Riding In The Back Of A Pickup Truck

Discussion in 'Other Reminiscences' started by Ken Anderson, Sep 19, 2018.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Some of you, no doubt, never have, but how many of you remember riding in the back of a pickup truck? Most states have laws against it now, but in Texas, it's still legal for children under eighteen to ride in the back of a pickup truck if that pickup truck is the family's primary vehicle, and under some other circumstances, such as parades. At least, that was still the case when I lived there.

    However, when I was a kid, and we were going anywhere in the truck, kids most always rode in the back. Although mom wouldn't let us sit on the side of the box, dad didn't care, and mom wasn't usually along when we were in the truck. We also had a series of station wagons. That was perfectly legal then, and common. We'd often ride in the back even if dad were alone in the cab.

    At twelve, we could drive if we were going from one farm field to another, but not otherwise. I'm not sure if that was legal but it was accepted as long as we were on the road only between fields, or crossing roads.

    riding-in-back-of-pickup-truck.jpg

    I see that it's still legal in Maine for people twelve and older to ride in the back, and younger if it's being used for agricultural purposes - and in Colorado, it's legal to ride in the back if you're sixteen or older.
     
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  2. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    When I was growing up, my dad worked for the local REA, and so he drove a big 1-ton linetruck. It had the tool racks on the side, as well as a flat piece of heavy plywood that went across the top, and he could tie larger things up there when necessary. (that was how all of our Christmas trees were brought home)
    After I was in my early teens, my dad would let me ride in top of the plywood rack, as long as I stayed lying down and hung on to the racks that were along the front and sides.
    I loved riding up there on top, with the wind blowing in my face, and looking down at all the cars coming past us ! I am sure that would be totally illegal now, but it sure was fun back then.

    After I was grown and married, we always had a pickup, and the kids often rode in the back; so it was pretty normal for kids (and adults) to ride back there at that time.
     
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  3. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    At the end of the school year, our 6th grade class took a field trip somewhere. Not many went, but the teacher still had trouble getting parents to volunteer to drive. My father came to the rescue with his pickup.
    The girls rode in the back of the pickup, and the boys had to ride in a couple of un-cool station wagons. [​IMG]

    We sang 99 Bottles of Beer. The other girls all thought my dad was cute. I don't even remember where we went.:confused:
     
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  4. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I don't know whether it was legal or not, but when I first moved to California in the early 1970s, I would see a lot of people going to the beach in the back of trucks. Then, probably in the early 1980s, they started pulling people over for that. I don't know if they had passed a law or were just starting to enforce it.
     
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  5. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    It was a common practice in Georgia when I lived there, and I saw several people (young men) killed when they fell out of the bed and were either hit by the vehicle behind them or by the trailer the truck was towing. I had an old junk truck that I used in rural Alaska that I decorated and used as a float for little league in a Fourth of July parade and carried 12 kids in it.
     
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  6. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    Many, many times we rode in the back.I did have a cousin though, who rode in the back, sat on the hump, was knocked out and died.
    this all happened way out in the country. When at the drive in picture show, we ate and watched the movie from the back of the ole truck.
     
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  7. Beatrice Taylor

    Beatrice Taylor Veteran Member
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    I grew up riding in the back of the truck on the farm or close to home, we never lost anyone and it was a good opportunity for the older kids to learn to look after the younger ones. I have to add that we had more to fear from the driver than the danger of falling out if we started goofing around.

    Like Gloria, I remember going to the drive-in and backing into the space so we could watch the movie from the bed of the truck.

    I also remember the local volunteer fire department letting the kids ride on the fire trucks various times during the year for parades, open houses, etc... Somewhere along the way insurance liability stopped that practice. I like to think that a few of those young kids that took a ride on the fire trucks grew up and volunteered. You never know what will stick in a kids mind and the impact of those little things when they grow up.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 20, 2018
  8. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    They don't even let firemen ride on the back of trucks anymore. While I was in the Los Fresnos Fire Department, in the late 1980s or early 1990s, a new rule no longer allowed that. When using a truck that did not have an inside area for firemen, they had to be transported to the scene by other means.
     
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  9. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    I rode in the back of a pickup many times. I occasionally see older kids doing that now. I don't know if it's illegal in NC or not. Most of the time, they are sitting up close to the cab but I did see a couple of kids riding on the side of one. That seemed stupid to me.
     
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