Pickup truck drivers, in our minds, are practical people. They want a vehicle that is utilitarian; a car that can get the job done. And yet a Chevrolet study tells a whole different story. These drivers, it seems, are sentimental. They not only name their trucks, but do good works with them, too.

The Chevrolet study revealed for the first time that pickup truck drivers often have strong feelings about their trucks. Something seems to happen over time between owner and truck. A connection develops, an affection. The survey took a deep dive into those feelings to give us a better picture of the relationship between pickup truck drivers and their vehicles.

Pickup Truck Survey

So how exactly was this survey carried out? Chevrolet worked with Harris Poll to survey 1,012 pickup truck drivers across America to find out what they feel for their trucks, what they name them, and the various ways they use them for helping others in their communities.

Some highlights from the survey:

A Truck by Any Other Name

• According to the Chevrolet survey, a full 27% of pickup truck drivers, love their trucks so much they name them.
• The most popular name for pickup trucks is Betsy. The second most popular name for pickup trucks is Big Red (and variations thereof, for instance, Little Red, Old Red, and the like).

Truckers are Suckers for Helping Others

• 89%of U.S. pickup drivers have used their truck to help others.
• 33%have used their trucks to tow cars for friends or family.
• 33% have used their pickup truck in support of a school, the community or charitable causes.

Like A Member of the Family

• 57%of American pickup drivers think of their truck as one of the family.
• 45%plan to pass on their pickup trucks to a child or other loved one.
• 38%said they love their pickup truck more than anything else they own.
• 60% reported that they just “can’t live without” their pickup truck.

Important Milestones that Happen in Trucks

• 26% learned how to drive in a pickup truck.
• 10% brought a baby home from the hospital in their pickup truck.
• 9% experienced their first kiss in a pickup truck.

Pickup Truck Drivers: Positive Self-Image

• 38% believe that driving a pickup truck makes them more attractive.
• 37% think that driving a pickup truck makes them more popular.

About the Survey:

Harris Poll, acting on behalf of Chevrolet, conducted the pickup truck survey online, between March 20 and April 3, 2018. A total of 1,012 adult pickup drivers across the US, ages 18 and over, participated. The0re was an additional oversampling of pickup drivers from Texas, California, and Florida, with 201 participants from each state.