rom the get-go, each and every one of our ’30s-60s trucks (with the exception of those 100 percent aftermarket pickups, of course) were originally built for the same purpose: to haul, period. Luxury and comfort were not part of the selling point for consumers back in the day.

While it wasn’t until the late ’60s that comfortability came into play on the manufacturer’s end, pickup trucks were still produced primarily for utilitarian purposes. Not until later in the ’70s did any major aspect of luxury enter the picture. Today, on the other hand, it’s hard to find a new truck without gobs of factory accessories … at least while they’re still producing “real” trucks. (Don’t let the Super Bowl ads fool you—those ’23 models are just large cars with open trunks!)

Getting to the point at hand (finally!), my question for everyone who’s still reading this is: How many of you still use your classic trucks for its intended purpose? I fully realize that many of the high-end trucks we feature do only one kind of hauling (it rhymes with “class”), for the most part, but what about the majority of the trucks that fit in the “classic” category?

For me, if a truck can’t haul or tow a load (reasonably speaking), it’s not a truck. I don’t care how nice they are—if I can’t toss stuff in the back, be it engine parts or ice chests and chairs, I might as well be driving a car. Hell, the main reason I lowered my late-model GMC Sierra was not out of beautification purposes, rather, so I could easily load any of my Harleys in the back whenever need be (I won’t go into detail explaining why that is … it just is). Sure, the truck looks much better, but I was just as happy with it 7 inches higher off the ground! Now, I won’t go as far as saying that my older Chevys should be able to tote around motorcycles on a regular basis, but there shouldn’t be any reason why they can’t … nicely finished exotic wood can be buffed out! That said, I will be incorporating tie-down loops in the bed strips on the ’69 C10—to better facilitate securing any larger items that may find themselves being hauled around, not to mention doing whatever I can to help prevent scratching of the underlying wood and polished aluminum when that does occur.

Not that I’m expecting a flood of email responses, but I would like to hear from readers how you’re “using” your vintage haulers. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve got nothing against pure show trucks … if I had the patience (and the money), I’d finish my C10 to that level. But there would come a point where it would get used for its original factory-intended purposes!