If you crave a simple two-door midsize pickup truck, there is a new option. It’s a two-door flatbed Jeep Gladiator, and it’s called the Dispatcher 4×4. It’s built by Acela Truck Company, that is based in Bozeman, Montana. Here is everything we know so far. Let’s dig in!
You may already know the Acela Truck Company because they build some of the most high quality and most capable commercial 6×6 and 4×4 vehicles. These are called the Acela Monterra, and they are based on surplus military vehicles. We flew to Houston, TX about six years ago to test out these tough trucks.
Acela is now expanding their offering with the introduction of the Dispatched 4×4. It’s based on the Jeep Gladiator 4×4 platform. The cab is shortened, and the bed space is expanded to 7-feet in length. It’s a tray bed with folding sides. You can also order a Dispatcher truck as a chassis cab without any bed on the back.
Under the hood is a trusted 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine with 285 horsepower. It’s mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, an NV241 4Hi/4Lo transfer case (with 2.71-to-1 low range), and 4.10-to-1 axle ratios. This is not a top level Gladiator Rubicon transfer case, but it is still very tough and capable.
The most important specs are the payload and towing ratings. Acela says the Dispatcher 4×4 is capable of up to 3,000 lbs of payload and 7,700 lbs of maximum towing. You read that correctly, the payload is approaching 3,000 lbs.
The Dispatcher 4×4 is meant for fleet customers who require a smaller and more nimble off-road pickup truck. However, I hope that Acela also sell the Dispatcher truck to private individuals who may want to use it their work or overland camping adventures.
The Dispatcher 4×4 pricing is not available as of this writing. We will update the story as soon as we learn more. The Dispatcher 4×4 will be shown at the Work Truck Week NTEA show in Indianapolis this week.
