| Early Days
It wasn't long after the first pickup trucks hit the road
that someone, somewhere wanted a cap to cover the cargo
box. While the pickup truck bed was the ideal cargo-hauling
vehicle, it left its contents unsecured and exposed to all
the elements of weather. Truck owners who wanted to protect
their cargo (and their trucks) began creating makeshift
bed covers, often using wood and aluminum to provide a measure
of shelter and security. Soon, hundreds of small shops all
over the country were providing local customers with simple
basic truck caps.
Back in the late 1960's a young man named John Collins
saw the growing market for truck caps across the country.
He also watched the recreational vehicle industry blossom
in his local community of Elkhart, Indiana. John realized
that the materials, manufacturing methods, and workforce
that put together travel trailers and recreational vehicles
could also be used to produce truck caps. With just a few
thousand dollars start-up money, he founded LEER, and began
production of truck caps bearing the LEER name.
The Story Behind the name "LEER"
John wanted a short, bold, memorable word to describe his
company and its products. He landed on the word "LEER,"
liking the positive connotations it borrowed from Shakespeare's
King Lear, and the well-known manufacturer of sleek, sophisticated
private aircraft, Lear. The name LEER caught on quickly,
and soon became the best-known brand in the truck cap and
tonneau business.
John, and other forward-thinking truck cap manufacturers
like him, realized that a large national market for truck
caps was available to anyone who could bring a higher level
of quality, consistency and functionality to the product.
Through hard work, aggressive promotion, and high-quality
products, LEER soon became an industry leader, and trucks
by the tens of thousands carried the slogan "LEER -
The King of Caps" across countless roads, highways
and streets throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Fiberglass Changes Everything
Of course, along with success comes competition. In the
formative years of the truck cap business, leading producers
knew that their wood-and-aluminum creations had to advance
in styling and quality. Fiberglass arose as the preferred
material to meet the new demands for style - it was remarkably
strong and lightweight; it could provide a mirror-smooth
finish for automotive paints, and most importantly, it could
express all the styling ideas that truck owners (and truck
cap manufacturers) could imagine.
Collins and LEER moved into fiberglass production as soon
as resources would allow. Soon LEER established an industry-wide
reputation for leading-edge design. Often led by John Collins
himself, the LEER Mold Shop broke new ground in truck cap
styling, always moving the bar of design excellence higher
and higher. What had been born "once upon a time"
as boxy contraptions of two-by-fours and aluminum, truck
caps quickly evolved into sophisticated accessories that
followed the design and style lines of the trucks they fit.
Truck owners liked what they saw in the fiberglass caps
of the 70's and 80's - but they always wanted more! More
choices, more options, more styling, and more custom-design.
Trucks became more and more popular, and the growth spawned
thousands of businesses that catered to the truck accessory
customers. More trucks, more retails outlets and more attention
to design meant that LEER was poised for explosive growth.
To speed product to market, LEER invested in a huge fleet
of custom-outfitted trailers that could carry products across
the U.S. and Canada. To shorten the distances and delivery
times, LEER built regional plants in the West, Midwest,
East and South.
Truck Caps Go Mainstream
What had started as a dream in the minds of men like John
Collins was quickly maturing into one of the truck accessory
industry's dominate product categories. More and more truck
owners saw the clear benefits of adding protection and security
to their pickup trucks. More and more truck owners realized
that a well-styled fiberglass truck cap enhanced the styling
and usefulness of their vehicle. Truck owners also realized
that while a truck cap was protecting cargo, it was also
protecting the truck itself - saving it from the damaging
effects of snow, rain, leaves, sunshine and other hazards.
Auto test authorities reported that truck caps added an
aerodynamic element that actually improved truck gas mileage;
people who would never have considered the purchase of a
traditional pickup truck learned that a great-looking, inexpensive
addition could give them a vehicle with capabilities that
nothing else on the road could match. In short, truck caps
became the single most cost-effective way to enhance the
styling, value and usefulness of a pickup truck - and LEER
led the way at every step.
Today, one out of every five pickup trucks in the U.S.
and Canada will wear some kind of truck cap or tonneau.
Today's market offers caps in all styles and prices, in
high-tech, high-style fiberglass, or durable aluminum. Manufactured
in Woodland, California, Elkhart, Indiana, and Milton, Pennsylvania,
LEER is still the name that dominates the industry. By delivering
quality products that enhance the trucks they fit, through
the industry's largest Distributor network, LEER stands
head and shoulders above its competitors.
Today, as a part of the Truck Accessories Group, LEER benefits
from extensive engineering, design and mold-making resources,
headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana. It offers its products
through hundreds of independent Distributors located in
every U.S. state and most Canadian Provinces. Wherever truck
caps or tonneaus are sold or seen, LEER is the leader.
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