Having owned a couple of pickup trucks myself, I know that the back of the truck is quite literally the whole purpose of the truck itself. Otherwise, an SUV would be called for.

The back of the truck is called the “bed” of the truck. While the only similarity to the bed in your home is that both are large and flat, the similarities stop there. The bed of a pickup truck is meant for cargo and other items that are either too large or too dirty to usually go into the interior cargo area of an SUV or a car.

What are the different types of pickup truck beds?

1. Standard Pickup Truck Bed

Most pickup trucks these days come with a standard bed. This has a flat interior and stylized side walls that make the truck look sleek and nice. This is the most popular version, especially among people who use their trucks as commuters, because it seems the best overall.

However, it is also the least usable, as there is plenty of wasted room in the sidewalls of the bed, which affects the width of items that can fit into it.

2. Stepside Bed

This Pikcup truck bed type is very similar to your standard truck bed; however, a step is integrated in the exterior of the bed panel. This allows you to step up over the side of the bed for easy access to the contents on the far end of the bed (near the cab).

3. Flatbed

Flatbeds do a terrible job of keeping cargo that is not tied down on the bed, but they do allow for a considerably amount of space. Gone are the sidewalls, gone are the wheel wells. Everything sits on top of one single horizontal plane. The other major benefit is that you can put items onto it from the sides and the rear, not just the rear like most other truck beds.

4. Service Bed (skirted bed)

This type of bed is common with contractors, as it allows for a flatbed arrangement but also builds toolboxes along the side of the truck. This means you can have all of the benefits of the flatbed, but you also get contained (and lockable) storage.