DNA of a DTB

The name “Douglass Truck Bodies” has for decades been synonymous with exceptional beds. We’ve taken extreme pride in every bed we manufacture for our clients. Never ones to kick back on our name alone, however, we’ve always pushed forward to make sure our beds are constantly evolving and staying in front of the pack in terms of durability and reliability.

Starting from the floor up, our beds are built to last. As opposed to formed sheet metal “hat stiffener” understructures, our beds are all supported with heavy structural steel crossmembers – flat bar, angle, channel, and tubing.

Starting in 2003, we began forming our body sides and doors out of Galvannealed Steel, a type of sheet style coated with a zinc/iron alloy. The zinc acts as a shield between the base steel and the atmosphere. Even when the base metal itself becomes exposed (such as when sheared), the zinc acts as a galvanic protector in the presence of corrosive elements. Douglass Truck Bodies uses an A60 grade Galvannealed steel. For further corrosion protection, all bodies feature high quality PPG industries paint, applied by a PPG Certified Commercial Technician.

The body sides themselves are all formed out of a minimum 14 gauge steel. Wheel wells are reinforced with steel tubing, for protection in the case of a blow-out. Our heavy duty double-paneled doors are actually built with an industry leading 14 gauge exterior panel, with an 18 gauge inner panel. In comparison, the industry standard that most other manufacturers settle for is an 18 gauge outer panel with a 20 gauge inner panel, or 16 gauge flip-top lids.

Swing out doors and flip-top lids are all supported with gas struts to hold them firmly open and give you hands-free access to your equipment. Our compartment doors are triple sealed with weather stripping, using a neoprene seal along the perimeter of both the compartment face and the inside of the door. Every compartment door is attached by a stainless steel piano hinge, with a stainless steel interior pin as well for true corrosion resistance. Our hinges are secured by rivet every 2.5”. A typical “block hinge” style vertical door from our competitors are typical secured to the body in four places. That same door built with a DTB piano hinge would be secured to the body in TEN places.

Weatherstripping, Gas Strut, and Hinge Details

To enhance safety every body comes with an all-LED tail light package, which is brighter than standard incandescent lights for better visibility at night or in dusty or foggy environments. Lights are mounted flush to keep them protected. Lights are wired using a plug-in wiring harness, with single location grounding and OEM connectors to minimize splicing. The harnesses are wrapped in a heat resistant loom to keep wiring protected and organized.

Finally, all our units are finished off with stainless steel, paddle operated slam latches with double-bitted automotive style flat keys. Douglass Truck Bodies is currently the only manufacturer offering paddle-operated slam latches in a  3-point configuration, using spring-operated solid steel strikers at the top, bottom, and center of your door. The slam latches make it easier to open and close your doors in a hurry. Anyone who’s tried to open an old t-handle with greasy hands, or broken rods while slamming a door with the t-handle in the wrong position, or had the center of their round key tumbler fall out can appreciate the difference.

These aren’t quality improvements you pay extra for – these are the standards you can expect from every Douglass Truck Body. And just as the Douglass Truck Body of today is greatly improved from the DTB of yesterday, we’re still evolving and working on developing a better service bed for tomorrow.