The "problem" with that tax is that if it's applied fairly, it gets very big very fast. The damage to the road goes up with weight, but not linearly. Not a square factor, either. Not even cube. It's to the fourth power.

Start applying that to long haul trucks and the whole industry will be bankrupt in a month. The implication being that we are all subsidizing that industry with taxes on roads. Including that one trucker with a "who is John Galt?" sticker on the back.

That said, this is also a very good argument for improving cargo trains to the point where most long haul trucking goes away.

There was a discussion a couple of years ago around gasoline taxes and how they are supposed to pay for roadway maintenance.

I just want to point out, even if they're supposed to, gas taxes do not pay for roadway maintenance, not by a long shot

Judging by the general trend I don't think this is happening anytime soon. The overall car industry is obsessed with even bigger cars.

And even in Europe it is sickening to see those half buses on our roads. And this is especially true for big cities, where parking space is very limited and usually those cars occupy park space for 1.5-2 cars.

And knowing that the fertility rate is really going down I wonder what justifies those cars.

Congratulations, the fossil fuel industry just put a hit on you

Small PHEV's would be ideal for the current generation. Battery advances will come, but we should always try to optimize with the current technology and 10 cars with a 10th the battery of a Tesla would be better for the future.

People are saying "it's all the electric cars and batteries..."

Yeah my VW ID4 which is a pretty decent sized electric car is 2003kg. You are looking at giant electric SUVs or electric trucks to get over that 3175kg. Even the cybertruck is only 3k and that is just a giant chunk of steel and battery. They must be including hauling weight in that...

Canyonero!

I mean... kind of?

10 or 20 years ago? I would never have driven an SUV and thought anyone in one is stupid.

Five or six years ago? I needed a new car and ended up getting a "crossover" (so basically a hatchback on a lift kit). Still tiny compared to a lot of the cars on the road but a lot bigger than what I ever expected to drive.

Because in a sedan (like my rental a few months back)? My head is literally at bumper level for a LOT of the vehicles on the road. And now we have shit like the cybertruck where the bumper is a jagged metal wedge. I have a lot of faith in modern safety specs but that is still terrifying. In my small suv? I am still grill height for a lot of trucks but at least I am not weaving around monster trucks in a clown car.

Don't get me wrong. I very much enjoy the increased ground clearance and ability to haul an entire car worth of camping gear comfortably. But I also know that I am "never" going to go smaller. And... that is kind of the problem. People are dragged kicking and screaming because the alternative is to feel like you are going to die the next time someone decides they are going to ignore a red light.

"But I need it for my work!"

You don't even have a toolbox on it. If it was an actual work truck, it would be a pickup with the bed replaced with one of those toolbox beds. Or you'd have a sprinter van like the actual plumbers and carpenters around here.

The only solution is a bigger truck.

We need to get rid of the commie laws requiring special licensing (CDL, Communist driver's license) for freedom trucks.