America Monster Truck Obsession: Why Do People Buy Them?

The pickup truck is undoubtedly the American vehicle of choice. This love affair goes back to 1981, when the Ford-F150 became the best-selling car in the country. For the longest time, the pickup truck design was for convenience, utility, and self-reliance.

So, what does a truck really do? According to Nolan Sykes from Donut Media, the first pickup truck design was out of necessity. They expressed the purpose of work. They are a technical version of a workhorse designed to ease the burden of tagging, hauling, or towing on a farm.

America’s history of trucks has significantly changed since the 80s, from hand-cranked windows to 6-foot-9-inch tall, 6.2-liter powered monolithic trucks. Since 2001, the full-size truck has grown 79 inches wide and 75 inches tall. It’s the golden age of mega-trucks, and profits are sky-high. To that effect, the Ford-F150 and the Chevrolet Silverado are the two best-selling vehicles in the U.S.

Do we really need bigger or faster trucks? The U.S. truck market has grown sporadically with several subcategories from the compact pickup truck to the super truck, but do we need them? Well, according to Sykes, 75 percent of truck owners in the U.S. use their vehicles for hauling only once in a year (which sounds like never to me).

Also, 70 percent of truck owners go off-roading once in a year or less, and here’s the kicker, 35 percent of truck owners use their trucks for hauling once or less in a year. It’s the same kind of heat Jeep owners get for never taking their vehicles off-road.

What about the heavy-duty trucks? These diesel-powered options are popular with Americans who need them for hauling, towing, and getting stuff done. According to a 2015 survey by the Bureau of Transportation and Statistics, diesel-powered trucks get driven furthest compared to any vehicle class in America. This is due to the tendency of using heavy-duty trucks for hauling.

Perhaps the most abused class of pickup trucks is the super trucks segment. Apart from occupying a significant amount of space on the road or anywhere they go, they are mechanically capable and push some insane figures when it comes to power. These pavement princesses, despite their functional design, are useless in a farm setting. They are more suitable for a drag race (which is even more ridiculous because of the sheer weight, and size of the tires). But somehow, making 1,000 hp or doing 0-60 mph (97 kph) in less than 3 seconds makes them insanely desirable in the market.

So, who are these humongous trucks designed for? Ideally, super trucks are not designed to be your only trucks. They are hand-built, not the most efficient in terms of miles per gallon, huge, and cost an arm and leg to purchase.

Ironically, this is what makes them desirable to their clients (the ridiculously-big tires, extensive chrome grilles, and tall hoods). Sykes feels super trucks are for people with supercar money looking for something different. Something like a Lamborghini for the dirt.

Have we seen the craziest of the pickup trucks? Sykes doesn’t think we have. With the rise of EVs, manufacturers are already producing faster pickup trucks, meaning this trend is likely to escalate even further in the future. Also, current full-size truck owners have a high loyalty rate, nearly 80% replacing their old trucks with new ones.