[_yb2s]

This is pretty absurd… there are plenty of non commercial reasons to use a truck- towing trailers, hauling wood, etc. they’re pretty essential for people that live in the country, do subsistence farming, or build/maintain their own house. I grew up in the country in a house my dad built, and we got much of our food from plants and animals we raised- we needed a truck.

Ultimately all motor vehicles are pretty dangerous and negatively impact the environment- it makes no sense to have a problem with people that need trucks using them for their purpose, but being fine with people doing the same with a small car.

[uneekname]

I can't speak for OP but their take sounded pretty city-focused. I live in a downtown that feels so overrun with these monstrous SUVs and what-have-you for no reason. I know they're useless because they're always empty and they park on my street (or better, in the bike lane I use every day).

I agree with your sentiment. Large vehicles have a lot of utility for a lot of people. I don't want to tax rural folk out of owning an important tool. But in the densest zip code in my state? I'm tired of reading about pedestrian murders in my neighborhood.

[misun78]

You're spot on with that explanation, thanks.

[throw0101c]

> This is pretty absurd… there are plenty of non commercial reasons to use a truck- towing trailers, hauling wood, etc. they’re pretty essential for people that live in the country, do subsistence farming, or build/maintain their own house.

Of course there are practical reasons for pickup trucks. But those are not the reasons why people actually buy them.

63% of F-150 drivers self report that they rarely/never tow:

* https://www.axios.com/ford-pickup-trucks-history

29% tow "occasionally", and 7% regularly.

> I grew up in the country in a house my dad built, and we got much of our food from plants and animals we raised- we needed a truck.

Fourth-fifths of the US population is currently in an urban area:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_in_the_United_Sta...

* https://www.statista.com/statistics/269967/urbanization-in-t...

Few people tow, and if you want to haul things a minivan would probably be most practical.

Even in construction, I think most folks would be better served with a van, as you can lock up your tools more securely and any supplies won't be exposed to the elements.

[trog]

80%+ of Americans live in cities - is hauling wood and activities related to subsistence farming a regular priority?

I live in Australia and am surrounded by people that choose to drive massive dual cab utes (trucks) as a lifestyle choice - they are mostly used for commuting. This is insane.

I have no problem with tradies driving utes to move supplies and tools to their workplace. But I would say at least half of the ones I see, if not more, are not used for this purpose.

[SoftTalker]

Yes but a farmer's pickup truck used to look like this...

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6c/a8/29/6ca8299cb79d89b811da...

... and now it looks like this...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LDHolYeplpg/maxresdefault.jpg

[ryandrake]

These trucks seem to be deliberately designed and styled to look meaner, belligerent, and menacing. Like a gigantic fist driving down the highway shouting "Stay out of my way!" Are these personality extensions for a population that is getting meaner and more belligerent every year?

These trucks (and some cars, to be fair) visibly project hostility. As a commenter put it in a past HN article, "Emissions requirements don't require a truck to look like it's going to beat you up."[1]

1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32425028

[_yb2s]

I think you are unfairly judging people different from you with a stereotype- the standard culture war behavior of demonizing and dehumanizing other groups.

That particular truck is a special performance model, trying to look supercar aggressive, and loaded with expensive hardware typically used only on desert racing trucks. This is a long standing thing car manufacturers do- look at the Subaru WRX STI or the 80s VW GTI for example. Wildly impractical, and usually sold at small volumes to draw attention and buyers for other models.

The regular F150 to me looks tacky, cheap, overly trendy, and faux futuristic but not aggressive. You see basically the same styling elements - lots of non functional protrusions and sharp angles - in economy cars like the Prius, it is the current trend. I think it looks awful.

Earlier this year I borrowed a family members 4 door short bed F150 with a lightweight pop up camper on the back for a family road trip where we explored offroad in desert national parks. The vehicle makes a ton of sense for uses like this- it was excellent offroad, just enough room for a family inside, and could carry gear for a week of camping in the back, without the risk of heavy items like firewood and tools hurting the passengers. We had all of the comfort of an RV with about 1/4 the fuel use, and the ability to drive and park anywhere easily. I can see why people buy them for this type of use, they are perfect for it.

[mitthrowaway2]

In the Japanese countryside I see people use kei trucks for these tasks. They're tiny but they can haul a lot of stuff.

[paulmd]

Well, those are flat-out illegal here and importing them is made illegal except under a narrow set of circumstances so that the auto industry doesn’t have to compete.

[rootusrootus]

No, it has nothing to do with competition, and everything to do with kei cars being underpowered. They can't keep up with the speed of traffic on the highway and they'd be a safety hazard to other motorists.

[paulmd]

There’s lots of vehicles that can’t get on a freeway. There’s a sign on every freeway onramp. That’s something we literally already handle so that’s not the problem.

If that were the case they would be classed as Neighborhood Vehicles and so on. You can buy a golf-cart or 4x4 and drive it on public roads after all. Just not a freeway.

It literally, directly, unequivocally is protectionism and insisting otherwise is ahistorical and factually incorrect. It’s a vestige of a 1964 protectionist trade war with Japan that the US auto-industry lobbied their way into keeping even after the other provisions were lifted.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

[buildsjets]

Pickup trucks are a lot higher, wider, and longer, yet have with smaller windows and windshields and less room in the beds than when I was a kid. And FYI I still own a square body 1988 3/4 ton 4X4 Suburban in the 1973-1991 body style so I know the difference between an old truck and a new one. It’s a really horrible shade of beige and my neighbors probably hate it.

These changes have generally has made new pickups designs much more of a pain in the ass to use for towing, hauling wood, feeding livestock, and harvesting crop. New trucks definitely fail the haybale stacking test.

They are now designed to be sold primarily as bro-dozers for suburban manchildren who want to LARP like they are some stereotype of macho, not useful tools for traditional rural living.

[_yb2s]

A beige 1982 diesel Suburban was actually what we had when I was a kid…

You can still get traditional 2 door trucks with a long bed… but I agree that isn’t what people using trucks inappropriately as cars are buying.

[fragmede]

I agree it's absurd, but bigger vehicles are, well, bigger, and thus more dangerous and negatively impact the environment more.

[misun78]

Yeah I totally understand your viewpoint but as other posters have said, my comment was directed at standard urban/suburban areas.