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Future Ford Flatbed Pickups Could Get Cargo Management System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a cargo management system that may be used in future Ford flatbed trucks, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on April 8th, 2022, published on February 11th, 2025, and assigned serial number 12221071.

A Ford patent for a cargo management system for flatbed trucks.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed its fair share of truck-related patents over the years, which makes a lot of sense for a company that dominates that particular part of the market and needs to continue innovating to stay on top. Those filings have included ideas for things like an adjustable base plate system, an accessory attachment system, and base plates with power outlets, to name just a few. Now, this newly published patent aims to make future Ford flatbed pickups a bit more capable in terms of carrying cargo via a new type of management system.

Flatbed trucks provide owners with a bit of a blank canvas ripe for customizing in the first place, and there are plenty of third-party goods out there that give those same owners tons of options in that regard. This particular system proposes a modular type of cargo system that would work specifically with flatbeds, enabling owners to attach all different kinds of things to them. The base of the system covers the entire flatbed portion of the truck and contains special grooves that lock those attachments into place – a simple yet potentially extremely useful idea, if it indeed comes to fruition one day.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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