What Are The Holes In A Truck Bed Called? (And What They're For)

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If you own and drive a pickup truck, you probably like to think you know the entire thing front-to-back. All of its features and functions are laid bare before you, right down to the ridges of the bed, and you can do whatever you want with it. But there's a good chance at least a couple of things have escaped your notice. For instance, have you ever noticed those little square or rectangular holes around the perimeter of your truck's bed? They may be out in the open or covered up by a small plastic chunk?

If you weren't aware, those little holes are called stake pockets, and despite their innocuous appearances, they're actually the linchpin for a veritable galaxy of truck bed accessories. It might sound strange, but simply having a sturdy point to connect various tools and accessories can give your truck all kinds of new functionality when it comes to hauling and storage.

The purpose of a stake pocket is pretty clearly illustrated right there in the name: It's a pocket that you put a stake in. More specifically, any kind of fitted stake, tie-down point, or accessory can be slotted into a truck's stake pockets to increase the bed's overall functionality. The accessories can be secured in the pocket through the use of simple, ratcheting locks. For instance, a universal anchor point for a stake pocket off of Amazon can be secured in place through the use of a folding butterfly anchor. Many accessories of this nature can be installed without any particular tools, though if you want something more elaborate, you might need a power drill at the minimum.

So, what can you do with these accessories? The obvious answer is creating additional tie-down points. Some truck beds have tie-down points built-in, ready for hauling, but if yours doesn't have them or doesn't have enough, you can add anchors or bull rings to your truck bed to attach bungee cords or cargo nets. Besides that, other specialized accessories like headache racks can be attached to multiple stake pockets at once, again with little-to-no special equipment or setup required. Similarly, you can add utility racks for carrying large tools or objects more securely in your truck bed.

If there's nothing in particular you want to use your stake pockets for, but you don't want to just leave them open to the elements, there are small pocket covers available for most truck models you can use to safely seal them up until they're needed.