Why Do Pick-Up Truck Beds Have Grooves on the Sides?

Year after year, pick-up trucks dominate the automotive industry, making up half or more of the country’s top 10 bestselling vehicles. Consumers like cargo space for hauling everything from groceries to do-it-yourself project supplies. Unlike pick-ups of decades past, they’re also stuffed with features.

But one design choice can puzzle some who aren’t necessarily up to speed on everything a pick-up offers—the vertical and horizontal grooves found in the truck beds.

The Purpose of Pick-Up Truck Bed Grooves

The grooves serve several purposes, but the most attractive for users might be in how they help facilitate bed dividers. In an instructional video for Ford’s bestselling F-150, the company illustrates how drivers can help isolate cargo in the bed by sliding 2x4s into the grooves, essentially creating a more contained space in the bed.

Why would you want to do this? Imagine picking up several cans of paint or floor tile. You don’t want either moving or sloshing around in the bed, so it’s better to have them wedged between two walls: in this case, the wood divider and the tailgate.

You may also find indentations over the wheel wells in the bed. According to page 80 of the owner’s manual for the Ram 1500 [PDF], placing a piece of wood into the indentations can create a raised floor that allows drivers to lay down cargo—like plywood sheets—that might be too wide to go between the wheel wells. The platform also permits you to use the empty space underneath the raised cargo for more storage.

As for the horizontal grooves on the floor of the bed: While owner’s manuals are more cagey about them, it’s likely they’re present to provide better traction for cargo as well as channeling rain from the bed and providing better structural support than a flat surface.

It’s possible these grooves will one day be supplemented by a new bed feature: magnetized surfaces. In 2022, Ford filed a patent for a system in which spots on the bed could be activated to hold down metal tools without use of a divider.

Can you ride in a pick-up truck bed?

Something you won’t find in a truck bed are safety features for human cargo. It’s generally unwise for passengers to sit in the bed, as they can be thrown clear in an accident. But whether you get pulled over for it depends on where you live. While many states have laws prohibiting the practice, others don’t.

The Purpose of Tailgate Grooves

There are indentations everywhere in newer pick-up trucks, including on the tailgate itself. Ford details their purpose in their F-150 owner’s manual. Their tailgate is intended to double as a work surface when it’s folded down. On the horizontal surface, you’ll find things like a cup holder (the circle), a tablet stand to prop up a tablet screen, a clamp pocket, and possibly even a ruler.

These features can vary by manufacturer, so there’s no guarantee your pick-up will have everything mentioned here. But odds are you’ll still be able to customize your bed for whatever life is throwing at you.

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