A cover plate for a drive assembly that includes a bearing housing having a bearing cavity, a thrust bearing axially disposed within the bearing cavity that includes a cup, cone and plurality of rollers disposed between cup and cone raceways, a thrust plate with an axle engaging surface disposed perpendicular to a central axis and coupled for rotation to the cone. The cover plate may be connected to a final drive housing of a final drive that includes a plurality of gears operatively connected to an axle shaft, the end of the axle shaft positioned to rotationally engage the thrust plate and cone.