Tonneau Covers

Truck use and styles
Tonneau on pickup truck

Tonneau covers are used by owners of utility vehicles and trucks to cover and secure their pickup bed and come in a variety of styles.

The most common style is the roll up tonneau made from cloth or vinyl which uses a rib-like structure to support the fabric and keep it taut. A snap-based system is also used, but has become less common due to truck owners not wanting to install the snaps on their vehicle as they typically require drilling or use permanent adhesive.[8] Roll up Tonneaus are opened by rolling the cover up toward the cab of the truck.

Another common style of truck bed tonneau cover is a retractable unit, which is mounted at the front and sides of the bed and rolls up or retracts from the tailgate towards the cab. Usually, there is a small rectangular canister attached at the front of the bed to store the tonneau cover when retracted. The retractable tonneau is typically made of vinyl, plastic or aluminum. Retractable tonneaus have the benefit of being more convenient to use than vinyl roll up styles as they don't involve any difficult or time consuming assembly or disassembly. Retractable tonneau styles are also usually lockable.[9][10]

Fiberglass or hard plastic tonneau covers are also common. Some may be painted to match the truck, are solid in construction, and can be locked. These covers are usually heavy and require gas struts to assist in opening and closing. They operate much like a vehicle's hood, typically opening from the tailgate end of the bed (back to front). However, some are available with multiple compartments that will open front to back, back to front, side to side, or even rise vertically. Fiberglass or hard plastic tonneau covers are sometimes installed as a factory option with some new vehicles.

The word is sometimes spelled incorrectly as "tonno."
[edit] Benefits

Tonneau covers offer a number of benefits to pick-up truck owners:

    Protection from elements: Truck bed covers protect the bed and its contents from sun, rain, sleet, snow, hail, wind, leaves, and vermin.

    Security: Truck bed covers hide the contents and offer increased security because the time it would take to open or remove a truck bed cover would discourage theft. Some covers can be locked. Truck bed covers also keep the contents from being blown around or blown out of the truck.

    Aesthetics: Tonneau covers add a look many consider to be stylish by giving the truck bed a streamlined look.