Maybe it was a midlife crisis, but I recently went through a period when I wanted to get a pickup truck. Since I had nothing to haul, I started researching hobbies that would require me to drive, for example, a Jeep Gladiator. When I mentioned this search for a pickup purpose to a friend from Texas, she laughed in my face. “Do you think all the dudes who parked their pickups in my high school parking lot ever used their trucks for hauling anything? Just buy a truck.” While I didn’t make the purchase, it turns out my friend’s anecdotal analysis was quite accurate. Axios on the incredible sales and rare use cases for Pickup Trucks: From Workhorse To Joyride. “With jumbo trucks, you’d think people were hauling and towing more than ever — not so. Survey data from vehicle research firm Strategic Vision shows a third of today’s pickup owners rarely or never use their truck for hauling, while two thirds rarely or never use it for towing. So what are people using their trucks for? Shopping, errands, commuting and Sunday drives.” (When I was a kid, I was terrified of unmarked white vans. Lately, I’ve been thinking I might get one of those.)