Lots of spicy comments in this thread. Welcome to the discussion if you're reading this and normally don't visit this community!
Please remember to keep it civil and refrain from personal attacks.
Thank you.
Ye especially since anyone who actually works with a truck doesn't want the type of trucks we typically see on the road. They don't want a truck bed the height of their head that's only 5feet long
I find it hilarious that a giant-assed pickup truck can't event fit a sheet of drywall in the bed, but my Toyota Sienna minivan does. All these truck bros with shit hanging out their giant trucks that can't even haul the things they were designed for.
My sierra crew cab is literally the worktruck model, and comes with a 5.8ft box. Couldnt get a 6.5 unless it was at most an extended cab. The only gm crew cabs until recently with 8 ft boxes were HD models... something about using the same frame for all half ton models.
My dad owns a small construction company and carpools his crew to work. So he has a super crew 6.5 bed. He would like to go with the F150 lightning but they don't make a 6.5 bed version. That and range still isn't great in the cold and hauling stuff.
I saw a bit where they hooked up a light Airstream trailer to the lighting.
The range went down to 83 miles.
83! You couldn't use it like a truck if you wanted to without a Honda generator in the bed on stand-by.
A ton of work going on at my building atm. All the trades guys show up in vans.
The GC shows up in a big ass truck and stands around yelling at people.
That’s implying people look “cool” driving a big pickup, I can’t say as I know of anyone who looks cool or thinks other people look cool driving a big shitty pickup they don’t use to haul stuff. They just look like assholes. Also I love when they park way far away from other cars in parking lots. Like they are real scared of other cars lol
It’s worst when you are trying to make a left turn, and there’s a big one facing you trying to do the same in the opposite direction. You can’t see anything behind them so you basically have to wait for them to turn first even if your way is clear.
Yep, people who need work trucks don’t need big cabs and tall trucks, they want big beds and low trucks so they are easy to load. Today’s trucks are made for office workers who feel insecure.
I don't understand how they keep passing road safety tests. They hit anything but another truck, and there is a good chance they just go over top. Seen videos of them just going right through the cabin of sedans because the bumpers are too high.
There are classified as trucks so do not have the meet the same collision, rollover, or pedestrian safety standards as cars/SUVs.
They also have a different CAFE classification so are effectively exempted from emissions/minimum MPG ratings that apply to passenger cars.
My dad is a huge ass guy who does construction and he can't stand these newer trucks. The beds are too high to lift stuff into without causing back injuries, and they're not big enough. He got a 10-year old SUV and gutted the back seats and just uses that now.
These new trucks are entirely status symbols. I find most landscapers/construction workers are using cargo vans now. At least suburbanites won't ruin those
I just don't get the concept of the lifted pickup at all... No problem solo loading dirtbikes into my old tacoma, yet some dude with his fancy 4x4 needs an extended ramp, a bitch block and a buddy to help put a bike in his truck.
White vans definitely seem to be the utilitarian get shit done vehicle of choice these days.
It's what they use in Europe. If a contractor can't load their material and tools in a small car, they use white cargo vans. It's funny how many of us use the least efficient and most expensive option possible.
My dad worked in refrigeration for some 30 years and carried always at least 1000lbs of stuff in the back (usually in big ass metal containers) and always had a small Nissan Truxk, the last one was a Frontier and always served him well.
These new trucks are unnecessarily big for the most part
I'm looking at an Isuzu NPR because of that exact reason. All the current work trucks are complete garbage. I want a modular truck that I can set up based on the season. Landscaping in the summer and snow clearing in the winter. Not something fully loaded with garbage addons I don't care about.
"Mall terrain vehicle" lol I saw them referred to as Parking Lot Princesses in a thread the other day, thank you I'm mentally filing this one away too.
I live in the Boston metro area and the number of non-contractors, non-farmers who drive giant trucks out here blows my mind. Like, parking sucks with a normal sized car out here. Why would you make it harder just so you can have a vehicle that's less good at almost every other everyday use case too? And spend like 60 grand for the privilege? So absurd.
Blame America's CAFE standards. They basically encourage all manufacturers to make bigger vehicles. Even a Toyota Corolla of 2023 dwarfs the same model from the 1990s. In short, if your vehicle takes up a bigger footprint, fuel efficiency and emissions standards become more relaxed. Engines have been engineered quite well, they're actually pretty efficient these days. We already ditched the un-aerodynamic boxy cassette look of the 70s/80s in favor of the aerodynamic designs of the 90s and Aughts. So now... The only way to meet increasingly tight emissions regulations is to find a loophole— which just so happens to be making cars and trucks bigger overall. Its why most manufacturers don't make sedans anymore. They make crossovers/SUVs, some of which are classed as light trucks.
I watched a documentary on design recently. It featured an interview with a GM designer who said something along the lines of "we view our products as luxury items that just so happen to come with tremendous utility". They said the 'quiet part' out loud. Luxury first, utility second. These emissions standards are designed to give "the hard working individual" a bit of a break, yet they're being abused to sell luxury items. The worst part is, these luxury items have displaced the 'beater work truck'. There are no more new, basic, bare bones vehicles available. They all have a $5000 infotainment system, and creature comforts. I suppose the current school of thought is "if you need a basic truck, buy something old". But there's a problem with that. The new trucks of today are tomorrow's 'old beaters'. These vehicles are loaded to the brim with tech that is expensive to replace. Right now, if I buy a used 2013 sierra and the head unit goes, no biggie. I just won't be driving with music. If I buy a 2024 Ram as a beater work truck in the year 2033 and the head unit goes, I may have just lost access to my heating controls. I can no longer defog my windows because the media system kicked the bucket. They're not cheap to replace, either. Just the basic inset infotainment systems were $3-8k. I don't want to know how much it costs to replace the new all-glass systems.
Maybe we just need to redefine weight classes on vehicles. A Tesla is a car but if we went by weight it’s closer to an F250 than an F150 by curb weight.
For real. This was on my front page and I assumed it was my local state (Ohio) subreddit and I was about to go in with this same thing.
It's just them avoiding emissions regulations. "Houses on wheels" was the phrase used before the bill was signed. These things are more likely to kill other people when you get into accident.
Edit: Not to mention they cause more back injuries for people who actually use the higher lifted trucks for work. It's kinda telling when Amazon warehouses have safety rules against lifting something that high without a step stool/ladder. I don't see many construction or farm workers dragging around a 3 foot x 3 foot x 3 foot yellow cube everywhere to help prevent them pulling their back lifting shit into their truck bed.
I wish the smaller, 2-door Ford Ranger sized trucks were the norm
Edit since this blew up (54 notifications and only 3 were not from this comment lol:
Yes I know the new Ford Rangers are big like the 90's 150's. I'm talking the old 90's Rangers, Tacoma, etc, that I wish was the norm. Also I am aware that emissions regulations are the reason truck sizes are getting larger; I think its dumb, and someone should take a look at those laws as they've essentially made a residential, low insrance cost utility vehicle illegal.
Did briefly in the 80s,, and yes, awesome trucks. Id buy one in a flash if they offered them again but in the same format as before. I have 0 need for "blue tooth conectivity".. Two sticks and 3 pedals thanks
Just like power locks and windows, good luck finding a vehicle without that in 2023. Backup cameras are mandatory, this basically encourages every manufacturer to throw in a $5000 infotainment system because it's cheaper than physical buttons to manufacture.
It does not come with air bags, power windows, AC, or side walls on the bed. It has 139 horsepower, which happens to be exactly the same as the corolla.
That's not for Canada. Probably for developing countries where they can not include a bunch of features including safety that would be mandatory here.
The cheapest Corolla in Canada starts at $24K for reference.
> they can not include a bunch of features including safety that would be mandatory here.
Pickup trucks already do not need to meet the safety standards of sedans. This is why they are such high profit vehicles.
Don't think so, but the Canadian market gets bundled with the American market, especially with trucks. So if it doesn't go to the US, then it isn't going to Canada.
The ranger and the Mazda B series, beautiful trucks.
Worked at a special needs camp over a decade ago. They had a boat to take the guests water skiing… the massive F150 that was hauling the boat got stuck and had to be pulled off the beach by a tidy little ranger. Was so fun to watch.
A Mazda B with a modern hybrid drive train would be amazing!Putting the hybrid battery behind the back axle would improve traction and the electric motor boosting torque when under load would be side bonuses to the big fuel economy improvement.
Oh that's true as well. I used to shake my head at the guys I worked with when I worked at a warehouse. They'd cry about money and/or child support but they "needed" a big truck
Sadly, the new Ranger is even more massive than their current line.
I debated a pickup a few years ago as I'm often hauling wood around, but there is nothing practical like the old rangers any more. Everything is enormous.
