this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2025
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Europe

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[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 33 points 6 days ago (3 children)

As I posted in another community this was crossposted to: This article is bullshit.

With the exception of what's happening in the author's imagination, nothing that's is happening will make it easier to import or drive these in the EU. In fact, the EU, by respecting categorisations made in the US, will be mandating that these be treated as the dangerous, polluting industrial vehicles they are. They won't be able to drive through town centres, in low emissions zones, park in car parks, be driven on car licenses, or be taxed and insured like a Fiat Punto any more. So instead of there being tens of thousands of incorrectly regulated one-off exceptions like we have now, there will be vehicles held to the same standards as all the others.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 12 points 6 days ago

Even that aside, there's just less demand for them in Europe. The Euro equivalent to a big American truck is the diesel wagon. Has torque, can put a bunch of shit in the back. And it's enclosed!

Our fuel prices are just so much higher and in a lot of EU countries, most people can't afford 100k € trucks in the first place.

[–] itsralC@lemmy.zip 7 points 6 days ago

Damn, if that's true this comment needs to be way higher

[–] Goodman@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Interesting, may I ask how you know?

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 17 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Because I read the actual announcement, and I remember something that all authors of sensationalist nonsense about EU laws want their readers to forget: any new law or agreement exists alongside all the existing ones. The actual agreement here is that vehicles can be imported from the US - in fact, it arguably makes it easier - but they will be categorised, regulated and taxed as if they were first registered in the EU rather than given special exemptions. That means they'll need to meet EU laws on pedestrian safety, emissions, efficiency , and so on. Even ignoring that, these cannot be driven in the EU on a car license because according to the EU they are not cars. So the EU has not opened a floodgate, they've closed a loophole.

[–] Goodman@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Thanks for replying, are you implying that they can not be driven with a standard B license? I could believe it but I thought that B encompassed quite a lot of vehicles/mass/sizes

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

EU (and UK) car licenses cover a maximum fully-laden weight of 3.5T, which these trucks vastly exceed - some of them weigh well over 2.5T before you even put fuel in. Since US regulations are not currently being considered, it's up to the importer to declare the maximum weight so they just pinky-swear that the MLW is 3,499.9999kg or whatever. It's arresting to think that if these were judged fairly, most EU drivers couldn't drive one of these but could drive a LWB Sprinter.

It's also worth remembering that even in the US, trucks are commercial vehicles distinct from cars and it's only because of terminal car-brain that they're subject to exclusions and subsidies that makes it possible to use one just for commuting.

[–] Goodman@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I think you might be right. But there are pbbly still some of those lighter pickups that can be driven by a B licence, which is unfortunate. I found the vehicle chart on Wikipedia quite helpful https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_classification

P.S. also crazy that so many US vehicles exceed that weight limit. Heavy and big cars are generally bad for everyone.

[–] lime@feddit.nu 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

not all vehicles can be registered as "mainly for personal transportation" (don't know the actual term), which is a requirement for B licenses.

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The B license is only about gross weight. The limit is 3.5t, it doesn't matter what the vehicle is registered as. If it's too heavy, it's too heavy. If a too heavy vehicle has a light enough empty weight, it might be possible to downrate its gross weight. Of course that means you'll have much less load capacity then, and getting caught overloaded is no joke.

[–] lime@feddit.nu 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

maybe it's a regional thing, i know the eu license system is a mess. here it also limits the amount of passengers, and vehicles can be re-registered for use with a b license if they meet certain criteria like number of seats.

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The limit to the number of passengers to 8 applies to all licenses other than class D1 and D.

[–] lime@feddit.nu 1 points 5 days ago
[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] chuckleslord@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I'm 6'4" and my head and shoulders is really all that's visible. (And that's for the trucks without lift kits)

[–] parlaptie@feddit.org 5 points 6 days ago

Appeasement never works. They tried that with Hitler back in the day.

[–] asbestos@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

sad sounds of penises shrinking

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

disgusting

if the government endangers the populace, it's up to the populace to ensure the fuckers who have these vehicles are inclined not to drive them

[–] manxu@piefed.social 44 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It's definitely not just pedestrians that have been sold out. Those monster trucks kill everyone from pedestrian to bicyclist, from motorcyclist to smaller car driver. The only thing they have going on for themselves is that if other people have one, you need one, as well, or you are blind on the roads and easy prey when they go hunting.

[–] supamanc@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

And their own drivers - they are far more succeptable to roll over accidents, the most fatal type of accident. And due to being classed as light trucks, rather than cars, they have less rigorous protection against these types of accident.

[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

You say that like that's a bad thing.

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago

Heck, they even have an astounding ability to kill children in their own driveways!

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Nephew of a guy I worked with was killed in Austin on a summer visa riding an electric scooter by someone turning right in one of these monstrosities. Driver didn't see him.

Fuck whoever allowed this deal.

[–] shane@feddit.nl 37 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Taken across the street from my house in Amstelveen, just about 15 km from Amsterdam Centraal Station.

The truck parks with tires on the curb, and won't fit in a space lengthwise either. I am filled with rage every time I see it.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

All of that and you still can’t fit a standard sheet of drywall or plywood in the bed. What a piece of shit.

[–] shane@feddit.nl 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Workmen here all use vans. Although admittedly if they're doing a lot of work the materials are usually dropped off by a truck (an actual truck, not a pickup truck).

[–] TBi@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Same here but I am seeing workmen slowly changing over to pick ups. More expensive and less versatile but they are still getting more popular.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 days ago

bylaw

law

vandalism

[–] Pechente@feddit.org 29 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Getting a car like this in the Netherlands of all places is just stupid. This person should be ashamed of themselves (although I bet they’re not)

They're probably ashamed of an anatomical feature.

[–] witty_username@feddit.nl 17 points 1 week ago

Report it to your municipality

[–] utjebe@reddthat.com 16 points 1 week ago

You don't get a ticket for it in the Netherlands?

[–] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 15 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Europeans can vote with their wallets and boycott nonsensical vehicles from the fascist country across the pond. They don't have to wait for their increasingly corrupt powers that be to do the work for them you know...

[–] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 48 points 1 week ago (6 children)

You can vote for yourself only, not for your imbecile neighbour who "Biggy car. Wanna-wanna-wanna!"

You can't expect Europe to not have that contingent.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

Yup. This is the best argument for regulations because voting with your wallet isnβ€˜t as democratic as it sounds.

[–] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Well, it's not final. I remember a time - in Belgium I thnk - when a utility vehicle was defined as having no backseats for passengers. Scores of people registered Porsches and other obviously passenger cars with the backseats removed as tax-exempt minivans.

Belgium put a stop to that and suddenly, all those backseat-less sportscars got taxed like they ought to be. Just like that, retroactively.

The same thing can happen with your vroom-vroom-loving neighbor very quickly.

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[–] taldennz@lemmy.nz 13 points 1 week ago

Except the endangered pedestrians aren't the buyers... The rules are to protect the pedestrians from buyers that value their purchase above the safety of others

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[–] Zacryon@feddit.org 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My keys feel suddenly very drawn to these cars.

[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 7 points 6 days ago

They won't even see you when you get close enough

[–] Bassman27@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Everyone’s kicking off about trucks but what about the millions of SUV’s people drive without even needing to ability to go off road. The most common argument for owning one is the higher driving position or it being β€œsafer”

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 days ago

Someone should demonstrate the center of gravity concept for them

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago

I can hate two things.

[–] ChaosInstructor@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

To be fair, most SUVs can not handle off road terrain anyway. But i get you.

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