A 7,000-Pound Car Smashed Through a Guardrail. That’s Bad News for All of Us.
Vehicles are getting way too heavy to be safe.
Brakes. You left out the important bit. My Baja will tow a lot more than it'll stop.
Your plan would have me up the creek without a truck, especially if the Baja gets lumped into the truck category on account of it having a bed. Judging from the blank "apply for a permit" plan, it probably would.
I've gone down that "Just rent a truck from UHaul." It stops being realistic when the local UHaul lot can't handle current demand, much less whatever happens after y'all have taken trucks out of everyone else's hands.
Take away my ability to keep my house heated, much less in good repair, and you'll take away my ability to house myself, my family, my pets. They're everything to me. Take everything away from a man, and see what happens. Then multiply that by every upstate, rural, blue collar man trying to get by... And see what happens to society. It ain't gonna be pretty.
Your truck is not "everything". You could easily haul that stuff with a trailer. And yes in a vehicle with competent brakes for it's rated towing capacity. It's not the government's fault if you're towing over capacity.
Also I highly doubt your home needs weekly DIY trips for years on end to remain functional. In fact, if that's true you may want to look at hiring a general contractor instead of doing diy.
Edit to add - as an example a Subaru outback with trailer would work just as well as your truck depending on how heavy your boat and trailer are. But also there's no reason a towing vehicle needs to be that large. Once the size is restricted you'll be able to get 5,000 lb towing in cars, as it's already a thing in Europe.
You're right, in that my truck is not everything. It's a significant point of failure to my ability to maintain my house and life. You can doubt all you want. Do the math: I'm burning 40-80 of wood pellets every day. That's an 800 lbs load every 10 to 20 days.
Your answer is to replace my Baja & Tacoma with an Outback and trailer. With the cost of everything rising, you want me to sell off my existing vehicles (with their value dropping, as nobody without a work permit can operate them), and replace them... Or hire out a general contractor for all the work I've been doing myself.
FYI: That Baja of mine is tow rated for 2,400 lbs.
Man, I'd love to live in whatever world you're dreaming up. It ain't the real one, that's for sure.
I don't want you to sell off anything. Nobody said current owners would be required to sell. That's unrealistic, unenforceable, and radical to the way similar legislation has been done in the past. Most likely when you went to buy a new vehicle you would be asked for your large vehicle permit. Then, without one you would be directed to tow capable smaller vehicles. And yeah the Baja is old. It's not rated for much. But in Europe you have SEAT Leons towing 3500 pounds. That's a hatchback if you don't want to go look up the car.
Just because the car companies in the US aren't offering it right now, does not mean it's not possible. They want to make money, not give you the most efficient vehicle.
And yeah if you only need a vehicle temporarily for a DIY project, then rental is a good option. If your house is going to fall apart without sustained DIY stuff over years then you absolutely need a contractor to create a comprehensive project to solve that problem rather than patch the last band-aid fix.
Your arguments just don't hold up and calling Europe a dream land isn't very nice. They do actually exist.
Have you ever been to Upstate NY? Had a friend or family spend any time at all up here? I'm thinking you should. That might shine a big spotlight on the differences in living here vs the UK.
Buddy I've lived in the middle of nowhere and in cities. I've lived in deserts and snow ridden mountains. I'm not unfamiliar with the issues inherent to location. And you should visit Scotland some time if you think the UK is flat and urbanized. Hell I've driven 2 tons of explosives, supplies, and people through the hills of northern Iraq with no roads. I am not the person you look to for inexperience here. When I say everything you do with that Tacoma is possible with a sedan and a trailer, I know what I'm talking about.
Uh huh.
This conversation is over.
It was over when you threatened violence over a specific form factor of vehicle. I've just been hanging the lights for others stopping by.
Take everything away from a man, and see what happens. Then multiply that by every upstate, rural, blue collar man trying to get by… And see what happens to society. It ain’t gonna be pretty.
