There is no single “best” truck cap.
The right truck cap depends on how you use your pickup, how long you plan to keep it, what you carry and how much you want to invest in the vehicle.
For a contractor who primarily needs to keep tools out of the weather, an entry-level aluminum cap may be all that is required. A technician carrying thousands of dollars in equipment may benefit from stepping up to a more durable aluminum cap such as the Centurion. And for fleets looking for a long-term solution that can move from truck to truck, a Sterling fiberglass truck cap can make sense.
Here is how the three options compare.
Option 1: Entry-Level Aluminum Truck Cap
Best for: Keeping upfront costs down and providing basic covered storage
A conventional aluminum truck cap is often the most affordable way to turn an open pickup bed into enclosed storage.
For contractors who don’t need a heavy-duty service body or extensive interior organization, this can be a practical solution.
Why Choose an Entry-Level Aluminum Cap?
The biggest advantage is price.
A basic aluminum cap gives you covered, lockable storage without making a major investment in the truck. It is particularly attractive for smaller contractors, light-duty applications or vehicles that may not remain in the fleet for many years.
Aluminum is also relatively lightweight, helping preserve payload capacity for tools, equipment and materials.
Pros
- Lowest upfront investment
- Lightweight
- Protects equipment from the elements
- Provides basic security
- Good solution for lighter-duty applications
- Simple way to make a pickup more useful as a work vehicle
Cons
The trade-off is durability.
Traditional aluminum caps are typically constructed from thinner aluminum panels. Over years of commercial use, doors, panels, hinges, seals and other components can take a beating.
They also generally aren’t designed around being transferred repeatedly between trucks. If the truck leaves the fleet, the cap will often leave with it.
What Should You Watch Out For?
Consider where and how the truck will be used.
In demanding environments with frequent rain, snow, road salt or exposure to the elements, an entry-level cap may be more susceptible to leaks and corrosion around hardware and other components over time.
If you operate in a more temperate climate, regularly park the vehicle under cover or simply don’t carry a large amount of expensive equipment, those limitations may be less important.
Who Is It Right For?
Choose an entry-level aluminum cap if your priority is:
Keeping the initial cost as low as possible while gaining basic enclosed truck-bed storage.
Option 2: Centurion Aluminum Truck Cap
Best for: Contractors who want more durability and security without moving to a fiberglass commercial cap
The Centurion occupies the middle ground between a conventional aluminum cap and a premium fiberglass truck cap.
It is still an aluminum cap, but it is designed for users who expect more from their work truck.
One of the biggest differences is the construction. The Centurion uses 1/8-inch aluminum exterior panels, compared with approximately 1/32-inch aluminum used on many conventional aluminum caps.
That makes the Centurion’s exterior panels approximately four times thicker.
For trades professionals carrying expensive tools and equipment every day, that additional strength can make a significant difference.
Why Choose a Centurion?
The Centurion makes sense when you’ve outgrown the limitations of a basic aluminum cap but don’t necessarily require the full capabilities of a fiberglass commercial truck cap.
You get a stronger exterior, better protection for equipment and a cap designed with commercial work in mind.
The aluminum exterior is powder coated for corrosion protection, while the cap is designed to keep water out and protect equipment from the elements. Anti-theft locking hardware also provides an additional level of security for technicians carrying valuable tools and equipment.
These features address some of the concerns that can come with lighter-duty aluminum caps while maintaining the relatively lightweight benefits of aluminum construction.
The result is a cap that provides a meaningful step up in durability without moving all the way to a premium fiberglass solution.
Pros
- Significantly thicker aluminum construction than conventional aluminum caps
- Greater resistance to dents and everyday jobsite abuse
- Powder-coated exterior for corrosion protection
- Water-resistant construction to better protect equipment
- Enhanced locking system for additional security
- Better protection for expensive tools and equipment
- Lightweight compared with many heavier truck-body alternatives
- Multiple access points make tools easier to reach
- Professional appearance
- Mid-range investment
Cons
The Centurion costs more than an entry-level aluminum cap.
And while its heavier-duty construction improves its service life considerably, it still isn’t designed around the same long-term transferability concept as Sterling’s fiberglass truck caps.
Who Is It Right For?
Choose the Centurion if your priority is:
Finding the balance between price, durability, security and professional-grade equipment protection.
Option 3: Sterling’s Low-Profile Fiberglass Truck Cap
Best for: Fleets and professionals looking for a long-term commercial truck solution
At the upper end is Sterling’s low-profile slip-in fiberglass truck cap.
