this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2025
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Keep these Stupid American Trucks out of Europe (www.youtube.com)
submitted 4 days ago by maam@feddit.uk to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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[โ€“] klangcola@reddthat.com 10 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Are these trucks classified as cars or trucks in most EU country?

In Norway (EEA but not EU) they are trucks (due to weight and carry capacity), and require a C1 truck driving licence. Which helps keep the numbers low. Though there have been cases of importers downgrading the suspension to lower the maximum carry capacity to reclassify them so they can be driven on a normal car class B driving license.

[โ€“] merc@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

In the USA (and I think Canada, and maybe Mexico) pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans are classified as "light trucks". That's a different category from cars. That exempts them from a lot of regulations that would seem like they should apply to every vehicle. For example, you'd think that every vehicle on the road would have to have their bumpers at the same height, otherwise when two vehicles collide their bumpers might miss. While it's true that cars have to have their bumpers at a certain height, "light trucks" don't have to follow that same regulation, and often have higher bumpers, meaning they go over the bumpers of cars and directly impact the bodywork. They also get away from having to follow emissions standards, etc.

I don't know what EU regulations are like, but I really hope they prevent the US manufacturers from exporting that loophole to Europe. They'll probably get away with classifying them as a kind of vehicle that requires the same license as a normal car. However, hopefully the EU will require that they follow other car-like regulations too, like bumper height, safety systems, etc.

[โ€“] klangcola@reddthat.com 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The bit that's so perplexing is that in north America they are not "cars" but "light trucks" , yet they can be legally driven on a normal "car" driving licence.

Here "light trucks" are a separate, expensive, license, which is usually only taken for occupational reasons. Which is a good thing, since weight (and securing loads etc) has a massive impact on road safety.

[โ€“] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Yeah, I seem to remember that it was lobbying by farmers that had something to do with it. Like, farmers who used light trucks on their farms wanted to be able to drive to down in those trucks too without needing to get a special license. But, that might be wrong. Either way, it smells like corruption to me. They should either be cars and have to meet all the standards applied to cars, or be trucks and meet the standards applied to trucks. Allowing them to avoid the fuel efficiency standards and safety standards applied to cars, while also avoiding the special driver's license needed for trucks is unfair (or even dangerous) to everyone else on the road.

[โ€“] Damage@feddit.it 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Under 3.5 tons they're cars

[โ€“] klangcola@reddthat.com 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

3.5 tonns maximum total capacity right? Or net weight?

So a 3 tonne truck that can haul 1 tonne of goods for a total of 4 tonnes gross weight would be a need a truck license