# Why Don't Asian People Drive Trucks? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887 "2006-10-10T02:45:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/1 "2006-10-10T02:45:21Z")
I’ve noticed that it seems to be extraordinarily rare for an ethnically Asian person to drive a pickup truck, but at the same time it seems to be remarkably common for a Caucasian person to possess a truck, even when there doesn’t appear to be any need for them to do so. Has this been your experiece as well? By ‘Asian’, I’m referring specifically to East Asians, although I would guess that other Asians might also have extremely low rates of truck ownership as compared to Caucasians. Why is this the case? Is there some reason why Asian people are vastly less interested in driving pickups than Caucasians?? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/2 "2006-10-10T02:48:31Z")
Huh. A good proportion of the guys (maybe a third, at a WAG) I run into hunting are Asian, and they almost all have pickup trucks. The few that don’t mostly have SUVs. Sure, they’re the smaller trucks, but those are better for driving down narrow brushy roads anyway. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/3 "2006-10-10T02:49:31Z")
In Korea, at least, a pickup truck is associated with people who sell vegetables/fruit/eggs/whathaveyou on the streets - i.e., a certain “social class” that many upper-middle class people would not want to be associated with. I remember my friend telling me that she expressed a random wish to drive a pickup truck to her dad and he said “No one drives those, unless you’re selling eggs. Or cabbage.” I dunno if that holds true for Koreans living here, though. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/4 "2006-10-10T05:10:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Why Don’t Asian People Drive Trucks? I assume you mean something like “why don’t people of East Asian ethic origin who live in the USA drive pickup trucks”, because let me tell you there are millions and millions of Asians driving trucks in Asia. Driving a pickup truck is part of the overtly macho culture of mainstream male USA, fairly specific to Caucasians and Hispanics, which stems from the romantic idea of the West that those groups are still mesmerized by. Similarly the fascination with country music, guns, hunting, jeans, cowboy boots, camping, leather jackets, and so on. It simply has no relevance to Asian culture, they express their masculinity in other ways. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/5 "2006-10-10T06:09:27Z")
I think size of the individual might come into play. Larger guys tend to drive trucks because they have more room to them. Smaller people(which includes alot of asians) might not be comfortable in a space oversized for them. The there is the pick-up is steriotypical of rednecks and lower class tradesmen often a culture where racism exists. Maybe they choose not to drive them to avoid being associated with that culture. I know asians that drive pick ups. I would agree they are the minority of pick-up owners. Pick-ups are generaly bought and used by people that have a use for them. Most people wouldn’t buy one if it wasn’t needed in their line of work. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/6 "2006-10-10T07:19:09Z")
I’m now thinking of one of my current co-workers (Chinese), who drives a big-ass white pickup, and my old section head (Japanese), who also drove a ginormous pickup. Neither of them are particularly tall guys, either. Methinks **Surreal** needs to expand his/her circle of pickup truck drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/7 "2006-10-10T08:00:08Z")
As the answer to virtually all the racial-streotype-questions-designed-to-reinforce-said-stereotypes-by-use-of-negative-modifiers (i.e. “Why **don’t** Asians?” instead of "Do Asians?) we get here is: they do. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/8 "2006-10-10T12:17:40Z")
Oddly enough I just saw an Asian man driving a pickup truck yesterday. He looked very angry for some reason. So, my answer is to the OP is…generally they don’t, unless they’re very angry. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/9 "2006-10-10T12:37:36Z")
I’ve noticed that a number of Asian shopkeepers drive minivans, predominantly older Toyotas. Makes sense. They’re farily inexpensive, have lots of room, and are reliable. As far as the alledged ‘hauling cabbages’ mentality, it seems that many older Asians (mostly Vietnamese where I am) are class conscious. I noticed that many older Vietnamese women wear gloves while driving. I was told that they did that because they didn’t want their hands to tan, because tanned hands indicate the person does manual labour. Lexuses and Rolexes also seem to be very popular in the community. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/10 "2006-10-10T12:51:58Z")
[Ling] “Darling, I give you very best truck.” [/Ling] ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/11 "2006-10-10T13:16:12Z")
My wife is ethnically Chinese, and she can often be found driving our full-size GMC truck. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/12 "2006-10-10T13:36:35Z")
They can’t reach the pedals! ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/13 "2006-10-10T13:38:16Z")
Well, guess what? I’m Asian, and I don’t! Ha! (What? Obviously, single examples are relevant to sweeping generalizations… 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/14 "2006-10-10T13:56:51Z")
This is a generalisation based on limited personal experience - I have no truck with it. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/15 "2006-10-10T14:38:27Z")
They don’t drive trucks because the White Man is keeping them down. Soon all of your truck are belong to them. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/16 "2006-10-10T14:41:45Z")
Come to think of it, I don’t see nearly as many pickup trucks on the road as I used to. I think maybe a lot of the people who used to drive them have moved to SUVs instead; same big size and space for hauling, but much better looking. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/17 "2006-10-10T14:48:10Z")
While I object mildly to the OP - as Rigamarole says, the answer is “they do” - one of the answers is that Asians are very money-conscious. Note I didn’t say “miserly” or “stingy”. Just conscious. And Toyotas and Hondas get better gas mileage, and supposedly break down less often, and cost less initially, at least in the minds of the purchasers\*, etc., etc., etc. \*I think they do all that…but I just know someone is going to come around and say “Well, blah-blah truck is WAY cheaper, so you’re wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/18 "2006-10-10T15:55:53Z")
How about the concentration of Asians in heavily urban areas? Wouldn’t that contribute to a lower rate of truck ownership? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/19 "2006-10-10T16:32:15Z")
It’s partly because few Asians have thoroughly converted to (or grew up with) the suburban American mentality: one car (or truck) per person, all shopping done at strip malls and big-box stores, doing home improvement projects yourself, towing boats on weekends, etc. But of course there’s a cultural component as well. I’m Japanese and I couldn’t bring myself to buy a truck, even though I could make good use of one. (I live alone, I have 2 dogs, and I often carry big toys like canoes and recumbent tricycles.) There’s no logic to it, I’m just not used to thinking of a truck as a practical and cost-effective personal vehicle. I ended up getting a minivan which seemed more “reasonable” to me. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887/20 "2006-10-10T18:33:36Z")
\ It’s because they’re all driving Mercedes Benzes and BMWs, and neither company makes trucks. \ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-asian-people-drive-trucks/375887.md?page=2)