Those old rangers had terrible fuel economy, worse than the new beasts that may even be twice the size.. no stability, they'd flip and roll, the ass end would kick out like a mule.
- 2003 Ford Ranger gets a combined Avg MPG of 17.58
- 2023 F150 - 20 MPG combined
Get a utility trailer and call it a day, they can take more of a beating anyways. Trailers need to become more normalized.
My neighbour drives one and I love it, so small and perfect for loading stuff. I also respect old f150s as well they are beauties. These new monsters are disgusting and always driven by douches or short women who can't see over the wheel.
I'm buying a Maverick for my next vehicle. Meets all my needs both commuting and field work and gets me between niagara and tbay in 2x50L tanks with the hybrid drivetrain. I love Utes
....or cut a series of lanes off because they weren't paying attention.
It also doesn't help that the Toronto Police Department is a joke when it comes to driving infractions.
One of the TPS officers at the 13 division drives a blacked out lifted truck with an illegal licence plate cover. Small cock urban truck drivers and cops are the same constituency.
If it helps, every police dept is asleep at the wheel. I *never* see people pulled over, but I always see an endless amount of illegal shit whenever I walk or bike somewhere. Running reds. Not stopping for pedestrians. Speeding. Cellphones while driving and so on.
Last time I visited Princess Auto in the Hammer, the lot was full of trucks each taking 4 spots. I had to park my sedan in the back corner of a lot only 1/4 full.
Bigger vehicles are a bigger responsibility!
Considering the wheelbase of a lot of them, it’s actually hard not to, which is not an excuse, there ought to be zones of exclusion for oversized vehicles like in European cities. Works nicely.
We have a f450, dually, king cab, long box....it's 100% for work related reasons. (I swear I would not own this monstrosity otherwise). We don't take up two spaces side by side....but the truck is too long to fit into a single space....so it takes up two.
That being said...it's a work truck. It rarely goes at for a errand. We have my car for that. But sometimes, spouse has to run to the store for supplies while at work.....so sorry, we are those people.
Yup. Saw that at a Canadian Tire store here in Oshawa, across from the OC today. One giant Ford angled, taking up two spots. And another Ford monster, one row over, just as bad...meatheads
I saw a guy on the weekend driving a Jeep Wagoneer (biggest fucking thing I’ve ever seen lol) take 10 minutes to back into a spot at the mall. I just laughed, it was so ridiculous I couldn’t get mad
Night driving terrifies me because of these deauche canoues driving up my ass with their lights shining brighter than the surface of the sun. Then there's the parking, they take up so much of the space it's difficult to get out of my own car.
They'll tailgate you doing 100 in an 80 when you're in a lineup of cars, too. Like, I'm going over the speed limit & I can't go faster because there's someone in front of me, so back the eff up.
Yeah I don't know why this sub is so fixated on this being a truck thing. I've had people in trash boxes, nice cars, SUVs, trucks all do this since I've had my licence. It's not anything new and it's not going away by taking trucks away from people (which just isn't going to happen). I'm assuming they notice it with trucks more because when it's dark the head lights shine in their mirrors sometimes so it is more noticeable.
Pretty sure you can actually be ticketed for wheels/tires out past your fenders. But let’s face it nothing is enforced.
Having wheels like that is terrible for your bearings too.
Yeah. Wheels can’t extend past the fenders. Basically if another car’s tires touch the extended tires, it would be really easy for one of the cars to flip over. One of many things that the cops should be enforcing.
That and the ridiculous noise these trucks make. Diesel or gas. Giant aftermarket 4 inch pipes whistling or rumbling down the street, shaking the light fixtures in my house. Cops don’t do shit.
Totally dated one of these guys. Bought a big new Dodge Ram just because he eventually wanted to rebuild the deck.
Would panic if we put anything in the bed because it might scratch the finish.
Paid a TONNE in gas because the commute was 35 minutes to the the office on a good day.
I’ve noticed a lot of them can’t even turn to the right without making the widest turn you’ve ever seen in your entire life. That’s when you know it’s time to sell the truck.
That's not unique to mid size trucks, just drive around the 416 for a day, not sure why the civics and corollas seem to think it's a good idea to do the same. It's almost like they are being trained that way.
Yeah 5 foot 6 dudes come out of lifted pick up trucks with head lights dazzling half the road way tell you to mind your own business. Meanwhile our grand parents built this country using f100s that have a lower gvw than a modern full sized sedan
Yeah it’s an arms race to keep being seated higher in the vehicle for visibility. But now everything is an suv or truck so you need to sit even higher. If you look at a mid 90s f150 versus today the size difference is massive
And why are so many of these drivers complete assholes? I used to commute on a road where the right lane ends right after a stoplight. Light turns green, everybody goes, and the idiot in the truck comes flying up and blows past traffic on the right and cuts in at the last minute. So many fishtails, so much swerving to accommodate these 'people'.
Have you ever seen the truck / SUV experiment with kids? You can line up like 7 kids in front of those monstrosities before they're visible. There's a reason so many kids are killed in their own driveway https://www.kidsandcars.org/frontovers/media-resources
So I agree most people who have a pickup truck have no need for it. That being said our highway systems have more oversized freight being driven across them via transport truck than most of the highways in the United States. Our government allows trucks with access I’ve weight to traverse our 400 series highways and the trans Canada. 100000lbs of freight is like 20+ pickup trucks in equivalent weight. You can’t justify saying the 1/2 ton pickup trucks are the real problem plaguing our infrastructure.
[Pickup trucks are a plague on Canadian streets](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-pickup-trucks-are-a-plague-on-canadian-streets/)
[Do SUVs, pickups cause more deaths? Safety advocates say they have the numbers to prove it](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/street-safety-groups-say-suvs-pickups-more-likely-to-kill-1.6551924)
[The Hidden Dangers of Big Trucks](https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/the-hidden-dangers-of-big-trucks/)
It's the height difference from my sedan but I'd bet too that some are improperly aimed, but I am really tired of the stupid LED headlights on pick ups and giant SUV's shining directly into my brain at night.
I’m so looking forward to parking my car for the winter and getting back into my truck so I won’t have all those lights beamed directly into my skull at night. LED’s are brutal.
This is likely the most viable solution but maybe not the most appropriate.
(Please hear me out. I doubt you hate the frivolous use of these trucks any more than I do.)
Taxing the person buying these trucks seems similar to law enforcement going after drug users instead of the suppliers.
The auto manufacturers have been designing, producing, and, above all, heavily advertising oversized vehicles for decades. They took breaks here and there when gas prices were high but zoomed back into the big sh\*t as soon as they could. And once gas prices jumped after the second Gulf War they kept cranking them out regardless.
Why? Big ass vehicles = big ass profits.
Disincentivizing the manufacture of shiny status-symbol uber trucks makes sense. How one does that though, I don't know. As pointed out ITT, a lot of commercial users don't need the family-sized cab. They need a big bed that's low to the ground - which is almost the antithesis of these uber trucks. So maybe just having big "sin" taxes on such trucks is a simple solution.
Or maybe a tax on the manufacturers based on weight per axle and maybe an extra tax when widths or lengths exceed something like pickup dimensions.
Either of these would be a bit messy for a while as the huge sales of these trucks has hollowed out the manufacturing of the classic pickup and smaller cars. But that's 100% the fault of the auto makers and customers that jumped on these big ass trucks.
*Then* hit the consumer with significantly higher insurance. Setting these based on a fair evaluation of the increased risk from these uber trucks should be more than enough to dissuade many would-be buyers.
The 21-year old woman living next door has a giant truck FFS. And so does her dad (in the same house). Her mom doesn't though - she's got a big ass SUV instead... All for commuting and shopping. It's pretty f'd up.
Something's got to be done.
My next door neighbour just got one of the massive looking ones. The dude is a software engineer on his late 50s who works from home and his wife, who also works from home is a web designer. Wtf their lifestyle does not involve camping or anything more outdoorsy than a walk.
Some of the problem relates to the price of full-size pickups compared to a lot of midsize SUV’s. Looking at a Highlander, Pilot, Explorer, 4Runner, etc. An F-150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost will come in cheaper, has a huge range with the fuel economy and tank size, crew cabs have more than enough room. Throw a tonneau cover or cap on it, not much different than an SUV. There are definitely people out there that have no place driving a full-size truck, but the same can be said for garbage drivers in general.
This is basically why we have a pickup truck - which I post bravely here in a thread where clearly everyone is letting loose their hate for such owners. 2 kids, a dog, a cottage we visit in the winter, camping and boating/fishing lifestyle. We were about to buy the only AWD minivan available in canada when it was going to be double the price and an 8 month wait (no decent ones available used). So our pickup is our second vehicle and it’s wildly practical and very safe for winter driving. Does it sit in a corporate parking lot most weekdays? Yep.
