As the leading supplier of hardtop covers and accessories to the UK’s burgeoning pick-up sector, it is no surprise that Truckman has retained the Aftermarket (now Aftermarket & Accessories) Award it won last year.
One of the company’s strengths is that it never stops to admire its achievements but continues to broaden its portfolio, and this year it has launched the latest addition to its renowned commercial hardtop range in the shape of the Truckman RS-3, which it has designed for tradespeople and engineers working in off-highway locations. Engineered and manufactured at Truckman’s facility in the West Midlands, the cab-high RS-3 blends in with contemporary pick-up styling and has been developed for easy access as well as improving fuel efficiency through reducing aerodynamic drag.
It features gull wing doors, which, along with the rear door, provide all-round access to enable workers to reach tools and equipment anywhere in the truck’s load bed. Truckman says fitting the RS-3 to a truck’s load area can increase its capacity by up to 50%.
The company has also paid attention to security and the RS-3 features remote central locking on all three doors and a tinted glazed rear door to hide the load area’s contents from prying eyes.
The RS-3 is currently available for the Isuzu D-Max but Truckman says it will be rolled out to other leading models soon. The hardtop comes with a gel-white gloss finish, which Truckman claims provides comprehensive UV protection as well as making it easier to polish out scratches. A glazed, fixed bulkhead gives the driver better visibility to the rear.
A variety of colour-coded finishes are offered and operators can fit the RS-3 with optional lights, vents, bespoke wiring and beacons as well as roof bars and roof racking.
The racking and drawer systems can be fitted inside the truck bed to facilitate the storage of tools and equipment.
Mike Wheeler, Truckman’s executive chairman, says: “The Truckman RS-3 is ideal for utility engineers and fleet operators. In keeping with all our commercial hardtops, it is British-designed and built, hardwearing and able to handle the rough and tumble of any work site.”
Truckman is OEM-approved by Isuzu, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen, and all its hardtops come with a three-year warranty.
It also enhanced its accessories range this year with the introduction of the Wolfpack Edition package for Ford’s Ranger. Offered in two variants, the H-Edition features a hardtop, and the T-Edition a tonneau cover. Other equipment with both variants includes 20in black alloys, all-terrain tyres, a black bonnet guard, a black Truckman front grille, a 63mm black powder-coated front bar, black wind deflectors, the BedMat load bed lining and a tailgate damper. All the accessories are available separately, but have now been combined in the new packages.
While Truckman is synonymous with pick-ups, the firm also now markets Decked storage systems compatible with Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Ford Transit panel vans. The system features two bed-length drawers, which roll out to provide access to tools and kit and can carry up to 100kg each, along with two integrated storage bins for smaller items. Made with high-density polyethylene, the product can hold up to 1,000kg on its raised deck, which is supported by a galvanised steel sub-frame.
Highly Commended: VPG Onboard Weighing
Worthy of an honourable mention in this category is VPG Onboard Weighing, which in 2019 introduced its VanWeigh Axle Overload Monitoring System. VanWeigh is an innovative overload protection and load optimisation system for light commercial vehicles.
VanWeigh is designed to fit any light commercial twin axle vehicle with standard coil or leaf-spring suspension, or air suspension, and can be easily installed and calibrated.
The system’s user-friendly technology protects drivers and operators from weight infractions while providing per-axle load distribution data to balance and maximise loads while reducing fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear.
Gross vehicle weight (GVW) and per-axle load information is displayed to the driver on an easy-to-use colour touchscreen and its telematics output connects to GPS tracking systems.
The LCV’s load is displayed in real time and uses numbers, percentages and colours to alert users to the current load. The easy-to-read green/amber/red indicators help users monitor and optimise per-axle and overall loads and an alarm sounds if the total vehicle or axle weight maximum is reached.