If you’ve ever spent hours scrolling through truck forums, or stopped to chat with a fellow pickup driver at a rest stop on a cross-country road trip, chances are you’ve heard one question pop up more than a few times: Are side-open pick up trucks actually fit for long-distance driving? As the owner of a side-open pickup truck supply business, I get this question all the time—not just from potential buyers, but from truck enthusiasts, cross-country travelers, and even small business owners who rely on their trucks to haul gear across state lines. A few months back, I sat next to a family of four at a truck stop outside of Des Moines, Iowa, who were driving a 10-year-old side-open model they’d bought used for their move from Minneapolis to Phoenix. They were gushing about how the bed’s easy-access side panels let them load their kids’ camping gear, coolers, and even their daughter’s beat-up bike without wrestling it over a high tailgate. But when I asked if they’d buy another side-open truck for future long hauls, the dad hesitated. “The only thing I worry about,” he said, “is if it’s stable enough for 12-hour days on the highway, or if the sides will start rattling apart after a few thousand miles.” Side-open Pick Up Truck
That conversation stuck with me, because it’s the exact split we see in our order book: half of our long-distance customers are repeat buyers who swear by side-open trucks for cross-country work, and the other half are on the fence, wondering if they’re trading practicality for convenience on long hauls. To answer this question fairly, I’m not just pulling from sales data—I’m leaning on real feedback from drivers, third-party automotive testing, and the engineering that goes into every side-open model we supply, because at the end of the day, this isn’t a yes or no question. It’s about matching the truck to what you actually need on the road.
First, let’s cut through the myth that side-open pickups are “weaker” than traditional models. A lot of people assume because the sides open fully, they’re not as structurally sound as closed-side or half-tailgate trucks designed for heavy industrial use. But let’s look at the engineering side, which is something I’ve worked with our team to refine over the past five years of building and supplying these trucks. Unlike older side-open models that relied on flimsy, bolt-on side panels, modern side-open trucks use a uni-body frame design that integrates the side rails into the truck’s chassis, not just attached on top. The side panels themselves are made from high-tensile steel—same as the frame of many heavy-duty work trucks—rated to handle up to 1,200 pounds of static weight, and tested for high-speed vibration at 75 miles per hour for over 1,000 miles during our quality control checks.
We supply side-open trucks to two main groups of long-distance drivers, and their feedback is what really proves these trucks work for cross-country trips. The first group is small business owners: electric utility teams hauling line equipment across the Southeast, moving companies with teams that need to load furniture fast, and landscape contractors carrying mowers and mulch from job to job. Last year, we supplied 12 side-open trucks to a utility company in Atlanta that uses them for 1,800-mile runs to remote areas of the Florida Panhandle to repair storm damage. Their lead driver, Mark, told me in a recent call that after 6 months of daily 800-mile hauls, the only issue they’ve had was a loose latch on one side panel—something our team fixed in 10 minutes during a scheduled service stop, no breakdowns on the road. “I used to drive closed-side trucks for these runs,” he said, “and every time I had to carry a 50-foot wooden utility pole, I’d have to take the tailgate off and struggle to balance it. The side-open truck lets me slide that pole straight out the side without climbing over the tailgate, which saves me 20 minutes at every job. That adds up on 10 jobs a day.”
The second group is recreational long-distance travelers: cross-country campers, overlanding enthusiasts, and families who use their pickups to haul boats, ATVs, or camping gear. I remember a customer named Lisa who bought a custom side-open truck from us last year for a road trip from Seattle to Maine. She posted a photo on her social media page of her loading a full-size kayak right out the side, no lifting it over the 4-foot tailgate that came with her old truck. When I saw her a month ago at a trade show, she told me the only downside of the trip was the wind noise at highway speeds when the side panels were down for loading and unloading at campgrounds. “But I just keep them latched when I’m driving,” she said, “and I didn’t notice any difference in gas mileage or ride smoothness compared to my old closed-side truck.”
That’s the biggest point I want to make: side-open trucks are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but they excel for long-distance driving in very specific scenarios. The first scenario is if you regularly haul large, awkward items—kayaks, motorcycles, furniture, construction materials—that would require removing a traditional tailgate, or multiple people to lift over the side of a closed truck. On a long road trip, removing a tailgate every time you need to load gear adds up to hours of wasted time, especially if you’re stopping at multiple campgrounds or job sites. A side-open truck lets you slide a 10-foot board, a full-size ATV, or a 6-foot cooler straight into the bed from the side, which cuts down on loading time by 30-40% according to independent testing we commissioned last year. That extra time means more driving and less time struggling with gear, which makes long hauls less tiring.
The second scenario is if you’re prioritizing ease of access for passengers or pets on long trips. A lot of side-open models have low side panels—only 2 feet high, compared to 4 feet on many traditional pickups—so if you have kids or elderly passengers, they don’t have to climb over a high tailgate to get into the bed if you’re sleeping there, or to grab a jacket or snack from the back while you’re parked. We had a customer in Texas who uses his side-open truck to tow a small camper on cross-country trips, and he told me his 72-year-old mom rides in the bed sometimes because she can step over the low side without risking a fall, something she wouldn’t do in a standard pickup with a high tailgate. That level of accessibility is a game-changer for long trips where comfort and convenience matter as much as reliability.
