this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2025
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EU cave in on vehicle trade rules will cost European lives as US pick-up trucks flood into Europe (www.transportenvironment.org)
submitted 1 week ago by Sunshine@piefed.ca to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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[โ€“] rmuk@feddit.uk 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

So as I understand this - which seems to be totally at odds with everyone else commenting - this will actually make it harder for people to drive these things on the road in the EU. Currently you can import those things without them being subject to EU categorisation and safety requirements if it's a one off (to quote Not Stanley, "I ain't no serial killer! I killed a bunch of people but they were all one-offs!") but now these will be categorised and controlled the same as EU vehicles instead, and subject to the same standards for safety, emissions, licensing etc. It's worth keeping in mind that even in the US these aren't categorised as cars, so why would they be in the EU? So someone with a car license (normally limited to 3.5T GLW) couldn't drive one, even if they pinky-swore that they wouldn't fully load it as is the case at the moment.

[โ€“] phx@lemmy.ca 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The EU has different licenses for cars and trucks? Cool!

I've always found it weird that a standard license here lets you drive anything from a teeny tiny SmartCar to an F350 pulling a massive palace-in-wheels, or a near bus-sized motorhome (provided it doesn't have air brakes and is under 4600kg).

[โ€“] calcopiritus@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Wait. Are you telling me that the American "if you can parallel park, here's your driver license" license allows you to legally drive trucks and other heavy machinery?

[โ€“] phx@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago

Not "trucks" as in a commercial transport truck (often called "rigs" to differentiate), but a large pickup-truck pulling a fairly massive travel-trailer or 5th wheel, yes.

[โ€“] phx@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

See here for a reference on the various options, most of which are drivable under a standard license. The big difference tends to be when you get into things with air brakes, which requires a special endorsement or the truly huge sizes. Most of the restrictions are based on the towing/hauling or hitch capacity of the vehicle pulling them though, as opposed to the license of the driver

https://www.rv.com/rv/rv-classes-explained/

Also, this is in Canada but my understanding is that the US is much the same

[โ€“] omarthemediocre@lemmy.zip 3 points 4 days ago

Why would anyone in the EU buy them? They are expensive, maintanance nightmare and in most cities to big to drive comfortably. The only reason I can think of is that you need to compensate for a small dick.

[โ€“] transfluxus@leminal.space 10 points 6 days ago

Up to member states means they probably won't do it, since it's a matter of national politics and popularity...

[โ€“] heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net 5 points 6 days ago

The real money is gonna be made from exporting truck nuts.

[โ€“] Fedditor385@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (6 children)

Well, people first need to want to buy these things. When they realize they are unable to park those things properly, due to our infrasturcture not being made for them, they will return them back.

[โ€“] HK65@sopuli.xyz 8 points 6 days ago

People in the NL already buy them, despite there being no way to park them.

You need like 10 idiots in a million-large city and you can already feel it have a negative effect on traffic.

[โ€“] DV8@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

The people who buy this will feel fantastic about parking them like assholes in a way that it bothers people.

[โ€“] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

Or they park in the most obnoxious places. I once saw a father waiting to pick up his kid in one, with 2 wheels on the pavement and his engine idling. This was in the eu and it had a typical macho pickup configuration: all black, spotless, tinted windows. I'd prefer it if those dickheads continued driving bmw's instead of pickups, much less annoying when they're tailgating you.

[โ€“] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 days ago

Unfortunately, no, you give people too much credit. It's a status symbol to assholes, and assholes beget assholes. People need to treat them like Teslas were during the DOGE debacle.

[โ€“] calcopiritus@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

People will buy it despite infrastructure not being built for it. And they they will demand that the infrastructure accommodates them. And then they will build new infrastructure taking them into account. And then they'll rebuild the old infrastructure to accommodate them.

There are idiots in Europe too. There are oversized American trucks in Europe too. And they too occupy 4 parking slots if they are European sized instead of America sized.

[โ€“] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

hopefully also when people treat them and their stupid big vehicles appropriately like shit

[โ€“] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I cannot think of anything else the EU could have done to damage it's own brand image as this has. It's clear the EU has it's own oligarch problem.

[โ€“] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

it's clear the EU has it's own oligarch problem

That is quite the claim to make and calling it "clear"

To quote Wikipedia:

[โ€“] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I cannot describe how utterly simple and bountiful it is to search for citations and find them, so for the benefit of avoiding arguing against your complete and utter ignorance, I'll just assume you and the gang upvoting you are just being the most blatantly facetious people here.

[โ€“] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 2 points 6 days ago

EU is being turned into economic colony of the US and China.

EU can't even handle russia in its own back yard.

Recently they tried to shove some green energy reporting requirements on energy companies... Literalyl ex Uk colony qatar, send a letter and told to shut it down.

EU tucked their dicks and did as they are told.

Pathetic.

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