RealRides Volume 14: Jason Hutchens

Most automotive retailers or magazines have a readers' rides segment—a place to show off customer builds. At RealTruck, we do things a little differently—instead of turning the spotlight outward, we're shining it inward on the people behind the brand. When it comes to trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs, RealTruck employees don't just sell parts––we stand by them and install them on our own rides.​

Welcome to RealRides, where we pull back the curtain on the builds, restorations, and passion projects owned by the RealTruck team. This month, we're featuring Jason Hutchens—VP of Operations for Hard TBC (truck bed covers), a 30-year industry veteran, and the owner of a fleet of Ford trucks that would leave any Ford fanatic speechless.

RealRides is RealTruck's answer to the traditional readers' rides format—only instead of featuring customer vehicles, we're spotlighting the trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs owned by our staff. Each installment includes a brief interview, a look at the featured employee's build or builds, and the story behind how they got there.​

The series exists for a simple reason—to show that RealTruck isn't just another retailer moving product. The people answering your calls, managing your orders, and keeping inventory stocked are the same people spending their weekends in the shop tinkering, wrenching, and obsessing over the next mod. When you buy from RealTruck, you're buying from enthusiasts—and RealRides is our way of proving it.​

After all, we aren't just RealTruck people. We're real truck people.

Jason Hutchens currently serves as VP of Operations for Hard TBC at RealTruck—but his history with the company goes back further than most. As Jason puts it:​

"I started in Dec 1996 at a retail store owned by the family of the founders of UnderCover. In July of 2007, I moved over to UnderCover. In 2011, UnderCover was the 4th company to join Truck Hero, which later became RealTruck. I am recognized for 19 years of service, but I have 30 years of history with the company."​

That's three decades in the truck accessories industry—long enough to have sold parts out of a catalog and to have watched RealTruck grow into the largest name in the business. Along the way, Jason has held roles across operations, project management, and product development. Outside of work, Jason's passion is building and creating—and that extends well beyond the shop floor.​

"I spend the vast majority of my free time in my shop working on something. I believe that a person's passion is defined by what they spend the majority of their free time thinking about. For me that would have to be car and truck design, specifically how I want to design, customize, and accessorize vehicles I own, or am involved in building."

For Jason, the alignment between his personal interests and his professional life isn't coincidental—it's the whole point.​

"I love this industry, and I love that I have been a part of something that has grown into the biggest name in this industry. The most rewarding part of it all is all the opportunities I have been given to grow and develop and the people I have worked with along the way."​

One of his most memorable moments came early in his tenure at UnderCover, when the company was in the middle of launching its painted one-piece bed cover—an already massive undertaking—and the president pushed the team to accelerate development of a hard-folding cover.​

"I thought he had lost his mind because we were all so overloaded with tasks. He did not accept my response and pushed us all anyway—this was a pivotal moment in time for the company, and now millions of hard folding covers later, it was one of the best decisions ever made for us."

The newest and most refined truck in Jason's fleet is his 2022 Ford F-250 Platinum, powered by the 6.7 Power Stroke diesel. After years of running half-tons, Jason made the move to a Super Duty for one practical reason—he needed a truck that could pull a loaded trailer without feeling like it was being pushed to its limits.​

The F-250 arrived already wearing a 4-in. BDS lift and 38-in. Toyo M/T tires, giving it an aggressive stance right out of the gate. From there, Jason made it his own. The bed is set up right—a gloss-black hard-folding cover sits on top, with a full BedRug® liner underneath and RealTruck SwingCases on both sides for organized storage. An Air Lift air bag kit on the rear keeps the truck level under tow, a must for a truck that sees regular trailer duty.​

Five-percent window tint and a steel center console vault round out the build, and Jason has plans to paint-match additional exterior pieces and add front bumper lighting down the road. For now, it's close to done—which, for someone who spends as much time in the shop as Jason does, is saying something.​

Modifications:​

• 4-in. BDS suspension lift

• 38-in. Toyo M/T tires on factory wheels with 2-in. spacers

• Hard folding bed cover with gloss black painted panels

• Full BedRug® bed liner (now Husky Liners Guardian Comfort) 

• RealTruck SwingCase tool boxes (left and right)

• Air Lift air bag kit with Bluetooth controller

• Steel center console vault

• 5 percent window tint

If the F-250 is the refined end of Jason's fleet, the 1977 Ford Bronco is the soul of it. Jason pulled this one out of a barn in 1996—nearly 30 years ago—built it up, and drove it daily for years. When he eventually moved on to better daily drivers, the Bronco transitioned into trail duty, though Jason always kept it looking sharp.​

"A 15-footer is what I call it," Jason says—a truck that looks great from a distance (we think it looks pretty good up close too, though). Now that first-gen Broncos have climbed to serious collector values, it's retired from trail use, but it hasn't lost any of its character.​

This Bronco represents more than just a build for Jason—it's a three-decade relationship with a truck he rescued and brought back to life, a story that runs parallel to a lot of what RealTruck's culture is built around.

Then there's the F-ROD—Jason's 1996 Ford F-150, currently torn down to the frame and being put back together in time for the Hot Rod Power Tour in June. Tickets are bought, lodging is reserved, and four RealTruck employees are making the run together in their personal trucks. The F-ROD needs to be ready.​

From the outside, it looks like a first-generation Lightning. Under the hood, it's anything but—a single-turbo GM 5.3, making north of 700 horsepower, lives where the factory engine used to be. It's also wearing a one-off Ultra Flex bed cover wrapped in 3D carbon fiber, a detail that's very on-brand for someone who leads operations for a bed cover division.​

The F-ROD is the build Jason has the most time and energy invested in—and with the Power Tour on the horizon, the deadline is very real.

We'll let Jason close this one out:​

"I love this industry, and I love that I have been a part of something that has grown into the biggest name in this industry. The most rewarding part of it all is all the opportunities I have been given to grow and develop and the people I have worked with along the way."​

A huge thank you to Jason for sharing his story and his fleet with us. Stay tuned for the next installment of RealRides, where we continue highlighting the vehicles—and the people—that make RealTruck more than just a retailer.