The Jeep Gladiator midsize pickup is many things: a capable off-roader, an adventure truck, a convertible pickup, and even a work truck, given that it has a sturdy ladder-frame chassis. Now, if you’re really serious about using the Gladiator as a work truck, the 5-foot cargo bed is an inconvenient, as it’s small compared to many midsize trucks and often requires carrying larger items with the tailgate down.
But if you insist on using your Gladiator as a work truck—and many people do mostly in off-road, construction, and utility applications—there’s a company that can really up the Jeep pickup’s game.
A Gladiator with A Larger Bed than Any Half-Ton Pickup
Montana-based Acela Truck Company will turn your standard double-cab, short-bed Gladiator into a serious work truck by converting it into a two-door, extended-cab truck with a flat-load bed.
Called the Acela Trucks Dispatcher 4×4, the conversion features a massive 7’x5’ flat-load bed—larger than any half-ton pickup bed—with fold-down, removable sides. Thanks to the much longer 7-foot bed and a reinforced forged steel frame, the payload capacity almost doubles at 3,001 pounds compared to just 1,720 lbs for the standard Jeep Gladiator.
And the great thing about the Dispatcher 4×4—besides how it looks—is that the maximum towing capacity stays the same at 7,700 lbs, thanks to the 4.10:1 final drive ratio and Dana 44 front/rear solid beam axles retained from the factory truck.
The spec sheet only lists one available engine, the Gladiator’s standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 gas unit mated to the 850RE 8-speed automatic transmission.
The motor delivers 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, which should be enough for the Dispatcher 4×4, which has a curb weight of 4,560 lbs. Now, Jeep’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with its 442 lb-ft of torque would have been ideal for this application, but unfortunately that engine was discontinued after the 2023 model year.
A Jack-of-All-Trades Work Truck
Acela Truck Company
Acela Truck says the Dispatcher 4×4 can be fitted with a variety of accessories for mission-specific upfits, including a winch bumper, snow plow, bed rail kit, dump bed, and more.
Available also as a cab-chassis with a bed-delete option for full customization, it can be upfitted to function as a fire truck, search-and-rescue vehicle, and overlanding vehicle, with the platform also allowing for a wide range of delivery and trades bodies. The customization potential is “virtually unlimited,” according to the company, and for that reason, the truck also comes with a 240-amp alternator to support vocational equipment.
“Fleet managers are being asked to do more with less, especially when access, maneuverability, payload, and uptime matter,” said David Ronsen, President of Acela, in a press release. “The Dispatcher delivers higher payload and superior maneuverability compared to half- ton pickup trucks, all on a compact chassis at a significantly lower price point — even lower than some worksite UTVs. It gives Acela a powerful platform to support our customers’ critical missions.”
Acela did not release pricing yet, but it should do that soon as the Dispatcher 4×4 will go on sale in April. The truck is currently on display at Indianapolis’ NTEA Work Truck Week (March 10-13) in the Tafco Equipment booth (#2829).
