With the rapid development of buried pipe network construction in China, vertical loads from heaped materials and vehicles above the pipelines present significant challenges to the safe operation of these pipelines. To investigate the mechanical response of buried pipelines under vertical loads, this study developed a testing device based on thin-film pressure sensors to monitor the stress behavior of buried pipelines. Experiments were conducted to examine the stress behavior of buried pipelines under different burial depths and protection conditions. The results show that: As the vertical load increases, the pressure on top of the buried pipeline also gradually increases, with data collected from the thin-film pressure sensors clearly demonstrating this phenomenon. As the burial depth increases, the additional pressure on top of the pipe gradually decreases. Both geogrid reinforcement and steel plate protection effectively reduce the pressure on top of the pipeline and alleviate stress concentration beneath the loading plate. This paper provides a new testing method for investigating the mechanical response of buried pipelines.