting your cargo from theft – by both hiding what your cargo is, and also by making it difficult for thieves to get to it.

Tonneau Cover

One of the best ways to protect your valuables or cargo in the back of your truck is with a Tonneau cover. There are a number of different Tonneau cover styles:

Cloth or Vinyl Roll-up

This uses a rib structure to keep the fabric taught and is stored in a rolled up manner until it is needed when it is unrolled up towards the cab of the truck.

Retractable Unit

This is mounted on the front and sides of the truck bed, and either retracts or rolls up from the tailgate towards the cab. They are usually made from a harder material than the cloth or vinyl of the roll up cover, offering more protection and security. They can often be locked, and are more of a permanent fixture.

Fiberglass, Aluminium or Hard Plastic

These are the most secure and offer the most protection for your cargo, both in terms of protection from the extremes of weather and robbery and theft. They can often be painted to match the truck, and are usually quite heavy – needing gas struts to help to open and close it. They often work like a vehicle´s hood and open from the back of the truck to the front. They can sometimes have different compartments to help you to organise your cargo. These Tonneau covers can sometimes be added at the time of construction on newer trucks.

Depending on the style of your truck, as well as your cargo and driving conditions, different Tonneau covers are suitable for different people.

Tonneau Cover Adapters

For trucks with cab guards, it can sometimes be difficult to add a Tonneau cover as it is attached to the truck bed rail and this encroaches on the area that the Tonneau cover would need. However, some trucks can be fit with a Tonneau cover adapter, which raises the cab guard, allowing the Tonneau cover to fit in underneath.

If you are taking any cargo in your truck this winter, a Tonneau cover is probably your best option for keeping it protected and secure. For more information about fitting Tonneau covers and adapters, check out BACKRACK™ Tonneau cover adaptors here.