Can We Discuss Gigantic Pickup Trucks?

It feels like excessively large pickup trucks are taking over the roads and creating dangerous sightlines in pedestrian walkways, intersections, and parking lots.  They no longer fit into the standard parking spaces and jut into the street or into the lot.  Clearly they are popular among drivers and very profitable for car companies. Is there anything we can do to make things safer?

https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-weight-safety

• In the 1980s, about half of pickup trucks were categorized as small or midsize. But by the 2010s, small pickups had nearly vanished as Americans increasingly bought into the big truck lifestyle.
• As pickups transitioned from workhorses to lifestyle vehicles, their design shifted accordingly: Cabs expanded to accommodate more passengers, while beds shrank.
• The first generation of F-150s was 36% cab and 64% bed by length. By 2021, the ratio flipped, with 63% cab and 37% bed.

__________

Between the lines: Survey data from vehicle research firm Strategic Vision shows a third of today’s pickup owners rarely or never use their truck for hauling, while two-thirds rarely or never use it for towing.

__________

Yes, but: One result of supersized trucks: greater risks to pedestrians and other drivers.

• Drivers of today’s trucks sit much higher, creating a blind spot where small children or wheelchair users are hidden from view.
• Moreover, pickups’ weight increased by 32% between 1990 and 2021, meaning they strike pedestrians with more force.
• Plus, the tall front of a truck strikes pedestrians in the torso or head — home to vital organs — whereas the lower hoods of cars typically strike pedestrians in the legs.
• Pickups also tend to be more dangerous in collisions between differently sized vehicles — car drivers are 2.5 times more likely to die when colliding with a pickup as compared to another car, per a 2019 study.

Well, the automakers are trying to help.  As of last month the average monthly payment for a new Ford F-150 was $986, up about $90 from last year.  People who actually use trucks for work can't buy them.

I bought a brand new F-150 from Wyman Ford for $15,000 in 1995… put 300,000 miles on it. These “super duty trucks today are monster trucks whose owners feel they have superiority on the roads…. Mad Max mentality. 

A neighbor drives one. Maybe a Silverado. I am 5’5”, and he is maybe my height. No more than an inch taller than I am. I have assumed it’s his choice of vehicle because it makes him feel he’s not short. It is an enormous truck. 

Jaytee said:

I bought a brand new F-150 from Wyman Ford for $15,000 in 1995… put 300,000 miles on it. These “super duty trucks today are monster trucks whose owners feel they have superiority on the roads…. Mad Max mentality. 

They are the contemporary equivalent of the S.U.V.s (Suburban assault vehicles of the '90.s. 

The SUV were fun when they first became popular. Dudes would buy them and "own the road." I would get giggles when I would drive on 78 during snow storms and see them having spun out into the median. I would seldom see sedans but SUV's, all the time.

I love an 8 ft bed that never has to be made though. 

The funny thing about these huge trucks is that the beds are tiny.  I think it is one of those all hat no cattle situations.

I have a 2006 Ford Ranger and it has more cargo capacity than most of the F-150 variants (although it only seats two).  

Yes, I get the difficulty in deciding what to purchase. A truck dedicated to cargo vs one that can have a back seat and smaller carrying capacity. To have a truck that can still fit into regular parking spaces makes it a compromise if you can only afford one vehicle or can only have one parking space. But uhh, don't get me started on dualies...

Just this morning at the train station. It extends out past the white lines into the lane as well as over hangs just to the sidewalk space. 

I have a big truck because I dont fit in most cars comfortably. Not a lot of options that fit comfortable if you shop at both the big and tall stores. When I was younger, tall, but not as big,  there were sedans I could drive comfortably. With that being said I have 99 Tahoe that I can use to move a studio apartment. The 2017 version I have is useless for moving things. 

the18thletter said:

I have a big truck because I dont fit in most cars comfortably. Not a lot of options that fit comfortable if you shop at both the big and tall stores. When I was younger, tall, but not as big,  there were sedans I could drive comfortably. With that being said I have 99 Tahoe that I can use to move a studio apartment. The 2017 version I have is useless for moving things. 

Length of 1999 Tahoe = 188" to 199.6"

Length of 2023 Tahoe = 210.7"

Length of 2023 Ford F-150 = 209.1" to 250"

Your Tahoe is reasonable compared to a 2023 F-150 or even a 2023 Tahoe.

yahooyahoo said:

the18thletter said:

I have a big truck because I dont fit in most cars comfortably. Not a lot of options that fit comfortable if you shop at both the big and tall stores. When I was younger, tall, but not as big,  there were sedans I could drive comfortably. With that being said I have 99 Tahoe that I can use to move a studio apartment. The 2017 version I have is useless for moving things. 

Length of 1999 Tahoe = 188" to 199.6"

Length of 2023 Tahoe = 210.7"

Length of 2023 Ford F-150 = 209.1" to 250"

Your Tahoe is reasonable compared to a 2023 F-150 or even a 2023 Tahoe.

you also have to take use into account if you want to be the judge and jury.  Some people actually need trucks for work.  Any carpenter is going to want an 8' bed.  Masons need good heavy suspensions.  It's the lawyers and wall street folks or HR execs that don't need these at all.

