Since the first Model T clawed its way out of the primordial ooze, pickup trucks have had a solitary function: carry payload. Today's half-ton trucks perform that task better than any before them, with heftier capacities, more powerful engines, and the braking power of Grand Canyon rental mules.
Pickups have continued to evolve to meet changing conditions. The narrow, cramped cab widened in the 1970s. Automatic transmissions made manual shifters rarities. Four-wheel drive soared in popularity. But the trucks stayed mostly on the job site.
Today's truck buyers aren't necessarily overalls-clad agriculture or construction professionals. They're more likely to be Dockers-wearing suburbanites who appreciate the truck's utility when performing home-improvement and lawn-maintenance projects.
Such customers have more complex requirements, wanting more than just the ability to carry big, heavy, messy cargo in the bed. They might tote smaller items that need to be secure from weather and theft, and they probably have kids who need a safe place to ride.
"We are seeing a continued shift from commercial use to personal use of trucks," observes Phil O'Connor, Ford F-Series Super Duty marketing manager for storage solutions. "The personal-use buyers are now the dominant buyers."
Turns out the changes wrought to accommodate these customers don't alienate the traditional tradesmen, either. They can use that back seat to haul coworkers, and, like everyone else, have cell-phones, laptops, and Blackberrys that must be stowed out of sight. "We are seeing the same shift now in the over-8500-pound heavy-duty segment," says O'Connor. "Even Super Duty is now mostly personal use, or at least dual, use: Consider the commercial user who also drives it on weekends as his main vehicle."