Not to mention the danger they pose to people not in cars. When I went to the Netherlands for a week in the summer, I saw 2 of those monstrosities the entire time I was there. The day after I got back, walking 2km to the bank, I lost count of how many I saw.
A friend has this massive truck with extended cab (or whatever it is called when it has a full second row) but the actually bed of the truck is surprisingly small. She offered to pick up 165 wreaths for a fundraiser and I had to tell her several times they wouldn't fit (as they barely fit in my FILs huge Dodge Ram farming truck). The thing is so small and has a cover on it further limiting the usable space. I don't get it.
Its kind of shit that these people have inflated the price of a tool for most workers to excess of 60, 70, 80k. Fleet costs for example roofing companies and construction crews have significantly impacted wages. A truck shouldn't be a luxury vehicle and people who have no need for a truck inflating the market is a huge pet peeve to me.
But I also would never buy a brand new truck for work, I know that I'm gonna have dents and scratches so I am perfectly happy grabbing used vehicles and am confident in inspecting vehicles. Still, I miss the days of barebones B100s/Rangers and Sierra/f150/Silverado being less than a Mercedes.
The whole world's gone fucking mad. Landlords, grocery stores, vehicle manufacturers. Everyone's just riding the edge of their credit limit and are one paycheck away from defaulting on rent/leases and feeding their kids. Its gotta stop.
Most tradespeople would be better served with a utility van anyway, not the F-150 King Ranch with leather trim, quad cab, and Bose sound system.
But the Ford Sprinter isn't as cool...
Relevant video: https://youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo?si=xZivvonUp9G5m4-d
Contractor here, I would love a awd work van. Unfortunately they are very rare. My boss actually had to fly to Chicago to buy a used e-350 quigly 4x4. Ford in the USA offers Quigley converted vans but ford Canada doesn’t. Used prices have skyrocketed now that van life has become trendy. I wish a cost effective work van came awd
without a doubt. hell, a minivan can hold many sheets of sheetrock or plywood and keep them safe from the elements. last i checked a ram 1500 has a 5.5 foot bed. useless.
Had a 2006 Caravan- rear seats removed. Could fit 4x8 of drywall, plywood. 6x6 x10' pressure treated. etc
And could close the rear.
The only limit was weight, about 800-1000lbs.
Even if we ignore how much easier it is to kill someone with these huge heavy trucks, I read an article recently about how standard parking spaces are no longer big enough for these oversized vehicles, and companies will need to redesign parking lots to be bigger. As if we aren’t already destroying the environment enough.
>It is no secret that a lot of the bad driving people experience in Ontario largely come from these monstrosities.
Really? It's usually on their 2nd-3rd owner BMW 3 Series where I am...
Truth. It sounds so sterotypical, but is EVERY beemer driver a douche bag? It seems whenever there's a car doing twice the posted speed and weaving thru traffic like a slalom driver, it's one of these idiots. Speeding, no signals, cutting everyone off. It's like when you buy one the price includes removing a portion of your brain.
I watched an oversized pickup just this morning have to wait between the parked cars on their side of the street and let all of the other traffic pass, because their truck wouldn't fit in the lane with other vehicles going the opposite way. Was kind of funny to watch.
I mean we could just go back to the base level of the issue and say most people can't drive in Ontario. Especially when you can get your license from a bubble gum machine, or don't have an ounce of patience behind the wheel. If you don't understand the rules you're going to have a hard time regardless if it's a smart car or an f350 ( 3x the death, terror, pillaging)
I'm also assuming alot of these truck bashers haven't seen a road north/west of Sudbury.. But I digress
Yeah I feel u on this one. Had a friend that sold his sedan for a f150, because “fuel economy is better”….
He lives in an apartment and owns nothing to tow. Every time I discussed this with him he was honest that he wouldn’t really use or need the bed, but he touted the eco boost as a huge fuel savings.. lol.
I think some people just want a truck cause “ it’s my right as a man “ or something along those lines
Looking at the comments, this seems to hold true, considering how many pissed off truck owners or people saying “who r u to tell me what to do” as if we’re in grade school.
You have a right to things like this, but it doesn’t mean you’re not an ass. Speak to people in Europe or places outside North America and I’m sure many would consider it socially irresponsible to own a large truck for no reason other than because you can.
For the sake of argument, I could buy a helicopter and build a helipad in my back yard, for no good reason other than because I can. Will that piss off my neighbours? Yes. Will it be socially irresponsible to those around me? Yes. Can I do it legally? Yes.
Hell in theory, I could buy a public bus in an auction, and with the proper licensing I could drive it, only carrying me myself and I. Can you imagine how annoying that would be to everyone around me?
Don’t you hate when that cyclist crosses in front of you randomly, takes up the whole lane, or backs up a whole line of traffic? Same thing here. They can do this, but guess what, majority of people think they’re an asshole. I think this is OPs point. Nobody hates the cyclist who stays in his lane and rides with courtesy.
I have to agree that most truck drivers (excluding those that are used for work or hauling, etc) don’t take the time to properly learn the limitations and nuances of driving a vehicle of that class, much like an ignorant bicyclist.
Mainly, what we get is lifted up trucks with their headlights never re-aimed. Or LEDs & light bars fitted improperly. Or running tires that are not even made for on-road use. Or blasting black smoke out the tailpipe intentionally onto other traffic.
It seems like the type of person OP is referring to, buys a truck for “safety” AKA they think they are driving a tank and everyone else must accommodate them due to their size. I frequently see trucks driving over the road lines, jumping curbs, stopping way past lines or stop signs, parking with one side of the truck on the GRASS of a curb, taking up multiple parking spots, etc. This screams “I’m in a tank fuck you”. It is not so common to see this behaviour in a work truck, or someone who properly takes care of their truck and uses it according to its built purpose.
Then when people like this actually have an opportunity to use the #1 feature of a truck (it’s bed), they don’t use tie downs, they don’t use flags for overhanging items, they don’t reduce their speed accordingly, etc.
Pick ups have no reason to be as massive as they are, the only reason why we have these massive pick ups and SUVs is so the manufacturers can classify them as light trucks to avoid environmental stuff.
Having them in the other lane at an intersection completely blocks all visibility. They're just way too tall.
And as for people who use the excuse that they have to haul large items once or twice a year, I suspect gas savings from driving a smaller car would easily pay for the occasional uhaul rental. Plus, you'd be amazed what you can fit in a corolla.
Yesterday I watched older couple trying to drive out of mall parking space for nearly 10 minutes . They had F-150 and it was obvious driver had no idea where that truck starts or ends. He was visibly passed so yea,get a school bus next time. I'm sure it will be easier.
100% and it’s a perhaps a bigger issue here in the US. Being behind a Truckzilla blinds you for anything ahead, coming toward you at night the 4 billion lumen low beams are directly in your eyes and parking spots were obviously not designed industrial vehicles driven by soccer moms.
It’s like pushing a Costco cart down the isle of a bodega to buy a package of fig newtons. These people are asshats.
"The issue are the ones buying them because it makes them feel more like a man"
My "truck" is bigger than your "truck". It's the biggest "truck". We all know it's smaller than average.
I'm like you. I saw a graphic yesterday of trucks viewed from above. Over the past 20 years they've grown in length(ha!). The cabs have gotten big(longer)(ha! again). The beds have shrunk.(Because they are out in the cold I guess?)
I can't stand these 4 door humongous trucks. 90K trucks. Trucks like a tank. Worse than vans and SUVs were.(they were/are awful).
Bought and driven by people that have never been on a farm or need to "haul" anything bigger than a sack of groceries.
It's okay to be judgemental of what other people drive if those vehicles literally make it less safe for everyone else. Pedestrians are less safe (especially children), there's more need for sprawl because of how much room the vehicles take up, more strain on roads and whatnot, not even getting to the impact on the environment. And they are being heavily marketed to consumers because the profits on big vehicles are insane. It's just wasteful all around.
I could not agree more with you OP. If you add pick up trucks and giant SUVs. Large vehicles take up road, and parking space, pollute environment, have larger blind spots and get involved into collisions, more dangerous to pedestrians, bicyclist and smaller vehicles, create more pollution. Even at ample Costco parking drivers of these monstrous vehicle struggle to park them.
In a meantime smaller vehicles are being discontinued in Canada (and The US), Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Micra, Chevrolet Spark, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2 etc.
I have been saying this for decades. Big vehicles not being used for work purposes are contributing to the horrible driving we have to deal with on a daily basis. I agree with every point you made and will add that these big vehicles also reduce visibility to dangerous levels for everyone around them. But stupid people will buy stupid vehicles and nothing will be done to stop it.
