Sometimes in Detroit’s zeal to cram pack its new offerings with every imaginable feature under the smog, it sometimes misses the mark. A case in point is Ford and its Super Duty trucks. They’re one of the reasons why F-Series trucks are the best-selling vehicles in America. But one feature that is new for 2023 is meeting with less-than-stellar reviews. In fact, some say it is the feature that Super Duty buyers least like.

The feature is the bedside step, bonked into the lower sides of the bed of F-250 and F-350 trucks to aid in bed access. It is a replacement for what used to be step-side beds. For some buyers, it is a handy feature. But to many, it is an ungainly step interrupting the bedside. And there is nothing detractors can do about it.

How is the Super Duty blemish fixed?

Or at least there was nothing until now. A company called All Out Industries is developing a cover to hide the step. Made of ABS plastic, these are not fiberglass pieces. The injection-molded parts come ready for paint or painted in a matching color for an extra charge. 

“When the 2023 Super Duty was announced and the first images were released, like many others we were disappointed with the bed step integration into the side of the bed,” Austin Galit, owner of All Out Industries, said to The Drive. “We see this as a focal point and it really ruins the body lines.”

Did the bed step start with the Chevy Silverado?

There is some conjecture as to whether this is a better feature or whether Ford fanboys are mad because the step copies the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado. “We came up with this idea for the true Ford enthusiast who fell in love with the clean, sleek body lines of the Super Duty over the years,” Galit said.

Looking at forums and social media, the disapproval of the Super Duty step is a thing. Maybe Ford should make it an option. Then, those that want them get them, and vice-versa. 

Did Ford do this Super Duty step in the past?

The step-side trucks of yore always kept the step as a separate element. It was always snuck into the space below the bed, between the separate rear fender and back of the body. But what Ford is doing is hacking the step into what is otherwise a continuous body side. 

Granted, trucks are commercial “machines,” if you will. But they still exude a certain style. Even the crude trucks from the ‘teens and 1920s had style, with some using roadster bodies with beds attached to the back. 

So now there’s a way to add a little more style back to the already stylish 2023 Ford Super Duty trucks.