Rethinking Lifestyle

I picked up a used fridge, stove, microwave, range and dishwasher in Winnipeg this week (don’t worry, my trusty 1970’s range is still cookin’ in the kitchen). When the people selling the appliances saw me pulling a trailer with my 2005 Hyundai Elantra hatchback, their reaction was typical: “You need a truck.” This is not the only time I’ve been told I need a truck. For example, I live on a gravel road in rural La Broquerie: “You need a truck.” I commute to work on a highway in the winter: “You need a truck.” I live on 5 acres with wood to haul, gravel to move and a trailer to pull: “You need a truck.” Well no, actually I don’t, and I’ll tell you why.

In the 10 years I’ve lived on a gravel road, I can count on one hand the number of times that my car has been unable to travel a route I needed it to. It even came through for me when I (carefully) drove it 2 miles into a farmer’s field and back with my wife and two kids. And when roads are impassable for me, there’s usually a truck stuck there as a silent warning to anyone who thought their $80,000 4×4 gave them a free pass. Yes, a truck can go many places a car can’t. But I get where I need to go. I don’t need a truck for that.

When I’m not working from home these days, I commute about twenty minutes each way on HWY 52 for work. Sometimes it’s snowy, but I have snow tires. Tragically, people who insist on having a truck to “win” in a car crash are responsible for increasing the fatality of all collisions on the road. A 2014 study1 found that a 450kg increase in your car’s weight (e.g. Toyota Corolla vs Jeep Wrangler) makes it 47% more lethal to other drivers in a collision, and more lethal still if your vehicle is a higher-riding SUV, pickup truck or minivan. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think protecting one’s own family by endangering another’s is as chivalrous as it seems. I don’t need a truck for that.

As for yard work, I did have a 1/4 ton truck when I bought my house. I used it while building my garage, but I quickly realized it was ridiculous to take it off the yard if it could be avoided. When I finished my project, I retired it to work as a farm truck. Ever since, I’ve done all my hauling with my hatchback, a roof rack, and a trailer – no problem. For rare bigger tasks, I can afford a lot of delivery fees and vehicle rentals with the $5,000 to $80,000 that I didn’t spend on a truck – not to mention thousands of dollars in operating costs. I don’t need a truck for that.

I bought my car to carry 99.9% of my cargo 99.9% of the places I need to go, and it does that. I could increase my costs, endanger other travellers, and pollute the environment… but to do that – I’d need a truck.