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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Those two vehicles are different. The one behind carries more people, can tow greater weight and with the right tyres probably has better capabilities off-road and in poor weather (floods and snow, for example). If the owner only needed it for the boot space then they'd be daft to get the bigger one (and probably wouldn't, due to fuel efficiency) but how does anyone here know what the owners need them for? Judging by looks is rather passé these days isn't it?
Most owners don't need them. Else why is there not a single one of these cars on the roads in the entirety of Europe? Are we so different?
Europe licenses trucks and trailers differently than in the U.S. An American one-ton pickup can tow at a combined weight of up to 26,000lbs in most states on a standard Class D license. The same license you need to operate a Honda Civic. This weight would require a commercial license in Europe, raising the bar for entry.
The lengths of trucks and trailers is also regulated more heavily due to smaller European streets. A vehicle rated to tow a 26,000lb load in Europe would need to be much shorter in length to abide by these regulations. This is why you only see “cab-over” style “lorries” in Europe.
What follows is my opinion on some additional factors:
It’s more affordable for Europeans to hire a professional driver for heavy loads owing to the short distances between destinations. It’s also less likely that your average European owns land or has a need to haul a heavy load to maintain said property.