June 24, 2019

Historiography: One of The Spoils of Living in California

My childhood was dictated by a few well-known facts about the USA automotive market. One, I lived in California. This was a very convenient place for importers to start their operations first, as its ports were across the Pacific from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Also, the state's market had a track record of customer acceptance of Japanese and Korean imports. Toyota and Nissan started in California and saw their fortunes grow there over time.

June 18, 2019

Pickup Truck Luxury By Any Measure

It is easy to dismiss this particular pickup truck. The large aluminum wheels and lower profile tires never amount to a smooth ride, even with a load in the box. The amount of leather and chrome leads to something pretentious that never end up well when parked alongside more humble pickup trucks. It is as you spent too much money for something that is designed for work and serious play.

June 9, 2019

Commentary: The (Long-Winded) Argument for the Minivan (in 2019)

Can we talk about the minivan for a moment? Let's go back to the 1950s when our country was growing. We came out of World War II, and we were looking for family transportation. The first answer we came up with was the station wagon. This long-roofed vehicular solution was on a growth spurt from the end of World War II to well into the 1950s. We even saw three-row station wagons, mainly the rear seat facing out towards the back window.

May 12, 2019

A Merit Badge for the Big Blue Truck

Let me start off with a story…
The Boy Scouts of America introduced a merit badge called Truck Transportation in the mid-1970s. It is one of the few merit badges that have young boys look at the industrial complex that feeds into their community's economy. They realize that some Boy Scouts may be interested in pursuing a life in the world of transport of goods either behind the wheel or back at the office.