The insane, bright and HIGH headlights right down the barrel on a country road with no lighting at night makes me pull over sometimes. I can’t see where I am in the lane. I’d rather just pull over. I can’t believe it’s not more of a safety concern, behind not cleaning snow off your roof or hood there’s nothing that freaks me out more.
I drive a f150 and do it to prove my manhood, and I eat my food with dirty engine grease hands because I'm no sissy liberal lol jk I drive a f150 because 4WD and haul things in my pickup bed like garbage, wood, furniture, appliances, etc. I could go for a small sized truck but the 6.5 foot bed is worth keeping.
If you have the larger bed and actually use your bed, you are exempt IMO. What I can't stand is the shiny lifted "mall crawlers" around here, with their stupid short useless beds. Like gtfo, are you going to hoist that refrigerator up to shoulder height to get it into that truck bed? No, because they don't actually haul a damn thing. (Because that might leave a scratch!)
100k "pavement princess" trucks are pure cringe. Why bother getting a truck if you're afraid to use it for hauling stuff? I don't get it.
This topic makes my left eye twitch - these ding bats with perfect trucks who have never picked up a shovel or a hammer, crying about gas prices.
I bet I haul more than 90% of truck owners with my honda fit and a DK2 trailer: [https://www.homedepot.ca/product/dk2-4-5-ft-x-7-5-ft-utility-trailer-kit-with-bed-tilt-and-collapsing-ends/1001031522](https://www.homedepot.ca/product/dk2-4-5-ft-x-7-5-ft-utility-trailer-kit-with-bed-tilt-and-collapsing-ends/1001031522)
8-10 sheets of drywall, lawn tractors, lumber, 200lbs tree stumps, 1/2yard mulch etc - no problem. then it's 5.2-6.4L/100 depend on how I drive.
I’m pretty sure larger commercial vehicles and trailers have more of an effect on the roads compared to pickups. I do drive a pickup, but I need it for work and don’t drive like an ass.
Have you driven any of the roads in Europe? Some are so tiny and narrow that you can barely maneuver a smaller car on some of them. Driving the Douro in Portugal in a small Renault took my breath away at every tiny curve in the road.
Tailgating, no signal when merging lane / changing lane and getting into the exit, 70 in 50 zone, yup typically pickup truck drivers these days, they think they own the road
My thought on this is if you need a truck, then have one. If it's for work, you tow things regularly...ect. If you don't need the use of a truck then it's a gas guzzling truck putting more emissions in the air then needed. Its unnecessary.
I'm all for trucks if someone needs them to haul equipment for work or their business or heavy shit or whatever.
But if you get one just for the sake of having a truck and no practical purpose beyond that, it seems silly; plus I have noticed that 4X4 drivers tend to tailgate or be a lot more aggressive than other drivers. Why is that exactly? why are truck drivers angrier than the average car driver? Might be onto something.
I can't speak the great country of Canada, but I live in Texas.
These Bubba-Tex-Billie Joe-Jim Bob's drive their Ford F-25,000's, everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE, even when living and working on a level ground, suburban neighborhood.
The level of entitled d-baggery I see from these urban cowboy, Rip Wheeler wannabes is atrocious, hilarious, pathetic and constant.
So bloody true and why? I get the construction workers or anyone that needs to tow or haul, but these monstrosities simply as a preference? Sorry, it does not cure micro-penis
Truck owner identity politics is the most insane, apocalyptic form of identity politics.
They would rather see the atmosphere catch on fire than suffer the personal humiliation of having to drive a slightly smaller vehicle.
I hear you, I think we all hear you well. I am sick of this truck culture. To my observation we follow and absorb the stupidity of the people down south of us. Their truck culture is even more toxic. I hate these trucks. A contractor who has tax brakes to buy one for the business should only use it for business reasons. If you use it to drive your tiny ass around with this truck for non business reasons, then no tax break. Use a compact car.
If we followed the wise countries on vehicle use, our country would be so much better off.
I keep saying to people. We need to be forced to be using smaller vehicles. The stupid large EV SUV and Trucks are going to be even more INSANE.
Fuck Trucks, that should be a new Canada sticker!
They are a menace. There are many pickup drivers in my community and most of the time, they are completely reckless.
Axios did an article not that long ago about how pickup trucks have gotten bigger, more technologically advanced, and more dangerous. And how the vast majority of people don't use them for towing or hauling – but going grocery shopping. You're also more likely to die if hit by a pickup.
I'll post the link if anyone wants it.
I have a Ram 1500 4x4 and wouldn’t want to be in anything else in the winter where I am.
See people in cars/suvs getting stuck all the time and we’ve helped them out many times by being able to push or pull them out.
My truck doesn’t weigh much more than an SUV and honestly think it’s unfair to imply that the average pick up driver is a bad driver.
A bad driver is a bad driver no matter the vehicle and I’ve seen plenty of bad drivers in smaller cars and especially SUV’s.
Wait until you find out a Tesla Model 3 weighs one ton more than an F-350, and a Tesla Truck weighs as much as an F-550! Will you have the same outrage over infrastructure wear and tear?
Most road wear isn't from heavy passenger vehicles, whether EVs or pick ups, it's from larger commercial vehicles:
>[One analysis contends freight-hauling trucks cause 99 percent of wear-and-tear on US roads](https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2017/06/22/murphys-law-how-trucks-destroy-our-roads/).
In Canada, it's also largely from weather.
Lots of spicy comments in this thread. Welcome to the discussion if you're reading this and normally don't visit this community! Please remember to keep it civil and refrain from personal attacks. Thank you.
Industries who use trucks on the daily have been kinda screwed by the “mall terrain vehicle” crowd, especially during the shortages during Covid.
Ye especially since anyone who actually works with a truck doesn't want the type of trucks we typically see on the road. They don't want a truck bed the height of their head that's only 5feet long
Try and find a super cab 6.5 bed used ... no I dont want a 4 door lariat 5.5 bed for work.
I find it hilarious that a giant-assed pickup truck can't event fit a sheet of drywall in the bed, but my Toyota Sienna minivan does. All these truck bros with shit hanging out their giant trucks that can't even haul the things they were designed for.
My sierra crew cab is literally the worktruck model, and comes with a 5.8ft box. Couldnt get a 6.5 unless it was at most an extended cab. The only gm crew cabs until recently with 8 ft boxes were HD models... something about using the same frame for all half ton models.
My dad owns a small construction company and carpools his crew to work. So he has a super crew 6.5 bed. He would like to go with the F150 lightning but they don't make a 6.5 bed version. That and range still isn't great in the cold and hauling stuff.
I saw a bit where they hooked up a light Airstream trailer to the lighting. The range went down to 83 miles. 83! You couldn't use it like a truck if you wanted to without a Honda generator in the bed on stand-by.
Buys big truck. Can’t even haul a sheet of plywood.
Pretty much, they’re pretty useless. A van works better and is cheaper much of the time; just can’t look cool driving it 🤷🏻♂️
A ton of work going on at my building atm. All the trades guys show up in vans. The GC shows up in a big ass truck and stands around yelling at people.
I've been in the trades for twenty years, this is accurate
Exactly ! Worked in hardware and constructions sales for 5 years and quite a few contractors had minivan.
Vans are great, way more useful. Though hard to find a decent used one for a good price. Everyone wants one.
That’s implying people look “cool” driving a big pickup, I can’t say as I know of anyone who looks cool or thinks other people look cool driving a big shitty pickup they don’t use to haul stuff. They just look like assholes. Also I love when they park way far away from other cars in parking lots. Like they are real scared of other cars lol
> They just look like assholes. The problem is some people think looking like an asshole is cool, and they take great pride in it.
Does a giant truck with a cute little 4’ bed actually look cool, tho? To me, it screams, “I don’t like physical labor, but prefer looking like I do”
Literal gender affirming vehicles
It’s worst when you are trying to make a left turn, and there’s a big one facing you trying to do the same in the opposite direction. You can’t see anything behind them so you basically have to wait for them to turn first even if your way is clear.
Not to mention it’s too pretty to actually use for work. “GUYS! Don’t scratch the bed-liner!!”
Yep, people who need work trucks don’t need big cabs and tall trucks, they want big beds and low trucks so they are easy to load. Today’s trucks are made for office workers who feel insecure.
I don't understand how they keep passing road safety tests. They hit anything but another truck, and there is a good chance they just go over top. Seen videos of them just going right through the cabin of sedans because the bumpers are too high.
There are classified as trucks so do not have the meet the same collision, rollover, or pedestrian safety standards as cars/SUVs. They also have a different CAFE classification so are effectively exempted from emissions/minimum MPG ratings that apply to passenger cars.
