This is a stereotype of people. But there’s a huge number of truck owners that only need a truck once a month, so they buy a truck. I’m one of these people and actively resisted buying a truck for years and finally caved in. I think it’s easy for folks, perhaps like you, to scoff and say that’s a minor inconvenience but it really isn’t. And sometimes it’s one of those things you can’t plan, or you go 6 months without using but then you have something come up where you use it daily for a week or two.

Did you buy a practical truck, or did you buy an SUV with a uselessly tiny bed tacked on? If the latter, then I wonder why you'd do that if you actually need a truck on a monthly basis. If the former, then you're not in the category I'm scoffing at.

I don’t think it even matters because you don’t know what people need to use their truck for or with what frequency.

You can need a truck monthly and the short bed size can meet that need. I don’t see how a Subaru Baja or Hyundai Santa Cruz or even a Ford Maverick is very useful but someone else might think it’s all they need.

I have a full sized Chevy 1500 truck with a crew cab, which I assume is the SUV part to you, and it has a slightly smaller bed at 6.5 feet. That’s plenty for me, I would not put the tailgate up anyway if I loaded it up with lumber or sheet goods. It’s the towing I need more than the bed, I could have got the same towing with a Tahoe but it cost twice as much and I don’t need a third row or the extra truck space.

I do have a family and passengers, so I do use the crew cab too. I have more than one requirement to meet with the vehicle.

I think if you wanted to attack people as truck personalities you’d go after the crowd with lifted trucks with huge tires that are ultimately just used as city vehicles. Thats almost always after market modifications for looks and machismo. But you still have to acknowledge you don’t really know those people and how they use their vehicles enough to judge them. They might be off-roading on the weekends or a couple times a year. The thing about vehicles is, you don’t get to buy a new one just to meet your occasional needs. People replace them irregularly enough they have to figure out what solutions/problems are most key in addressing. For me, I know I use my truck as a city passenger and commuter 90% of the time. But I also know I need to tow occasionally and it’s very inconvenient to find an adhoc solution to that problem. I also know having a bed is helpful on occasion. I also know my family already owns a SUV so getting another SUV isn’t really adding any capabilities. I also know a towing capable vehicle that’s not a truck, is significantly more expensive than my truck. I didn’t want to buy a truck, the requirements of my life and constraints put me on that path.