Should the pickup truck be the official vehicle of the United States?

Oct. 4, 2017

Think bald eagles and America's pastime, and now picture which vehicles would best exemplify the American spirit. Shell Lubricants has an answer for that: the company announced a formal petition Oct. 3 asking the federal government to name the pickup truck the official vehicle of the United States.

Aaron Marsh

The petition, which can be viewed on WhiteHouse.gov, does have a long ways to go yet, since it needs 100,000 signatures. If it reaches that point, it will be submitted for review and either will move forward in the lineup with other petitions or will at least receive a response.

"The pickup truck has played an invaluable role in helping American men and women build our country from the ground up," said Dave Waterman, North American marketing manager for Shell Lubricants. "Like other noteworthy American icons such as the sport of baseball, the bald eagle and the Star-Spangled Banner, the pickup truck deserves this official title."

Well, what do you say?

About the Author

Aaron Marsh

Before computerization had fully taken hold and automotive work took someone who speaks engine, Aaron grew up in Upstate New York taking cars apart and fixing and rewiring them, keeping more than a few great jalopies (classics) on the road that probably didn't deserve to be. He spent a decade inside the Beltway covering Congress and the intricacies of the health care system before a stint in local New England news, picking up awards for both pen and camera.

He wrote about you-name-it, from transportation and law and the courts to events of all kinds and telecommunications, and landed in trucking when he joined FleetOwner in July 2015. Long an editorial leader, he was a keeper of knowledge at FleetOwner ready to dive in on the technical and the topical inside and all-around trucking—and still turned a wrench or two. Or three.

Aaron previously wrote for FleetOwner.