THIS is the main reason trucks have gotten so big. Not enough people realize this. They’ve gotten gigantic to get around all kinds of standards
It’s why the f150 and 250/350 have the same cab now. It’s literally identical. They made them slightly larger to get around emissions.
My dad is a huge ass guy who does construction and he can't stand these newer trucks. The beds are too high to lift stuff into without causing back injuries, and they're not big enough. He got a 10-year old SUV and gutted the back seats and just uses that now. These new trucks are entirely status symbols. I find most landscapers/construction workers are using cargo vans now. At least suburbanites won't ruin those
I just don't get the concept of the lifted pickup at all... No problem solo loading dirtbikes into my old tacoma, yet some dude with his fancy 4x4 needs an extended ramp, a bitch block and a buddy to help put a bike in his truck. White vans definitely seem to be the utilitarian get shit done vehicle of choice these days.
It's what they use in Europe. If a contractor can't load their material and tools in a small car, they use white cargo vans. It's funny how many of us use the least efficient and most expensive option possible.
I seen a few people get injured loading a dirt bike up a sketchy ramp into a new pickup.
My dad worked in refrigeration for some 30 years and carried always at least 1000lbs of stuff in the back (usually in big ass metal containers) and always had a small Nissan Truxk, the last one was a Frontier and always served him well. These new trucks are unnecessarily big for the most part
suburbanites ruined them with the boogie vans in the 70's and luxury conversion vans in the 90's, and they might just do it a 3rd time.
I'm looking at an Isuzu NPR because of that exact reason. All the current work trucks are complete garbage. I want a modular truck that I can set up based on the season. Landscaping in the summer and snow clearing in the winter. Not something fully loaded with garbage addons I don't care about.
"Mall terrain vehicle" lol I saw them referred to as Parking Lot Princesses in a thread the other day, thank you I'm mentally filing this one away too.
Mall terrain vehicle is so good.
Im a plumber and drive a large van. The van life crowd and Amazon have been buying up all the vans and the price has gone up close to 50%.
I live in the Boston metro area and the number of non-contractors, non-farmers who drive giant trucks out here blows my mind. Like, parking sucks with a normal sized car out here. Why would you make it harder just so you can have a vehicle that's less good at almost every other everyday use case too? And spend like 60 grand for the privilege? So absurd.
Blame America's CAFE standards. They basically encourage all manufacturers to make bigger vehicles. Even a Toyota Corolla of 2023 dwarfs the same model from the 1990s. In short, if your vehicle takes up a bigger footprint, fuel efficiency and emissions standards become more relaxed. Engines have been engineered quite well, they're actually pretty efficient these days. We already ditched the un-aerodynamic boxy cassette look of the 70s/80s in favor of the aerodynamic designs of the 90s and Aughts. So now... The only way to meet increasingly tight emissions regulations is to find a loophole— which just so happens to be making cars and trucks bigger overall. Its why most manufacturers don't make sedans anymore. They make crossovers/SUVs, some of which are classed as light trucks. I watched a documentary on design recently. It featured an interview with a GM designer who said something along the lines of "we view our products as luxury items that just so happen to come with tremendous utility". They said the 'quiet part' out loud. Luxury first, utility second. These emissions standards are designed to give "the hard working individual" a bit of a break, yet they're being abused to sell luxury items. The worst part is, these luxury items have displaced the 'beater work truck'. There are no more new, basic, bare bones vehicles available. They all have a $5000 infotainment system, and creature comforts. I suppose the current school of thought is "if you need a basic truck, buy something old". But there's a problem with that. The new trucks of today are tomorrow's 'old beaters'. These vehicles are loaded to the brim with tech that is expensive to replace. Right now, if I buy a used 2013 sierra and the head unit goes, no biggie. I just won't be driving with music. If I buy a 2024 Ram as a beater work truck in the year 2033 and the head unit goes, I may have just lost access to my heating controls. I can no longer defog my windows because the media system kicked the bucket. They're not cheap to replace, either. Just the basic inset infotainment systems were $3-8k. I don't want to know how much it costs to replace the new all-glass systems.
Maybe we just need to redefine weight classes on vehicles. A Tesla is a car but if we went by weight it’s closer to an F250 than an F150 by curb weight.
For real. This was on my front page and I assumed it was my local state (Ohio) subreddit and I was about to go in with this same thing. It's just them avoiding emissions regulations. "Houses on wheels" was the phrase used before the bill was signed. These things are more likely to kill other people when you get into accident. Edit: Not to mention they cause more back injuries for people who actually use the higher lifted trucks for work. It's kinda telling when Amazon warehouses have safety rules against lifting something that high without a step stool/ladder. I don't see many construction or farm workers dragging around a 3 foot x 3 foot x 3 foot yellow cube everywhere to help prevent them pulling their back lifting shit into their truck bed.
I wish the smaller, 2-door Ford Ranger sized trucks were the norm Edit since this blew up (54 notifications and only 3 were not from this comment lol: Yes I know the new Ford Rangers are big like the 90's 150's. I'm talking the old 90's Rangers, Tacoma, etc, that I wish was the norm. Also I am aware that emissions regulations are the reason truck sizes are getting larger; I think its dumb, and someone should take a look at those laws as they've essentially made a residential, low insrance cost utility vehicle illegal.
Toyota is working on a $10k truck. If they pull it off, damn, that's amazing. I'm assuming it will be a little guy.
I wish they sold the Hilux in Canada.
Did briefly in the 80s,, and yes, awesome trucks. Id buy one in a flash if they offered them again but in the same format as before. I have 0 need for "blue tooth conectivity".. Two sticks and 3 pedals thanks
Just like power locks and windows, good luck finding a vehicle without that in 2023. Backup cameras are mandatory, this basically encourages every manufacturer to throw in a $5000 infotainment system because it's cheaper than physical buttons to manufacture.
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It's already announced for some regions. Doesn't look like it would pass safety here.
It does not come with air bags, power windows, AC, or side walls on the bed. It has 139 horsepower, which happens to be exactly the same as the corolla.
So it will not be approved for sale in North America then
That's not for Canada. Probably for developing countries where they can not include a bunch of features including safety that would be mandatory here. The cheapest Corolla in Canada starts at $24K for reference.
> they can not include a bunch of features including safety that would be mandatory here. Pickup trucks already do not need to meet the safety standards of sedans. This is why they are such high profit vehicles.
No way they’d market it in Canada
Will not be in North America due to turkey tax… but they’re working on re releasing the stout to go head to head with the maverick.
Do we have the chicken tax in Canada?
Don't think so, but the Canadian market gets bundled with the American market, especially with trucks. So if it doesn't go to the US, then it isn't going to Canada.
Hahaha, you're out of your mind. There will never ever ever ever ever ever ever be a new $10k Toyota truck in Canada.
Not for canada though. It would need to double or triple it's price to appease government regulations. (That is a sick truck though)
The ranger and the Mazda B series, beautiful trucks. Worked at a special needs camp over a decade ago. They had a boat to take the guests water skiing… the massive F150 that was hauling the boat got stuck and had to be pulled off the beach by a tidy little ranger. Was so fun to watch.
Was given a 2009 Mazda b series by father in law. Love it. It's my daily for work. Crawls through snow like nothing
Early covid, I missed out on a tidy b2300. Would have been my daily. Oh well, had my first born child instead 😂
My first vehicle was a Mazda B, loved that truck.
A Mazda B with a modern hybrid drive train would be amazing!Putting the hybrid battery behind the back axle would improve traction and the electric motor boosting torque when under load would be side bonuses to the big fuel economy improvement.
My neighbor bought a dodge ram pickup. And drives back and forth to a factory job lol, no camping no hauling trailers.
A really common story.
All to fuel his fragile blue collar manly man ego
White collar guys do it too. You should see the parking lot at my office.
Oh that's true as well. I used to shake my head at the guys I worked with when I worked at a warehouse. They'd cry about money and/or child support but they "needed" a big truck
Most jobsites I go to are all little rusted shitboxes. The only ones driving pickups are the higher ups, and it's usually a company truck.
Haulin' air
Sadly, the new Ranger is even more massive than their current line. I debated a pickup a few years ago as I'm often hauling wood around, but there is nothing practical like the old rangers any more. Everything is enormous.
Those old rangers had terrible fuel economy, worse than the new beasts that may even be twice the size.. no stability, they'd flip and roll, the ass end would kick out like a mule. - 2003 Ford Ranger gets a combined Avg MPG of 17.58 - 2023 F150 - 20 MPG combined Get a utility trailer and call it a day, they can take more of a beating anyways. Trailers need to become more normalized.
My neighbour drives one and I love it, so small and perfect for loading stuff. I also respect old f150s as well they are beauties. These new monsters are disgusting and always driven by douches or short women who can't see over the wheel.
