4 ms·

> Heavy vehicles such as pickup trucks should require a CDL... I'm guessing you don't live in the south. Pickup trucks are a major way of life for a lot of peo

> Heavy vehicles such as pickup trucks should require a CDL... I'm guessing you don't live in the south. Pickup trucks are a major way of life for a lot of people. They certainly wouldn't be happy about increased regulatory burden. Attitudes on roads vary wildly based on the community in question. There's a large surface area of this country that doesn't care to have non-vehicular traffic sharing the roadways. Urban communities will prioritize different needs than suburban and rural communities. The two ends of the spectrum aren't really compatible because these are wholly different lifestyles that are geographically separable.

dmd 2y ago
We don’t let people carry around lethal weapons just because some people think it’s a “way of life”, so why should it be diff…… oh wait
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  Not relevant. Neither the right to drive, nor the right to drive a pickup truck, is guaranteed in the constitution.
  - r-w 2y ago
    Does that make it any less entrenched?
darkhorn 2y ago
Okay, then they should require CDL when entering a town or any other urban location.
chad_oliver 2y ago
I grew up in rural New Zealand, on a dairy farm. I agree that the needs of suburban and rural communities are very different from the needs of urban communities, but what confuses me is why Americans (and increasingly, Kiwis) need a vehicle the size of a Dodge Ram rather than one the size of a 1990 HiLux ute [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)#/media/File:1990-1997_Toyota_Hilux_(LN106R)_DX_4-door_utility_(2007-09-28).jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)#/media/File:1990...
- jjav 2y ago
  > what confuses me is why Americans (and increasingly, Kiwis) need a vehicle the size of a Dodge Ram rather than one the size of a 1990 HiLux ute Well depends what you need to do with, of course. A quick search suggests that this Toyota can tow 3300lb (if the trailer has its own brakes, or only 1650lb if not). So if you need to tow more than that, it won't work. 3300lb is very little, even our tiny (19ft) and light travel trailer is over 4000lb. Of course, what is silly is the people with trucks that are never used to tow or carry anything heavier than a bicycle!
  - walleeee 2y ago
    The reality is that many people with a Ram are towing toys (boats, ATVs, etc) or, as you say, a travel trailer, not a work trailer. Which brings us to the question of need vs want. Plus, if work vehicles became lighter, work trailers would be forced to as well.
    - jjav 2y ago
      > Plus, if work vehicles became lighter, work trailers would be forced to as well. Try shopping for utility trailers. Anything affordable is very heavy steel & lumber. You can get light(er) trailers in aluminum but the price is much higher. I've never actually seen a contractor with one of those, too expensive. And of course there is all the materials & equipment they're towing on it for the job. How do you suggest any of that become lighter?
  - sgu999 2y ago
    > Well depends what you need to do with, of course. given your example it's "want", not "need" > 3300lb is very little, even our tiny (19ft) and light travel trailer is over 4000lb Quick googling tells me that most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones, "very little" and "tiny" are really subjective
    - jjav 2y ago
      > given your example it's "want", not "need" Yes, how is this relevant? "Wants" are what drive humanity forward, not mere subsistence. > Quick googling tells me that most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones Can you post a few links? Tried to find the most popular travel trailer models in Europe but not finding a good list. Unless you're building the whole thing from carbon fiber, anything spacious is necessarily going to have some weight.
marssaxman 2y ago
> Pickup trucks are a major way of life for a lot of people. That is the problem which needs to be solved.
- Spooky23 2y ago
  The industry is taking care of that - the trucks cost has increased like 200% in 20 years.
- micahdeath 2y ago
  Several SUV's are the same size as trucks. Even some Vans. Small cars don't usually fit families well. =( LOL - I'm imagining a Prius for a family of 6 =P
  - marssaxman 2y ago
    Who says the car has to be small? There were no SUVs when I was a kid; people drove small families around in sedans, and larger ones in station wagons - later, minivans. It worked fine, and this could all be done again.
    - mattw2121 2y ago
      I'm not a fan of the truck driving crowd, but why do you get to dictate that someone should drive a minivan instead of a truck?
      - marssaxman 2y ago
        Who's pretending I should - I'm just some schmuck on the internet! But it's a matter of plain historical fact that trucks and SUVs took over the American market as a consequence of policies established by the US federal government which made trucks more profitable for manufacturers and ordinary cars less so. Why should we not propose that the mistakes made in one session of Congress ought to be corrected by another?
      - david-gpu 2y ago
david-gpu 2y ago
> They certainly wouldn't be happy about increased regulatory burden. And many of us aren't happy about the number of pedestrian deaths caused by these behemoths. Which one should we prioritize?
- forgetfreeman 2y ago
  As a southerner and an owner of a 1500 I say absolutely prioritize to cut down on pedestrian deaths. I can get a different truck and it'd piss off all the right people.
impendia 2y ago
I live in the Deep South, where I've gotten around on foot, on a bicycle, and by car. It's clear that some drivers see me as a nuisance when I'm walking, but I don't really see that as my problem. In my observation, vehicular traffic anywhere doesn't care to have non-vehicular traffic sharing the roadways. That doesn't mean that pedestrians, cyclists, or regulators should necessarily defer to their wishes.

