For those of us who need a pickup truck for hauling tools and lumber, it makes sense to have a truck. Pickup trucks are great for hauling tools, for hauling big stuff like lumber, and for towing trailers loaded with stuff. But is it worth it for the rest of us to drive a pickup truck daily? Yes, if you get the right daily driver pickup. And, the right truck will hold its value.

We’re not telling you that 21-foot-long Ford F-350 Dually should be your daily of choice. But there are several reasons why you should daily a truck.  Let’s face it, a pickup isn’t for everyone. But for some of us, it’s a way of life to drive a pickup truck daily. How else would you get to the tailgate?

They’re tough durable workhorses

The average pickup is made to handle the tough stuff. Potholes? No problem. Dirt roads and rough driveways? No worries.

Pickup trucks have much more ground clearance than your average car, and generally shocks with longer travel. That makes them oddly suited to an urban jungle, especially if your urban jungle is full of bad pavement, roads that are under construction, and parking lots with lots of speedbumps. Let’s face it, that’s most of us.

Plenty of trucks, even used, offer extreme reliability.

They can haul your stuff easily

Dump runs? Sure thing. Grabbing extra supplies at Home Depot? Nothing to it.

Trucks are made for hauling stuff, and if you have stuff, you can’t beat one. Even if you only do truck stuff on the weekends, a pickup is just super convenient to have. Add a camper shell or a locking tonneau cover and a truck can suddenly become the family hauler with a six-foot-long trunk.  Also, when you’re friends need to move, you can be sure you’ll get a phone call, though that’s not always a plus.

Big, powerful, engines will get you there fast

Trucks are expected to haul stuff, and that means they generally have more powerful engines than cars. Not always, to be sure, but the torque of a truck makes quick work of getting across that four-lane street or charging up a hill. Full-sized trucks don’t always come with big V8 engines anymore, but that’s OK. The new turbocharged or hybridized V6 engines – and even four-cylinders – that Toyota, Ram, Chevy, GMC, and Ford offer have the grunt to get you up to speed.

They’re tall, and you can see over everything and everyone

Those same tall shocks and tires that let you tackle off-road trails also contribute to a great view over the road. Let’s face it, full-sized trucks today are nearly seven-feet-tall. That means you’re looking over most cars, not trying to look through them. That tall ride height and great visibility are what make many people gravitate to tall SUVs, too.

And one (or two) not to

The big reason is the gas mileage. Trucks are like big, heavy, bricks moving through the air, and all that stuff that lets them tackle rough roads is heavy.  All of that adds up to gas mileage which can be abysmal. But not in all cases. Several trucks, like the Ford F-150 and the Ford Maverick, offer hybrid motors that get gas mileage better than many cars.