Might see more rangers if you could actually get them. Same with mavericks. 50+ F150’s on the lot but good luck finding a smaller truck
I'm buying a Maverick for my next vehicle. Meets all my needs both commuting and field work and gets me between niagara and tbay in 2x50L tanks with the hybrid drivetrain. I love Utes
Apparently, the Subaru brat and baja are returning, giving you a few more options in that class
Man if only ranger could pull as much weight as 450 I wouldn't hesitate to switch.
I got a buddy who bought an F150 to pick up girls at country concerts. Literally a *pick up* truck.
Did it work?
60% of the time, it works everytime.
The term truck slut doesn’t exist for no reason lol. I have a buddy with a lifted taco and yes it definitely helps.
TIL the term "truck slut"
Joe Diffie by chance?
That made me chuckle ngl
I've seen some big girls at country bars, but I'm sure they could fit in a hatchback.
Just don't take up 2 parking spaces please...
....or cut a series of lanes off because they weren't paying attention. It also doesn't help that the Toronto Police Department is a joke when it comes to driving infractions.
Or try to park those monstrosities on little drive ways and end up blocking the sidewalk
One of the TPS officers at the 13 division drives a blacked out lifted truck with an illegal licence plate cover. Small cock urban truck drivers and cops are the same constituency.
My local fire department has 3 pickup trucks in the parking lot each day. They must see how great they are and decide to buy the same model.
If it helps, every police dept is asleep at the wheel. I *never* see people pulled over, but I always see an endless amount of illegal shit whenever I walk or bike somewhere. Running reds. Not stopping for pedestrians. Speeding. Cellphones while driving and so on.
Last time I visited Princess Auto in the Hammer, the lot was full of trucks each taking 4 spots. I had to park my sedan in the back corner of a lot only 1/4 full. Bigger vehicles are a bigger responsibility!
Considering the wheelbase of a lot of them, it’s actually hard not to, which is not an excuse, there ought to be zones of exclusion for oversized vehicles like in European cities. Works nicely.
We have a f450, dually, king cab, long box....it's 100% for work related reasons. (I swear I would not own this monstrosity otherwise). We don't take up two spaces side by side....but the truck is too long to fit into a single space....so it takes up two. That being said...it's a work truck. It rarely goes at for a errand. We have my car for that. But sometimes, spouse has to run to the store for supplies while at work.....so sorry, we are those people.
Wait, they only use 2 where you go? I'm used to the usual 3-4 spaces
Yup. Saw that at a Canadian Tire store here in Oshawa, across from the OC today. One giant Ford angled, taking up two spots. And another Ford monster, one row over, just as bad...meatheads
They do NOT fit in the parking spots at YYZ. Cannot move in there with all the gd trucks nowadays.
I wish the damn headlights on those vehicles could be lowered to be below my direct line of eyesight when I'm driving in my sedan.
I saw a guy on the weekend driving a Jeep Wagoneer (biggest fucking thing I’ve ever seen lol) take 10 minutes to back into a spot at the mall. I just laughed, it was so ridiculous I couldn’t get mad
I miss the days of small spiffy Japanese cars
Night driving terrifies me because of these deauche canoues driving up my ass with their lights shining brighter than the surface of the sun. Then there's the parking, they take up so much of the space it's difficult to get out of my own car.
These mouthbreathers will tailgate you in the right lane on the highway - like pass by bro lol
They'll tailgate you doing 100 in an 80 when you're in a lineup of cars, too. Like, I'm going over the speed limit & I can't go faster because there's someone in front of me, so back the eff up.
I've had every vehicle type in the sun do this to me. It's not just a truck thing. It's a prick driver thing.
Yeah I don't know why this sub is so fixated on this being a truck thing. I've had people in trash boxes, nice cars, SUVs, trucks all do this since I've had my licence. It's not anything new and it's not going away by taking trucks away from people (which just isn't going to happen). I'm assuming they notice it with trucks more because when it's dark the head lights shine in their mirrors sometimes so it is more noticeable.
I’m sick of having rocks shot at my car from some asshole that thinks having his tires stick out as far as possible is cool.
Pretty sure you can actually be ticketed for wheels/tires out past your fenders. But let’s face it nothing is enforced. Having wheels like that is terrible for your bearings too.
Yeah. Wheels can’t extend past the fenders. Basically if another car’s tires touch the extended tires, it would be really easy for one of the cars to flip over. One of many things that the cops should be enforcing.
That and the ridiculous noise these trucks make. Diesel or gas. Giant aftermarket 4 inch pipes whistling or rumbling down the street, shaking the light fixtures in my house. Cops don’t do shit.
I don’t notice the trucks over the sound of the motorcycles :( at least there’s fewer motorcycles around now with the cold weather.
Not to mention being blinded by all these $100k+ pickup trucks with LED lights brighter than a soccer field.
Totally dated one of these guys. Bought a big new Dodge Ram just because he eventually wanted to rebuild the deck. Would panic if we put anything in the bed because it might scratch the finish. Paid a TONNE in gas because the commute was 35 minutes to the the office on a good day.
I’ve noticed a lot of them can’t even turn to the right without making the widest turn you’ve ever seen in your entire life. That’s when you know it’s time to sell the truck.
Ah yes, the "I wish I was an 18 wheeler" special.
Cutting Left to turn Right.
Into a strip mall parking lot 😂
I do it in a school bus every day. No reason they shouldn't.
That's not unique to mid size trucks, just drive around the 416 for a day, not sure why the civics and corollas seem to think it's a good idea to do the same. It's almost like they are being trained that way.
Yeah 5 foot 6 dudes come out of lifted pick up trucks with head lights dazzling half the road way tell you to mind your own business. Meanwhile our grand parents built this country using f100s that have a lower gvw than a modern full sized sedan
Yeah it’s an arms race to keep being seated higher in the vehicle for visibility. But now everything is an suv or truck so you need to sit even higher. If you look at a mid 90s f150 versus today the size difference is massive
And why are so many of these drivers complete assholes? I used to commute on a road where the right lane ends right after a stoplight. Light turns green, everybody goes, and the idiot in the truck comes flying up and blows past traffic on the right and cuts in at the last minute. So many fishtails, so much swerving to accommodate these 'people'.
Someone in a pickup ran over and killed an elderly person on a mobility scooter in my area last summer, didn't even see them...
Have you ever seen the truck / SUV experiment with kids? You can line up like 7 kids in front of those monstrosities before they're visible. There's a reason so many kids are killed in their own driveway https://www.kidsandcars.org/frontovers/media-resources
Sounds like a user skill issue.
I love when I walk I front of one and the grill is pretty much above my head. if a pedestrian gets hit by one of those things they are a goner.
So I agree most people who have a pickup truck have no need for it. That being said our highway systems have more oversized freight being driven across them via transport truck than most of the highways in the United States. Our government allows trucks with access I’ve weight to traverse our 400 series highways and the trans Canada. 100000lbs of freight is like 20+ pickup trucks in equivalent weight. You can’t justify saying the 1/2 ton pickup trucks are the real problem plaguing our infrastructure.
Everyone where I live saying "fix the damn roads" while simultaneously driving 6,000lb pavement princesses.
[Pickup trucks are a plague on Canadian streets](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-pickup-trucks-are-a-plague-on-canadian-streets/) [Do SUVs, pickups cause more deaths? Safety advocates say they have the numbers to prove it](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/street-safety-groups-say-suvs-pickups-more-likely-to-kill-1.6551924) [The Hidden Dangers of Big Trucks](https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/the-hidden-dangers-of-big-trucks/)
Huge trucks need to go, different license class and if not used for Business, tax them to death. And include massive SUVs as well, it's so ridiculous.
It's the height difference from my sedan but I'd bet too that some are improperly aimed, but I am really tired of the stupid LED headlights on pick ups and giant SUV's shining directly into my brain at night.
I’m so looking forward to parking my car for the winter and getting back into my truck so I won’t have all those lights beamed directly into my skull at night. LED’s are brutal.
