Work Truck Week 2026 Recap: Truck Caps Took Over, But Are Compact Vans Back?
Truck Caps Were Everywhere at Work Truck Week 2026
Work Truck Week 2026 just wrapped, and if you walked the show floor you already know what the story was: truck caps. Modular truck caps were everywhere - in nearly every major booth. It wasn't a trend. At this point it's a full category shift.
To understand why, you have to go back a few years. The compact cargo van category essentially evaporated. Ford discontinued the Transit Connect. Ram discontinued the ProMaster City. Nissan discontinued the NV200. The Metris gone, the City Express gone. Fleets that relied on those smaller vans had to adapt - and most of them adapted by moving to midsize and light duty pickups, often with a cap over the bed to replace the enclosed cargo space they lost.
Every Major Brand Has One Now
Ranger Design and Prime Design shared a booth for the first time and Ranger Design announced a new canopy for their Tracer truck bed system - turning it into a full modular truck cap. Weather Guard had their modular truck cap system on display alongside their new sliding bed and the redesigned Pack Rat drawer system. Lear announced a new modular system called the Next Cap Pro. Adrian Steel added a rollup rear door option to their cap line. And Holman announced a distribution agreement with SmartCap - the company that arguably invented the modern modular truck cap.
That's Ranger Design, Prime Design, Weather Guard, Lear, Adrian Steel, Holman, and SmartCap - all at Work Truck Week 2026, all with modular truck cap offerings. And that's before you get into enthusiast-focused options from brands like Westin, Rough Country, OBS, and others.
The Plot Twist: Ram Brings Back the ProMaster City
Right in the middle of all this truck cap momentum, Ram dropped a surprise: the ProMaster City is coming back. The compact cargo van that was discontinued is apparently returning to the market.
So the real question sitting in front of fleet managers and tradespeople is a genuine one. Do compact cargo vans make sense again for your operation, or has the truck upfit workflow you've built over the last few years become the better setup? The answer probably depends on what you haul, how many stops you make, where you park, and how your team is built. There's no universal right answer. Both directions have real merit.
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