dmd 2y ago

We don’t let people carry around lethal weapons just because some people think it’s a “way of life”, so why should it be diff…… oh wait

SoftTalker 2y ago
Not relevant. Neither the right to drive, nor the right to drive a pickup truck, is guaranteed in the constitution.
- r-w 2y ago
  Does that make it any less entrenched?

darkhorn 2y ago

Okay, then they should require CDL when entering a town or any other urban location.

chad_oliver 2y ago

I grew up in rural New Zealand, on a dairy farm. I agree that the needs of suburban and rural communities are very different from the needs of urban communities, but what confuses me is why Americans (and increasingly, Kiwis) need a vehicle the size of a Dodge Ram rather than one the size of a 1990 HiLux ute [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)#/media/File:1990-1997_Toyota_Hilux_(LN106R)_DX_4-door_utility_(2007-09-28).jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)#/media/File:1990...

jjav 2y ago
> what confuses me is why Americans (and increasingly, Kiwis) need a vehicle the size of a Dodge Ram rather than one the size of a 1990 HiLux ute Well depends what you need to do with, of course. A quick search suggests that this Toyota can tow 3300lb (if the trailer has its own brakes, or only 1650lb if not). So if you need to tow more than that, it won't work. 3300lb is very little, even our tiny (19ft) and light travel trailer is over 4000lb. Of course, what is silly is the people with trucks that are never used to tow or carry anything heavier than a bicycle!
- walleeee 2y ago
  The reality is that many people with a Ram are towing toys (boats, ATVs, etc) or, as you say, a travel trailer, not a work trailer. Which brings us to the question of need vs want. Plus, if work vehicles became lighter, work trailers would be forced to as well.
  - jjav 2y ago
    > Plus, if work vehicles became lighter, work trailers would be forced to as well. Try shopping for utility trailers. Anything affordable is very heavy steel & lumber. You can get light(er) trailers in aluminum but the price is much higher. I've never actually seen a contractor with one of those, too expensive. And of course there is all the materials & equipment they're towing on it for the job. How do you suggest any of that become lighter?
- sgu999 2y ago
  > Well depends what you need to do with, of course. given your example it's "want", not "need" > 3300lb is very little, even our tiny (19ft) and light travel trailer is over 4000lb Quick googling tells me that most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones, "very little" and "tiny" are really subjective
  - jjav 2y ago
    > given your example it's "want", not "need" Yes, how is this relevant? "Wants" are what drive humanity forward, not mere subsistence. > Quick googling tells me that most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones Can you post a few links? Tried to find the most popular travel trailer models in Europe but not finding a good list. Unless you're building the whole thing from carbon fiber, anything spacious is necessarily going to have some weight.

marssaxman 2y ago

> Pickup trucks are a major way of life for a lot of people. That is the problem which needs to be solved.

Spooky23 2y ago
The industry is taking care of that - the trucks cost has increased like 200% in 20 years.
micahdeath 2y ago
Several SUV's are the same size as trucks. Even some Vans. Small cars don't usually fit families well. =( LOL - I'm imagining a Prius for a family of 6 =P
- marssaxman 2y ago
  Who says the car has to be small? There were no SUVs when I was a kid; people drove small families around in sedans, and larger ones in station wagons - later, minivans. It worked fine, and this could all be done again.
  - mattw2121 2y ago
    I'm not a fan of the truck driving crowd, but why do you get to dictate that someone should drive a minivan instead of a truck?
    - marssaxman 2y ago
      Who's pretending I should - I'm just some schmuck on the internet! But it's a matter of plain historical fact that trucks and SUVs took over the American market as a consequence of policies established by the US federal government which made trucks more profitable for manufacturers and ordinary cars less so. Why should we not propose that the mistakes made in one session of Congress ought to be corrected by another?
    - david-gpu 2y ago

david-gpu 2y ago

> They certainly wouldn't be happy about increased regulatory burden. And many of us aren't happy about the number of pedestrian deaths caused by these behemoths. Which one should we prioritize?

forgetfreeman 2y ago
As a southerner and an owner of a 1500 I say absolutely prioritize to cut down on pedestrian deaths. I can get a different truck and it'd piss off all the right people.

impendia 2y ago

I live in the Deep South, where I've gotten around on foot, on a bicycle, and by car. It's clear that some drivers see me as a nuisance when I'm walking, but I don't really see that as my problem. In my observation, vehicular traffic anywhere doesn't care to have non-vehicular traffic sharing the roadways. That doesn't mean that pedestrians, cyclists, or regulators should necessarily defer to their wishes.