Rather than treating the cap as an accessory for the truck, the Sterling truck cap is designed as a long-term piece of fleet equipment.
The one-piece fiberglass construction provides a durable, weather-resistant enclosure, while side and rear access can be configured around technician workflow.
Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is transferability.
When the truck reaches the end of its lease or its useful life, the cap doesn’t necessarily have to leave with it.
A slip-in, fiberglass truck cap can be removed and installed onto another compatible pickup, allowing a fleet to maximize its original upfit investment rather than starting over with every new truck.
That changes the way the initial purchase price should be considered.
Why Choose a Fiberglass Truck Cap?
Many commercial fleet vehicles operate on defined replacement or lease cycles. The truck may change, but the equipment installed on it doesn’t necessarily need to.
A properly maintained Sterling fiberglass truck cap can potentially serve across multiple vehicle cycles.
For fleets operating many pickups, that can make the higher upfront investment easier to justify because the cap is not necessarily tied to the lifespan of a single truck.
It also provides significantly more opportunity to build a complete mobile workspace with shelving, drawers, lighting, power, equipment storage and other accessories.
Pros
- Highly durable fiberglass construction
- Designed for commercial fleet applications
- Excellent protection from weather
- Transferable between compatible trucks
- Can potentially remain in service through multiple vehicle replacement or lease cycles
- Extensive interior organization options
- Side and rear access can be designed around workflow
- Strong long-term value
Cons
The primary disadvantage is the initial investment.
A commercial fiberglass truck cap costs more upfront than a conventional aluminum cap.
It may also be more cap than is necessary for a truck that only carries occasional tools or materials. If long-term transferability, heavy-duty construction and extensive organization aren’t important to your application, the additional investment may not be necessary.
Who Is It Right For?
Choose a Sterling fiberglass truck cap if your priority is:
Durability, long-term fleet value and the ability to reuse your upfit when the truck is replaced.
Comparing the Three Truck Cap Options
| Entry-Level Aluminum | Centurion Aluminum | Sterling Low-Profile Fiberglass | |
| Initial Cost | Starting at $6000 CDN | Starting at $8800 CDN | Starting at $17,700 CDN |
| Durability | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
| Roof/Load Capacity | 220 lbs | 420 lbs | 800 lbs |
| Weight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Moderate |
| Security | Basic | Enhanced | High |
| Weather Protection | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
| Commercial Use | Light Duty | Medium/Heavy Duty | Heavy Duty |
| Transferability | Limited | Limited | Excellent |
| Long-Term Fleet Value | Good | Very Good | Excellent |
Don’t Look at Purchase Price Alone
It is easy to compare truck caps by looking at the price tag.
But the lowest purchase price doesn’t always mean the lowest long-term cost.
Consider how long you expect the cap to remain in service and what you expect it to do during that time.
An entry-level aluminum cap may be exactly what you need for a vehicle with relatively light-duty requirements. Spending significantly more may provide little additional value.
But if technicians are opening doors dozens of times per day, travelling to demanding jobsites, working in harsh weather and carrying expensive equipment, durability and security become much more important. That is where stepping up to a heavier-duty aluminum cap such as the Centurion can make sense.
For fleets, transferability adds another dimension.
If a truck cap can remain in operation after the original pickup reaches the end of its lease or useful life, its cost can potentially be spread over two or more vehicle lifecycles. At that point, evaluating only the initial purchase price doesn’t tell the whole story.
Start With How the Truck Will Be Used
Before choosing a truck cap, ask:
- What equipment will the truck carry?
- How valuable is that equipment?
- How frequently will technicians access the cap?
- What climate and weather conditions will the truck operate in?
- Will the truck operate on demanding jobsites?
- How important is payload?
- How long will the truck remain in your fleet?
- Is the vehicle leased or purchased?
- Do you want to transfer the cap to the next truck?
- Will you need shelving, drawers, lighting or power inside?
Those answers will usually make the right option much clearer.
Three Different Caps. Three Different Jobs.
If you need affordable enclosed storage, an entry-level aluminum cap may be all you need.
If you want to step up in strength, security, weather protection and durability while maintaining lightweight aluminum construction, the Centurion offers a strong middle ground.
And if you’re looking at the cap as a long-term piece of fleet equipment rather than an accessory tied to one truck, Sterling’s fiberglass truck cap offers the greatest durability and transferability.
The goal isn’t to buy the most expensive truck cap.
It’s to invest in the level of equipment that makes sense for the work your truck actually needs to do.
Not sure which truck cap fits your application? Talk to Sterling Fleet Outfitters about your truck, equipment and workflow, and we’ll help you compare your options.
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