Now, let’s talk about the concerns that hold people back, because I won’t sugarcoat the drawbacks—any truck has tradeoffs, especially for long-distance driving. The first downside is that side-open trucks have slightly less bed security than closed-side models. If you’re hauling high-value cargo, like tools or electronics, the side panels are easy to remove with basic tools, so you need to invest in locking latches or a bed cover that works with the side panels. That’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to plan for: we sell a heavy-duty locking latch kit as an add-on for our side-open trucks, and most of our long-distance customers opt for it, especially if they’re leaving their truck parked at rest stops overnight.
The second concern is wind resistance and gas mileage, especially at highway speeds. Because the side panels are designed to open fully, they create a tiny amount of extra drag compared to a closed truck bed. Independent testing from a automotive lab in Michigan found that a side-open truck gets about 2-3 miles per gallon less than an identical closed-side model at 70 mph. That might not sound like a lot, but on a 2,000-mile cross-country trip, that adds up to about 20 gallons of extra gas—roughly $80-$100, depending on fuel prices. For most drivers, that tradeoff is worth it for the convenience, but if you’re doing a lot of solo long hauls where cost is your top priority, a traditional pickup might be a better fit.
The third issue is that not all side-open trucks are built the same. A lot of cheap, imported side-open models you might see online have thin steel panels, flimsy latches, and untested frame designs that rattle or shift at highway speeds after a few thousand miles. That’s why as a supplier, we only work with manufacturers who use heavy-duty, corrosion-resistant steel for the frame and side panels, and who test every truck for high-speed vibration and long-distance durability before it leaves our lot. We also offer a 5-year warranty on all frame and side panel components, which is something most generic side-open suppliers don’t provide—we stand behind our trucks because we use them for our own work, including transporting demo models to trade shows across the country.
I also want to address a common misconception about side-open trucks and long-distance towing. A lot of people assume that because the sides open, the truck can’t handle heavy towing loads on highways. But in our lineup, most side-open models have a towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds when properly equipped—same as many full-size traditional pickups. A customer named Tom bought a side-open truck from us last year to tow a 7,500-pound travel trailer on a cross-country trip from Ohio to Oregon. He told me that after 12 days on the road, driving through mountain passes and 90-degree heat, he didn’t notice any difference in the truck’s stability compared to his old closed-side truck that he’d used for towing. The only adjustment he had to make was leaving the side panels latched at all times to reduce wind drag, which was easy to do.
So, are side-open pick up trucks suitable for long-distance driving? The short answer is: yes, for the right people. If you regularly haul large, awkward items, need easy access to the truck’s bed for passengers or pets, and value convenience over a tiny bit of extra gas cost, side-open trucks are a great option for cross-country trips. But if you’re hauling high-value, easily stolen cargo, doing long solo hauls where fuel cost is your only priority, or prefer the added security of a fully enclosed truck bed, a traditional pickup might fit your needs better.
Over the past five years, we’ve supplied side-open trucks to over 2,000 long-distance drivers, and the feedback has been consistent: 92% of our customers who use their side-open trucks for cross-country driving say they would buy another one, citing the time saved on loading and unloading, and the ease of accessing gear while on the road. We’ve only had 3% of customers return their side-open models due to issues, and all of those were related to poor maintenance of latches, not a flaw in the truck’s design.
At the end of the day, choosing a truck for long-distance driving is about what makes your trip easier, safer, and less stressful. If you’ve ever spent an hour at a rest stop trying to lift a 10-foot cooler over a 4-foot tailgate, or struggling to load a kayak alone because you don’t have anyone to help you, you know how much a small design feature can change your entire trip. Side-open pickups don’t solve every long-distance driving problem, but they solve a lot of the small, frustrating ones that add up to make a cross-country trip feel like a chore instead of an adventure.
If you’re considering a side-open pickup for your next long-distance journey, or you want to learn more about how our trucks are built for cross-country reliability, we’re here to help. We work with all types of drivers—from small business owners hauling equipment across states to family travelers planning a cross-country camping trip—and can help you find the model that fits your specific needs. Whether you have questions about towing capacity, bed size, or durability on long highways, our team can walk you through the specs and share real feedback from other drivers who use our trucks for long hauls. Contact us to discuss your requirements, and we can put together a custom solution for your next road trip or cross-country work run.
4-Wheel Electric Cargo- Pickup References
- Automotive Testing Lab. (2023). Long-Distance Pickup Truck Efficiency and Durability Report. Michigan Automotive Research Institute.
- National Truck Driver Association. (2024). Cross-Country Trucking Accessibility and Cargo Handling Survey. North American Transportation Association.
- Side-Open Truck Engineering Consortium. (2022). Structural Integrity Testing for High-Side Open Pickup Models. Global Automotive Standards Board.
- Cross-Country Recreational Drivers Alliance. (2023). Pickup Truck Accessibility for Long-Distance Travelers. Outdoor Recreation Industry Council.
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