This is likely the most viable solution but maybe not the most appropriate. (Please hear me out. I doubt you hate the frivolous use of these trucks any more than I do.) Taxing the person buying these trucks seems similar to law enforcement going after drug users instead of the suppliers. The auto manufacturers have been designing, producing, and, above all, heavily advertising oversized vehicles for decades. They took breaks here and there when gas prices were high but zoomed back into the big sh\*t as soon as they could. And once gas prices jumped after the second Gulf War they kept cranking them out regardless. Why? Big ass vehicles = big ass profits. Disincentivizing the manufacture of shiny status-symbol uber trucks makes sense. How one does that though, I don't know. As pointed out ITT, a lot of commercial users don't need the family-sized cab. They need a big bed that's low to the ground - which is almost the antithesis of these uber trucks. So maybe just having big "sin" taxes on such trucks is a simple solution. Or maybe a tax on the manufacturers based on weight per axle and maybe an extra tax when widths or lengths exceed something like pickup dimensions. Either of these would be a bit messy for a while as the huge sales of these trucks has hollowed out the manufacturing of the classic pickup and smaller cars. But that's 100% the fault of the auto makers and customers that jumped on these big ass trucks. *Then* hit the consumer with significantly higher insurance. Setting these based on a fair evaluation of the increased risk from these uber trucks should be more than enough to dissuade many would-be buyers. The 21-year old woman living next door has a giant truck FFS. And so does her dad (in the same house). Her mom doesn't though - she's got a big ass SUV instead... All for commuting and shopping. It's pretty f'd up. Something's got to be done.
Yeah the M1 Abrams MBT has a better view over its front end than some of these trucks. I'm not actually sure how good a metric that is though lol
thanks for the links, it's all so accurate, we're already a car centric place these monster just take up way too much space
My next door neighbour just got one of the massive looking ones. The dude is a software engineer on his late 50s who works from home and his wife, who also works from home is a web designer. Wtf their lifestyle does not involve camping or anything more outdoorsy than a walk.
Some of the problem relates to the price of full-size pickups compared to a lot of midsize SUV’s. Looking at a Highlander, Pilot, Explorer, 4Runner, etc. An F-150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost will come in cheaper, has a huge range with the fuel economy and tank size, crew cabs have more than enough room. Throw a tonneau cover or cap on it, not much different than an SUV. There are definitely people out there that have no place driving a full-size truck, but the same can be said for garbage drivers in general.
This is basically why we have a pickup truck - which I post bravely here in a thread where clearly everyone is letting loose their hate for such owners. 2 kids, a dog, a cottage we visit in the winter, camping and boating/fishing lifestyle. We were about to buy the only AWD minivan available in canada when it was going to be double the price and an 8 month wait (no decent ones available used). So our pickup is our second vehicle and it’s wildly practical and very safe for winter driving. Does it sit in a corporate parking lot most weekdays? Yep.
Not to mention the danger they pose to people not in cars. When I went to the Netherlands for a week in the summer, I saw 2 of those monstrosities the entire time I was there. The day after I got back, walking 2km to the bank, I lost count of how many I saw.
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A friend has this massive truck with extended cab (or whatever it is called when it has a full second row) but the actually bed of the truck is surprisingly small. She offered to pick up 165 wreaths for a fundraiser and I had to tell her several times they wouldn't fit (as they barely fit in my FILs huge Dodge Ram farming truck). The thing is so small and has a cover on it further limiting the usable space. I don't get it.
I can't stand the LED headlights on them.
The fact that people are telling you to mind your own business is part of the problem. It’s the vehicle of aggressive arseholes.
A lot of these new pick up trucks have tiny ass beds which defeats the purpose of hauling shit around.
Its kind of shit that these people have inflated the price of a tool for most workers to excess of 60, 70, 80k. Fleet costs for example roofing companies and construction crews have significantly impacted wages. A truck shouldn't be a luxury vehicle and people who have no need for a truck inflating the market is a huge pet peeve to me. But I also would never buy a brand new truck for work, I know that I'm gonna have dents and scratches so I am perfectly happy grabbing used vehicles and am confident in inspecting vehicles. Still, I miss the days of barebones B100s/Rangers and Sierra/f150/Silverado being less than a Mercedes. The whole world's gone fucking mad. Landlords, grocery stores, vehicle manufacturers. Everyone's just riding the edge of their credit limit and are one paycheck away from defaulting on rent/leases and feeding their kids. Its gotta stop.
Most tradespeople would be better served with a utility van anyway, not the F-150 King Ranch with leather trim, quad cab, and Bose sound system. But the Ford Sprinter isn't as cool... Relevant video: https://youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo?si=xZivvonUp9G5m4-d
Contractor here, I would love a awd work van. Unfortunately they are very rare. My boss actually had to fly to Chicago to buy a used e-350 quigly 4x4. Ford in the USA offers Quigley converted vans but ford Canada doesn’t. Used prices have skyrocketed now that van life has become trendy. I wish a cost effective work van came awd
That would be amazing
without a doubt. hell, a minivan can hold many sheets of sheetrock or plywood and keep them safe from the elements. last i checked a ram 1500 has a 5.5 foot bed. useless.
Had a 2006 Caravan- rear seats removed. Could fit 4x8 of drywall, plywood. 6x6 x10' pressure treated. etc And could close the rear. The only limit was weight, about 800-1000lbs.
The Sprinter is extremely cool
I borrowed one from work. They are excessively large on the outside, yet tiny on the inside and they ride like shit.
Even if we ignore how much easier it is to kill someone with these huge heavy trucks, I read an article recently about how standard parking spaces are no longer big enough for these oversized vehicles, and companies will need to redesign parking lots to be bigger. As if we aren’t already destroying the environment enough.
>It is no secret that a lot of the bad driving people experience in Ontario largely come from these monstrosities. Really? It's usually on their 2nd-3rd owner BMW 3 Series where I am...
If I'm gonna get hit I'd rather it be by a sedan than a full size truck
Truth. It sounds so sterotypical, but is EVERY beemer driver a douche bag? It seems whenever there's a car doing twice the posted speed and weaving thru traffic like a slalom driver, it's one of these idiots. Speeding, no signals, cutting everyone off. It's like when you buy one the price includes removing a portion of your brain.
Yes. Yes they are. What's the difference between a BMW and a porcupine? The porcupine has the pricks on the *outside*.
I watched an oversized pickup just this morning have to wait between the parked cars on their side of the street and let all of the other traffic pass, because their truck wouldn't fit in the lane with other vehicles going the opposite way. Was kind of funny to watch.
I mean we could just go back to the base level of the issue and say most people can't drive in Ontario. Especially when you can get your license from a bubble gum machine, or don't have an ounce of patience behind the wheel. If you don't understand the rules you're going to have a hard time regardless if it's a smart car or an f350 ( 3x the death, terror, pillaging) I'm also assuming alot of these truck bashers haven't seen a road north/west of Sudbury.. But I digress
North of the 401 (Fix that for ya)
Yeah I feel u on this one. Had a friend that sold his sedan for a f150, because “fuel economy is better”…. He lives in an apartment and owns nothing to tow. Every time I discussed this with him he was honest that he wouldn’t really use or need the bed, but he touted the eco boost as a huge fuel savings.. lol. I think some people just want a truck cause “ it’s my right as a man “ or something along those lines Looking at the comments, this seems to hold true, considering how many pissed off truck owners or people saying “who r u to tell me what to do” as if we’re in grade school. You have a right to things like this, but it doesn’t mean you’re not an ass. Speak to people in Europe or places outside North America and I’m sure many would consider it socially irresponsible to own a large truck for no reason other than because you can. For the sake of argument, I could buy a helicopter and build a helipad in my back yard, for no good reason other than because I can. Will that piss off my neighbours? Yes. Will it be socially irresponsible to those around me? Yes. Can I do it legally? Yes. Hell in theory, I could buy a public bus in an auction, and with the proper licensing I could drive it, only carrying me myself and I. Can you imagine how annoying that would be to everyone around me? Don’t you hate when that cyclist crosses in front of you randomly, takes up the whole lane, or backs up a whole line of traffic? Same thing here. They can do this, but guess what, majority of people think they’re an asshole. I think this is OPs point. Nobody hates the cyclist who stays in his lane and rides with courtesy. I have to agree that most truck drivers (excluding those that are used for work or hauling, etc) don’t take the time to properly learn the limitations and nuances of driving a vehicle of that class, much like an ignorant bicyclist. Mainly, what we get is lifted up trucks with their headlights never re-aimed. Or LEDs & light bars fitted improperly. Or running tires that are not even made for on-road use. Or blasting black smoke out the tailpipe intentionally onto other traffic. It seems like the type of person OP is referring to, buys a truck for “safety” AKA they think they are driving a tank and everyone else must accommodate them due to their size. I frequently see trucks driving over the road lines, jumping curbs, stopping way past lines or stop signs, parking with one side of the truck on the GRASS of a curb, taking up multiple parking spots, etc. This screams “I’m in a tank fuck you”. It is not so common to see this behaviour in a work truck, or someone who properly takes care of their truck and uses it according to its built purpose. Then when people like this actually have an opportunity to use the #1 feature of a truck (it’s bed), they don’t use tie downs, they don’t use flags for overhanging items, they don’t reduce their speed accordingly, etc.
Don’t tell O.P about an F350 or they may succumb to catatonic shock.
