How to Prevent Theft from a Truck Bed: Top 9 Proven Methods!
Are you’re moving a lot of stuff with your pickup truck? Then you’re probably worried if your stuff will get stolen, and for good reason.
Even regular cars get broken into if someone notices a lot of valuables inside. So it’s not a smart move to leave expensive stuff on the bed of your (pickup) truck unprotected, especially at night.
So how can you make sure that your stuff will still be there the next morning? Here are the best security measures you can take:
1. U-Haul Covered Trailer
Rent or purchase a u-haul trailer and secure it to the back of your pickup truck. This is the safest option. It will provide a cover for your stuff, and make it much harder for a thief to access it.
I also suggest getting a trailer lock like this affordable lock from Amazon so that the trailer can’t be disconnected by a thief without making a serious effort and producing a ton of noise.
2. Park smart
When parking your truck overnight, park your truck bumper on your door or as close as you can to the entrance. Also park the truck under the brightest light and keep your window blinds open.
Keeping the light on in the room can also deter potential thieves especially if you’ve parked close to your room.
3. Bring some of your stuff inside
Carry the most expensive valuables from your truck bed into your room, or any other secure storage space that’s available.
4. Use a cheap baby monitor
You can use a very simple baby monitor to get alerts of any suspicious noise happening by your truck. Place one part in the back of the truck and the monitor by your bedside. If anything happens, you’ll know immediately and will be able to respond.
This baby monitor costs less than $20 and it runs on batteries, so you don’t even have to plug it or anything like that. It’s the second most popular baby monitor on Amazon with over 3000 reviews and a 4/5 rating, so you really can’t go wrong with this one.
5. Cover the truck bed with a heavy duty tarp
The main security problem you have is that your stuff is out in the open on the truck bed. Using a cargo net to secure it to the truck is helpful, but everything is still visible and the net can be easily cut open and your things removed.
By securing a heavy duty tarp over the truck bed you get two benefits. First of them is that you can conceal what you’re carrying, which is a good deterrent by itself. And secondly, it’s harder to cut through a heavy duty tarp and remove the stuff from under it, especially if it’s also secured with a cargo net.
Here is a thick, waterproof tarp from Amazon that you can use for this purpose. It’s under $25. There are different sizes so find one that is large enough to cover your truck bed properly.
Or check out the tarp from the photo above, which costs around $45 but is made from very durable vinyl mesh material.
A tarp also makes it easier to conceal a baby monitor, which you can place among your other belongings on the truck bed.
6. Get a roll-up cover
Plus, it doesn’t have to be secured in any special way after you’ve done it once, but you can still remove it any time you want to have an open truck bed. However, it’s also a pricier addition than a simple tarp cover, with the average price between $150-$300.
One potential downside could be that your truck bed is not high enough for the stuff you’re carrying. In that case, you wouldn’t be able to cover them properly with a roll up cover. So keep that in mind.
So whether a roll up cover is a good investment for your truck depends on whether the height of the truck bed is adequate, and whether you drive stuff in the back often enough to warrant its purchase as a positive long-term investment.
If you do drive stuff in the back often, it will remove your worries about the weather conditions, and it’s also a very effective security upgrade for your truck bed, making it as secure as if your stuff was stored in a trunk of a regular vehicle.
If you’re interested in this option, I suggest checking out this diverse collection of truck bed covers to find the one that fits the size of your truck bed and your budget.
7. Take short naps on truck stops
If you’re taking a long trip, it’s a smart decision to get some sleep along the way. But perhaps you don’t need to stay in a motel overnight.
Taking short naps of 1-2 hours on truck could potentially be enough. Still, I don’t know what your habits are and if you’re in a position to do this, so I’m not really recommending it. Consider it as just an extra idea to have in mind.
8. Drive in turns
If you’re travelling with someone who knows how to drive, you could take turns so that one person sleeps while the other person is driving, and vice-versa. This could potentially eliminate the need for having to sleep over at any place along the way.
9. Lock the steering wheel
Who’s to say that the thief won’t steal your truck instead of lifting heavy items from the truck bed? If you secure your truck bed with the before-mentioned tips, they might feel like it’s the easier choice.
The simplest way to secure your truck from being stolen is to use a steering wheel lock. A bar lock like The Club 1000 is very affordable, effective, and easy to set up when you need to. Check out this video to see how it works.
Final Word on Truck Bed Security
Whether you’re driving from New York to Florida, or you’re driving bags of groceries from your local Walmart to your house, your open truck bed is always a security weakness. By using any type of cover you’ll reduce the chances of your stuff getting stolen. And obviously, the stronger the cover is, the better.
Having said that, if you’re on a long journey and you’re moving a lot of expensive items, you’ll want to be even more cautious. So when you’re sleeping over in a place, make sure that your truck is always visible to you, and that you can hear if anyone messes around with. This is why I highly recommend using a baby monitor, especially because it’s so inexpensive and reliable.
So I hope you find some of these ideas useful and I wish you a safe journey.
