I'm a person who needs transportation, is building a house, has a family, and likes to go camping. 1 truck serves all my needs, particularly for the building a house thing. I can carry a full bed of tools, or haul plywood + drywall. I can also fit my big kayaks and camping gear.
A truck gives you so much freedom and flexibility to do real work, it is very empowering. I understand that many people buy a truck and don't actually utilize all its capabilities, but there are those of us that do.
For a person like me, what is the alternative world you envision? As an end user, what am I supposed to do to build my own house? Should I be forced to pay professionals to haul things and do work for me? Should professional trades people be the only ones allowed to own these types of vehicles?
> God I am so disgusted by trucks as virtue/status signaling
If you own a truck for its utility then my statement doesn't apply to you. They are utility vehicles. I can safely say thought that a majority of people who own them live in the suburbs and don't use them for their intended purpose. They are just used to signal status.
Yes I do agree that a lot of people don’t utilize their utility and just drive them because they are large and comfy. It’s silly. It’s hard to differentiate these people though, sometimes I drive my truck with the bed empty, and just by looking at me you wouldn’t know I was the type of person who uses it for its intended purpose most of the time.
It’s difficult to judge unless you actually know people that own these type of cars.
Anyway, I was just curious what you thought the solution to the problem was, since I agree that it’s silly many people own these things but don’t need them, but also they are a very empowering tool for others. It kind of seems like a tradeoff we make.
> It’s difficult to judge unless you actually know people that own these type of cars.
Sure this is true, but living in Texas I can tell you most people do not need them, and pay for them as status symbols. There are more trucks today than there have ever been, and fewer people working jobs that need them. The explosion in growth comes from marketing.
As for just truck-centric solutions, I'd say there needs to be a minimum bed size limit and some sort of ratio for bed size to cab/engine size. There is no reason that 2/3rds of the truck is not bed. Trucks should be at least 50% bed. If a truck is a utility vehicle it doesn't need to look sexy, it can look like a Kei truck.
Trucks should also have height limits and be tested for visibility. If you cant see a child or a coupe next to your truck, it is too high. Not to mention that high beds suck for utility compared to low beds.
I think trucks should be designed so that the only reason you would ever own a truck is if you needed to move things. If you want something "manly" trucks should be so utilitarian that they don't even factor into consideration.
A truck gives you so much freedom and flexibility to do real work, it is very empowering. I understand that many people buy a truck and don't actually utilize all its capabilities, but there are those of us that do.
For a person like me, what is the alternative world you envision? As an end user, what am I supposed to do to build my own house? Should I be forced to pay professionals to haul things and do work for me? Should professional trades people be the only ones allowed to own these types of vehicles?