Fuck Cars
A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!
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In the bed? It's nearly the same size. New trucks are just jacked up with larger tires and an inflated plastic shell. Size sells even if it's all fat. Yeah- the newer model added the passenger space so you can preserve your manhood when driving the kids around... but bed space hasn't changed much.
It's not necessarily even consumer demand. Truck size and the EPA standards are linked for some reason. Essentially bigger trucks are allowed to have worse mileage.
This story talks about it. There are probably but better sources, but the point remains.
I would actually argue that many truck drivers don't want a bigger vehicle. Mid size trucks came back on the market after a long hiatus. There are even a number of compact trucks available now, like the Maverick, Santa Cruz, etc.
The reason should be obvious, large trucks are going to always have worse mileage because they are meant to move large loads. That requires large, stronger engines, and the power needed will always have a similar fuel ratio.
The problem is that there is no good method of making rules about who needs a large truck vs a car for commuting, which is where feul efficiency actually matters. Someone could be doing home landscaping that means a personal truck makes sense, or could have a large trailer they tow that requires a large truck. Does someone need a business to have horses and a horse trailer that requires a large truck?
So unless they want to ban large trucks altogether, there does need to be lower mpg standards for large trucks. The problem with random people using them to commute can't be solved by fuel standards. Honestly, the best way to reduce fuel consumption would be improving public transportation.
What about making these massive trucks require a CDL to drive? Sure some would be dedicated enough to do it, but im sure most people would see that requirement and just get something more reasonable.
I think a CDL would be overkill, but having a separate license like with motorcycles wouldn't be too bad and could be based of curb weight + hauling and towing capacity so that it covers ridiculously oversized SUVs.
Size could play a factor too, which would encourage the companies to build for target sizes and weights instead of just going bigger constantly.