One ubiquitous symbol of American modes of transport are pickup trucks. I’ve always struggled to understand their enduring appeal. The most ridiculous thing of course is the open cargo area. Why the fuck is this a thing ? Any one can reach in and steal your stuff of course. Secondly, no weather protection. No one is bothered by their stuff getting exposed to rain, snow, wind or getting bleached by the sun ? So, of course we have ugly hacks like the covers and caps. Also, I’ve seen plenty of custom fabrication in the form of specialized boxes and storage areas which of course removes any appeal of an open cargo space.
Third, there is so much of wasted passenger space. Are there any advantages to this thing at all ? Perhaps easier cargo loading e.g. a bulky item being loaded vertically from a crane. But I would say the lack of security and weather protection is simply too large of a trade-off. Maybe aesthetics are an important factor with most pickup trucks being used as passenger vehicles. Well, get an SUV equivalent of the truck instead ? The SUV has good road presence and serves as a great hauler and mover. Maybe the pickup truck is a truly cultural mainstream phenomena that its practicality is not called into question.