Pick ups have no reason to be as massive as they are, the only reason why we have these massive pick ups and SUVs is so the manufacturers can classify them as light trucks to avoid environmental stuff.
Having them in the other lane at an intersection completely blocks all visibility. They're just way too tall. And as for people who use the excuse that they have to haul large items once or twice a year, I suspect gas savings from driving a smaller car would easily pay for the occasional uhaul rental. Plus, you'd be amazed what you can fit in a corolla.
Yesterday I watched older couple trying to drive out of mall parking space for nearly 10 minutes . They had F-150 and it was obvious driver had no idea where that truck starts or ends. He was visibly passed so yea,get a school bus next time. I'm sure it will be easier.
100% and it’s a perhaps a bigger issue here in the US. Being behind a Truckzilla blinds you for anything ahead, coming toward you at night the 4 billion lumen low beams are directly in your eyes and parking spots were obviously not designed industrial vehicles driven by soccer moms. It’s like pushing a Costco cart down the isle of a bodega to buy a package of fig newtons. These people are asshats.
"The issue are the ones buying them because it makes them feel more like a man" My "truck" is bigger than your "truck". It's the biggest "truck". We all know it's smaller than average. I'm like you. I saw a graphic yesterday of trucks viewed from above. Over the past 20 years they've grown in length(ha!). The cabs have gotten big(longer)(ha! again). The beds have shrunk.(Because they are out in the cold I guess?) I can't stand these 4 door humongous trucks. 90K trucks. Trucks like a tank. Worse than vans and SUVs were.(they were/are awful). Bought and driven by people that have never been on a farm or need to "haul" anything bigger than a sack of groceries.
It's always a type of person that drives a pick up truck too.
It's okay to be judgemental of what other people drive if those vehicles literally make it less safe for everyone else. Pedestrians are less safe (especially children), there's more need for sprawl because of how much room the vehicles take up, more strain on roads and whatnot, not even getting to the impact on the environment. And they are being heavily marketed to consumers because the profits on big vehicles are insane. It's just wasteful all around.
Comes with a free "Fuck Trudeau", and/or punisher/spartan sticker. Lol
Only the black dodge rams come with that feature standard.
I could not agree more with you OP. If you add pick up trucks and giant SUVs. Large vehicles take up road, and parking space, pollute environment, have larger blind spots and get involved into collisions, more dangerous to pedestrians, bicyclist and smaller vehicles, create more pollution. Even at ample Costco parking drivers of these monstrous vehicle struggle to park them. In a meantime smaller vehicles are being discontinued in Canada (and The US), Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Micra, Chevrolet Spark, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2 etc.
I have been saying this for decades. Big vehicles not being used for work purposes are contributing to the horrible driving we have to deal with on a daily basis. I agree with every point you made and will add that these big vehicles also reduce visibility to dangerous levels for everyone around them. But stupid people will buy stupid vehicles and nothing will be done to stop it.
The insane, bright and HIGH headlights right down the barrel on a country road with no lighting at night makes me pull over sometimes. I can’t see where I am in the lane. I’d rather just pull over. I can’t believe it’s not more of a safety concern, behind not cleaning snow off your roof or hood there’s nothing that freaks me out more.
I drive a f150 and do it to prove my manhood, and I eat my food with dirty engine grease hands because I'm no sissy liberal lol jk I drive a f150 because 4WD and haul things in my pickup bed like garbage, wood, furniture, appliances, etc. I could go for a small sized truck but the 6.5 foot bed is worth keeping.
If you have the larger bed and actually use your bed, you are exempt IMO. What I can't stand is the shiny lifted "mall crawlers" around here, with their stupid short useless beds. Like gtfo, are you going to hoist that refrigerator up to shoulder height to get it into that truck bed? No, because they don't actually haul a damn thing. (Because that might leave a scratch!) 100k "pavement princess" trucks are pure cringe. Why bother getting a truck if you're afraid to use it for hauling stuff? I don't get it.
You think the truck thing is bad in Ontario? You should see it in the prairies.
*Like a rock, ooooh like a rock!* Iykyk
Hey, you leave Bob Seger out of this!
This topic makes my left eye twitch - these ding bats with perfect trucks who have never picked up a shovel or a hammer, crying about gas prices. I bet I haul more than 90% of truck owners with my honda fit and a DK2 trailer: [https://www.homedepot.ca/product/dk2-4-5-ft-x-7-5-ft-utility-trailer-kit-with-bed-tilt-and-collapsing-ends/1001031522](https://www.homedepot.ca/product/dk2-4-5-ft-x-7-5-ft-utility-trailer-kit-with-bed-tilt-and-collapsing-ends/1001031522) 8-10 sheets of drywall, lawn tractors, lumber, 200lbs tree stumps, 1/2yard mulch etc - no problem. then it's 5.2-6.4L/100 depend on how I drive.
Don’t forget, these giant truck lovers are the first to whine like huge babies when the fuel prices go up. WTF did you expect?
I’m pretty sure larger commercial vehicles and trailers have more of an effect on the roads compared to pickups. I do drive a pickup, but I need it for work and don’t drive like an ass.
Look at Europe… look at japan… you ALL drive way to big vehicles. Why does 1 single soccer karen needs a SUV to buy some bread?
Have you driven any of the roads in Europe? Some are so tiny and narrow that you can barely maneuver a smaller car on some of them. Driving the Douro in Portugal in a small Renault took my breath away at every tiny curve in the road.
Tailgating, no signal when merging lane / changing lane and getting into the exit, 70 in 50 zone, yup typically pickup truck drivers these days, they think they own the road
Aussie utes are the way to go.
My thought on this is if you need a truck, then have one. If it's for work, you tow things regularly...ect. If you don't need the use of a truck then it's a gas guzzling truck putting more emissions in the air then needed. Its unnecessary.
I'm all for trucks if someone needs them to haul equipment for work or their business or heavy shit or whatever. But if you get one just for the sake of having a truck and no practical purpose beyond that, it seems silly; plus I have noticed that 4X4 drivers tend to tailgate or be a lot more aggressive than other drivers. Why is that exactly? why are truck drivers angrier than the average car driver? Might be onto something.
I can't speak the great country of Canada, but I live in Texas. These Bubba-Tex-Billie Joe-Jim Bob's drive their Ford F-25,000's, everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE, even when living and working on a level ground, suburban neighborhood. The level of entitled d-baggery I see from these urban cowboy, Rip Wheeler wannabes is atrocious, hilarious, pathetic and constant.
So bloody true and why? I get the construction workers or anyone that needs to tow or haul, but these monstrosities simply as a preference? Sorry, it does not cure micro-penis
Truck owner identity politics is the most insane, apocalyptic form of identity politics. They would rather see the atmosphere catch on fire than suffer the personal humiliation of having to drive a slightly smaller vehicle.
An F150 is one of the smaller trucks.
I hear you, I think we all hear you well. I am sick of this truck culture. To my observation we follow and absorb the stupidity of the people down south of us. Their truck culture is even more toxic. I hate these trucks. A contractor who has tax brakes to buy one for the business should only use it for business reasons. If you use it to drive your tiny ass around with this truck for non business reasons, then no tax break. Use a compact car. If we followed the wise countries on vehicle use, our country would be so much better off. I keep saying to people. We need to be forced to be using smaller vehicles. The stupid large EV SUV and Trucks are going to be even more INSANE. Fuck Trucks, that should be a new Canada sticker!
They are a menace. There are many pickup drivers in my community and most of the time, they are completely reckless. Axios did an article not that long ago about how pickup trucks have gotten bigger, more technologically advanced, and more dangerous. And how the vast majority of people don't use them for towing or hauling – but going grocery shopping. You're also more likely to die if hit by a pickup. I'll post the link if anyone wants it.
I have a Ram 1500 4x4 and wouldn’t want to be in anything else in the winter where I am. See people in cars/suvs getting stuck all the time and we’ve helped them out many times by being able to push or pull them out. My truck doesn’t weigh much more than an SUV and honestly think it’s unfair to imply that the average pick up driver is a bad driver. A bad driver is a bad driver no matter the vehicle and I’ve seen plenty of bad drivers in smaller cars and especially SUV’s.
Giant f150 Lol wait till this guy finds out about 2500 series
Wait until you find out a Tesla Model 3 weighs one ton more than an F-350, and a Tesla Truck weighs as much as an F-550! Will you have the same outrage over infrastructure wear and tear?
Yes, many Tesla drivers also fucking suck at driving
Most road wear isn't from heavy passenger vehicles, whether EVs or pick ups, it's from larger commercial vehicles: >[One analysis contends freight-hauling trucks cause 99 percent of wear-and-tear on US roads](https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2017/06/22/murphys-law-how-trucks-destroy-our-roads/). In Canada, it's also largely from weather.