2020 Ram 2500 Power WagonDerek McNaughton / Driving The sheer number of cubic dollars shovelled into the marketing of pickup trucks is said to rival that of the GDP of a small nation. All of the Detroit Three, plus the two Japan-based brands in the fight, want you to know their trucks are over-powered, over-built and over-testosteroned.Listening to them, itd be easy to believe no one even considers buying a pickup truck without eight-wheel-drive and the capability to tow a house not to mention that failing to own a truck at all is virtually unpatriotic.Your author is a lifelong patron at the Store of Truck, a place where experienced shoppers are adept at sussing out features they want versus the dross simply forced upon the market for the sake of innovation.We cast our gaze around the modern pickup truck marketplace and selected a payload of features we feel best represent the useful end of the innovation spectrum.Tailgate StepsWhen engineers at Ford introduced the tailgate step about ten years ago, other manufacturers were caught flat-footed by its popularity. Instead of innovating their way into the game, some chose to sling mud in the form of derisive commercials, sarcastically labeling the things man steps. Their enduring popularity, and the introduction of similar steps from other brands, proved that tack didnt work.Ford gave its tailgate step a rethink a couple of years ago, tucking the telescopic grab handle inside the gate and reducing the effort required to unfold the thing in bad weather. GM saw fit to carve toeholds into the corners of its truck bumpers, a feature which first appeared in the early 2000s on its Avalanche quasi-truck. Its GMC brand now incorporates a swing-out grab handle to use with its MultiPro tailgate this after years of poking fun at Ford. Hey, if you cant beat em, join em.Wild New TailgatesFor the better part of a century, pickup truck innovation focused on raw power and creature comforts. Lately, companies have been investing time and money not to reinvent the wheel, but to reinvent the tailgate.GMC kicked off the this-aint-your-fathers-tailgate movement with the aforementioned MultiPro Tailgate. With six different ways to be deployed, this origami wonder can even be outfitted with waterproof speakers to amp up your next tailgate party. At the Ram brand, a barn-door style tailgate has been engineered, allowing drivers to drop the gate in a traditional fashion or open it up like barn doors in a 60/40 split. This allows one to step closer to the truck box itself, improving access when trying to reach that item which has rolled juuust out of reach up near the cab.RamBoxSpeaking of Ram, the next innovation is very brand-specific. The aptly named RamBoxes are a pair of lockable storage units residing in the flanks of a Ram pickup bed. Accessible from curbside, they are big enough to store a rifle or collapsed fishing pole, proving that truck-makers do occasionally pay attention to the types of activities in which their typical customer takes part.In their current iteration, RamBoxes can be locked and unlocked with the trucks key fob; are illuminated for easy night access; and have a drain plug in the bottom for evacuating water after using the Rambox to store beverages.Other brands have made attempts to replicate this success, with varying results. Nissan offers a storage solution of similar ilk, albeit one that is removable and only accessible from inside the box. This is good in terms of it not being easily accessed by nefarious passersby, but renders it useless if the owner fits a tonneau cover.Towing CamerasYour author is not ashamed to admit it took him the better part of a summer to get comfortable towing the family camper, one which spans nearly 40 feet in length. That time frame would probably have been significantly shortened if towing cameras were the norm, rather than the exception, back in 2010.All brands have some form of backup camera, allowing easier solo hookup of truck and trailer. GM has recently been crowing about its phalanx of coverage, from cameras under the sideview mirrors looking down the truck flanks; to a trailer-mounted cam that keeps an eye on whats astern.Ram incorporates its optional air suspension into the mix, permitting low-speed reversing in its lowest setting so when the ball and pintle are aligned, the truck can raise and two can be married without having to exit and crank a handle on the trailers tongue jack.Backup Assists Ford, with the help of a QR-style sticker and a bit of programming, has figured out how to relieve the ignominy of getting all crossed up when reversing a trailer. Instead of sitting in the drivers seat and trying to remember which way to turn the wheel in order to fit your 40-ft camper into a tight spot, the Pro Trailer Backup Assist uses maths and the trucks electronic steering to help avoid an aneurysm.Armed with the length of the trailer and the distance of the axles from the tongue, a computer figures
Origin: Trucking Awesome: The best pickup innovations of the past decade