Florida is truck capital…and the driveways are about 4 inches above the road. No snow, no hills just enough height and power to intimidate the snowbirds….

yahooyahoo said:

Length of 1999 Tahoe = 188" to 199.6"

Length of 2023 Tahoe = 210.7"

Length of 2023 Ford F-150 = 209.1" to 250"

Your Tahoe is reasonable compared to a 2023 F-150 or even a 2023 Tahoe.

Can you provide the interior space between the 2? Although the newer model is longer the usable space is less. The 3rd row Jack's up the usable interior space. I can fit a sofa in my 99 no chance in hell a sofa fits in the 2017. I have no idea of the dimensions of the 2023. 

Superiority complex. I have a bigger vehicle, so I am better attitude. 

I know there are people who make use of these trucks though, my friends dad is a carpenter and hauls all of his equipment - I think it's like a 97' F250 maybe? It has a whopping 700k miles on it. He meticulously works on it. 

But these guys with their lift kits, beam light huge pipes and nothing in the bed or a spec of dirt are not the real deal. 

Jaytee said:

Florida is truck capital…and the driveways are about 4 inches above the road. No snow, no hills just enough height and power to intimidate the snowbirds….

When I was in Florida this spring, I made note of how big the trucks were. It was incredible, but then I got started thinking; many of these trucks are actually towing boats. At least that's how I convinced myself to be more generous to them.

KarenMarlowe said:

When I was in Florida this spring, I made note of how big the trucks were. It was incredible, but then I got started thinking; many of these trucks are actually towing boats. At least that's how I convinced myself to be more generous to them.

Logical but I don't feel that generous to those that have a gas guzzling truck to move their gas guzzling boat!

njcanuck said:

KarenMarlowe said:

When I was in Florida this spring, I made note of how big the trucks were. It was incredible, but then I got started thinking; many of these trucks are actually towing boats. At least that's how I convinced myself to be more generous to them.

Logical but I don't feel that generous to those that have a gas guzzling truck to move their gas guzzling boat!

Fair point.

https://www.powernationtv.com/post/most-pickup-truck-owners-use-them

In a study conducted by Axios, researchers found that a significant portion of modern pickup truck owners rarely, if never, use their vehicles for hauling, towing, or other typical truck stuff. Instead, they are more likely to be used for shopping, running errands, and commuting.

The following results were based on answers given by 139–1,274 F-150 owners with model years 2012–2021.

HOW OFTEN DO PICKUP TRUCK OWNERS USE THEIR VEHICLES FOR VARIOUS TASKS?

If the data suggests that most pickup truck owners are using their vehicles for more basic functions like running errands and transportation, then why not purchase a minivan, sedan, or SUV?

Experts believe that the answer to that question falls on the image that the customer is aiming to project. “Today, personality and imagery are playing an even more important role in how consumers choose which truck is right for them,” says researcher Alexander Edwards.

All vehicles are sold based on image.  I agree that 95% of new truck buyers will never need to have a truck.  The thing won't start working until it hits it's third owner.  

But as far as image goes, why don't more families use safe, efficient minivans instead of bloated SUVs?  It's all image.  Flashy BMWs to sit in traffic?  Who needs it.

Black_Panther says:  "my friends dad is a carpenter and hauls all of his equipment - I think
it's like a 97' F250 maybe? It has a whopping 700k miles on it. He meticulously works on it."

700k! Hats off to your friend's dad!  Odds that he (or his dad) was a farm boy?  Or just old school.

I'm always struck by how few pickups I see on commercial construction projects, especially not the big flashy trucks. It's mostly work vans or beat-up small cars. On this kind of project, supplies are delivered by big trucks and the workers are mostly concerned with getting good gas mileage for their long drive.

The unfortunate fact of life for sedan drivers is that between SUVs and pickups, you're usually driving blind when you pull out of a space in a parking lot. 

The reason these testosterone laden people give their spouses for buying a truck is their membership at Costco. 
Napolean syndrome 

ml1 says: "The unfortunate fact of life for sedan drivers is that between SUVs and pickups, you're usually driving blind when you pull out of a space in a parking lot."

Second this! can't "like"

I'm always on the hunt for a space where i can pull through, park, and exit forward.

DanDietrich said:

[...]

But as far as image goes, why don't more families use safe, efficient minivans instead of bloated SUVs?  It's all image.  Flashy BMWs to sit in traffic?  Who needs it.

What's efficient about a minivan? It's also more than most owners need most of the time. Average fuel efficiency is 22 mpg. That doesn't look good to me.

If you want to watch a rant that is very funny, quite informative, and also too long, please enjoy this. Even if you don't want to watch it, the point is that using a vehicle that is more than you need is a bad act against others. Even using a small car when you could walk makes an unnecessary threat. And we are all guilty. When you turn the key in your motor vehicle, you are effectively saying, "I might kill someone today."

That was a great video. Back in the early/mid 90's, the rise of the SUV began. We were in Austria in the early 2000's at one of the highest mountains in the area and guess what: hardly an SUV in the lot. How ever did those poor people manage, we joked. They managed just fine. 

Ooh, and this video came out just today. It refers to two of the vlogger's previous videos on the topic. This guy is really funny.

There is a tax advantage to business owners of vehicles over 6000 pounds. A friend of mine with a small business in NH is always buying the latest and greatest GMC pick-up. Friend is usually very frugal, but when his accountant says spend a hundred K on a vehicle before January, he does. He does however use the crap out of it, Hauling trailers, plowing etc..

Here is a link to the insanity

https://www.taxfyle.com/blog/list-of-vehicles-over-6000-lbs#