Last Updated on March 12, 2023 by asifa
My entire adult life, I have only ever owned a sedan-type vehicle. Something small and compact, nothing too powerful. I’ve never even driven a sporty car. Sometime in my 30s I decided I wanted to get myself a truck, as it would help me in a new business I had started. Needless to say I was surprised with the experience. Here are a few things that are different between driving a sedan and a truck.
The Tires Are Massive
I had the unfortunate learning moment where getting a flat tire on my truck in the middle of nowhere meant I had to deal with it entirely on my own. I thought I knew how to change a tire on a truck, but I failed to realize how much larger truck tires are. The job was done successfully, but I did pull a muscle in the process.
They Aren’t Indestructible
Yes, trucks are meant for more heavy duty jobs. But the weight distribution is different, especially when the truck bed is empty. Driving it around with the assumption that it is indestructible will quickly show you how the uneven weight distribution can cause the vehicle to topple over. That’s not to say that the driving experience is drastically different – most sedan drivers can handle trucks with only a few adjustments.
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Other Drivers Move Aside
It seems as though the roads have a hierarchy based on size. Once I started driving a truck, I found that the other drivers were more eager to move aside and make way for me. Of course, whenever I passed by one of those 18-wheeler trucks, I was the one moving aside. So, yes, there’s an inherent hierarchy on the road.
They Are Powerful Vehicles
Not only is a truck much more powerful on the road when compared to a car, it can handle a lot more than a typical car would. Fortunately, the one time I needed to tow another car, I had been driving a truck and that made the process a million times easier. Typical cars have the equipment for towing but usually cannot handle towing very big vehicles.
Parking Is Slightly More Difficult
Tight parking spots and parallel parking used to be easy for me, but this all changed once I started driving a truck. Maneuvering such a large vehicle is also harder to master. For the first few weeks of driving the truck, I struggled with this particular issue before I learned how to park it more easily.
Trucks are great utilitarian vehicles, and they have a purpose. I wouldn’t recommend someone to get a truck if they don’t absolutely need it. If you really want one, I would suggest transitioning from a bigger car (such as an SUV) to a truck. Switching from a compact car like a Mini Cooper to any truck will take some getting used to, because the driving experience will be significantly different. But that’s not to say trucks are bad, because once you get used to it – you might not know how to get back to smaller cars.
