If you run a crew out of pickups, you’ve probably faced the same choice: keep the factory bed and live with tools sliding around, or pull the bed, bolt on a service body and accept the drilling, rewiring and downtime that come with it.
The Utility Deck from Highway Products, an Oregon manufacturer based in White City, splits the difference. It sits on top of your existing bed, adds lockable side boxes and a load-rated deck, and installs in about two hours without drilling a single hole. At Pacific Truck Colors, we think it’s one of the most practical upfit options out there for contractors and fleets who want service-body storage without committing a truck to a permanent conversion.
What the Utility Deck is
Highway Products calls it the industry’s first load-bearing bed cover with utility boxes and a Utility Gate. In plain terms, you get three kinds of storage on one truck:
- Under the deck: your factory bed becomes a lockable cargo area once the tailgate is closed, like a heavy-duty bed cover.
- In the side boxes: two high-side utility boxes with double lift-up doors and adjustable shelves.
- On top: a diamond plate deck rated for 2,000 lb, with a Utility Gate that keeps material from walking off the back.
On a long-bed truck, Highway Products says that adds up to more than 2.5 times the secure storage of a standard 8-foot service body’s compartments, and you still have open deck space for materials and equipment.
Why a no-drill install matters
A traditional service body means pulling the bed, drilling the frame, rerouting fuel lines, rewiring taillights and relocating cameras and sensors. That’s days out of service and a truck that’s permanently modified.
The Utility Deck is held down with four turnbuckles. One person with a forklift can install it in roughly two hours. Nothing on the truck changes, so:
- Your safety tech keeps working. Blind spot (BLIS), backup camera and parking sensors stay where the factory put them, with no reprogramming.
- Your warranty and resale stay clean. No holes and no modifications means no depreciation from the upfit.
- The deck outlives the truck. When it’s time to retire a chassis, move the deck to the next truck. Highway Products says you don’t even need to unload your tools first.
For a fleet manager, that last point is the big one. Multiply a few days of downtime and an invasive install across 10 or 20 trucks and the savings add up quickly.
What comes standard
Every Utility Deck ships with:
- 2,000 lb diamond plate deck that encloses the factory bed
- High-side utility boxes on both sides with double lift doors
- Rainmaster door seals to keep water out
- Double E-track along the full length, high and low, for tie-downs, ladder hooks and bins
- Hex-punched headache rack to protect the cab
- Adjustable shelf in every box
- Utility Gate to keep gear on the deck in transit
- White powder coat for corrosion protection
- Four-turnbuckle mounting, no drilling
- Lifetime warranty
An independent professional structural engineer reviewed the design, including tests at full load under 1G sideways acceleration and a check of the attachment points against forward-crash data.
Options to build it out
The base deck is just the starting point. Popular add-ons include:
- Truck Slide on the bed floor so you can pull stored gear out to the tailgate instead of crawling in after it (see below)
- Tool drawers inside the side boxes
- Cargo or lumber rack for ladders, conduit and long material overhead
- Fully enclosed deck for maximum lockable storage
- Underdeck drawers and tank holders for specialty trades
- Custom finishes, from black diamond plate to smooth black or a custom powder coat
And because Pacific Truck Colors also does paint, vinyl graphics and wraps in-house, we can match your deck and your truck to your fleet colors and branding in one stop, which PTC can handle for you.
Who it’s a good fit for
- Electricians, HVAC and plumbing crews who need lockable tool storage plus room for material on top
- Construction and framing contractors who want a deck for lumber and gear without giving up the bed
- Fleet managers who lease or cycle trucks often and don’t want to buy a new service body every time
- Public agencies that need to keep factory safety systems intact and get trucks back in service quickly
Built in Oregon, installed in Tualatin
Highway Products has been building commercial truck equipment in Southern Oregon since 1980, and the Utility Deck is American made. Pacific Truck Colors can help you spec the right deck and options for your truck, handle the install and finish it with paint or graphics so it’s ready to work.
Thinking about a Utility Deck for your truck or fleet? Contact Pacific Truck Colors to talk through your setup and get a quote.