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Famous Truck Drivers

Updated on Feb 26, 2025

America has maintained a steadfast love affair with the automobile for nearly a century. Since the dawn of the first mass-produced passenger car, the Ford Model T, common citizens have had access to something previously deemed attainable only to the wealthy elite.

Less than a decade later, Ford's Model TT pickup emerged, demonstrating pickup trucks' worth to the greater population. With a robust chassis, massive exterior cargo space, and a considerable payload capacity (for the time), this archaic pickup helped birth America's love for not only the automobile but also the pickup truck.

Fast forward a mere hundred years, and imagining the world without pickups is virtually impossible. Trucks dominate roadways, job sites, campgrounds, and grocery store parking lots. They're everywhere, driven by every demographic—from average joes to celebrity types. In a unique Valentine's Day RealSource feature, we're getting to the bottom of America's love affair with pickup trucks, including why the vehicle class skyrocketed to popularity in the United States. Stay tuned through the end as we highlight some of the most famous truck drivers, including musicians, actors, and celebrities who've demonstrated their love for trucks.

America's Love Affair with Pickup Trucks

Americans have undeniably fallen for the pickup truck. Everyone from suburban parents to blue-collar laborers can be found behind the wheel of a pickup—but why? What's so special about these behemoth, bed-sporting vehicles?

Where it All Started

Nearly a decade after the release of the first production passenger vehicle, the Model T, Ford debuted a beefier, more utilitarian version of the popular roadster—the Model TT pickup. This platform, produced from 1917 to 1927, utilized a heavier-duty frame with an upgraded rear axle to help manage increased payloads.

Still, pickup trucks didn't reach widespread popularity amongst average consumers until the massive post-World War II economic boom.

Modern Trucks: The Pinnacle of Comfort and Convenience

After the war, the perception of pickups shifted from purely utilitarian vehicles to comfortable, composed drivers. Chrome exterior trim, improved interiors, and luxurious options made the pickup truck a more reasonable choice for single-vehicle households and a no-brainer for multi-vehicle ones.

The trend of optimizing trucks has only continued into the twenty-first century. Modern pickups are available in roomy crew-cab configurations with massaging captain chairs, leather trimmings, and high-tech infotainment and safety systems. With room for up to six passengers, plenty of get-up-and-go, and the reassurance of piloting a large, safe vehicle to consider, it's no wonder pickups have only continued their upward trajectory.

Built for Work and Play

Pickups are the ultimate do-it-all vehicle, whether you're looking to trek off-road, load up the family for a camping trip, or haul your tools to the job site. There's nothing a truck can't do as well, if not better than another vehicle class, save for getting good fuel mileage and navigating tight city streets. Even then, advancements in electric truck technology and the emergence of compact pickups, like the Ford Maverick, have helped to alleviate these shortcomings.

It's All Politics: Curated Popularity

Aside from all of the genuine benefits of owning a pickup truck, this vehicle class had help from automakers and lawmakers to achieve widespread popularity. If you've ever heard the argument that American vehicles are far larger than those of other countries—almost unnecessarily so—there's a reason for this.

As environmental regulations increased and lawmakers pushed for stricter emissions standards, automakers discovered a loophole. Larger vehicles above a certain GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) didn't need to adhere to such rigorous standards. Rather than invest the R&D into new, more efficient emission systems, most automakers opted to produce and market bigger, more powerful vehicles—hence the rise in popularity of full-size trucks and SUVs.

Top Famous Truck Drivers

While several celebrities loath the automotive industry for its environmental impacts, others enjoy their conventional, gasoline-powered pickups. In this section, we're covering some of the most famous truck drivers.

Tim Allen

Actor Tim Allen, best known for his roles as Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, Scott Calvin in The Santa Clause, and Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor in Home Improvement, is an avid automotive enthusiast and pickup truck driver. Though primarily a hot-rodder, one of Allen's standout builds is a chopped, 426 HEMI-powered 1956 Ford F-100.

Lady Gaga

Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, is an established musician and actress. Well-regarded for her genre-bending pop music and performances in films like A Star is Born alongside Bradley Cooper, Germanotta is also a lover of vintage trucks and SUVs. Her garage includes a 1967 Ford Bronco, a 1970 Chevrolet El Camino, and a pristine 1993 Ford F-150 Lightning.

Toby Keith

The late Toby Keith greatly influenced the country music scene, earning twenty number-one hits on the Billboard country music charts. Songs like "Should've Been a Cowboy," "I Love this Bar," and "Red Solo Cup" are but a few standout tracks of the legendary musician who sadly, after a multi-year battle, lost his life to stomach cancer in 2024.

Aside from his musical hits, Keith was also known for his inseparable relationship with Ford. Over the years, Keith participated in several ad campaigns and openly expressed his love for the automaker, going so far as to write the track "Ford Truck Man" for the blue oval.

Christian Bale

Actor Christian Bale, best known for roles in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Ford vs. Ferrari, and American Psycho, wouldn't strike the average film consumer as a truck enthusiast. However, tell that to the aging Toyota Tacoma in his driveway. Christian Bale can often be seen driving himself around Los Angeles in his 2003 Tacoma. The actor's been interviewed stating that "Once you have a pickup truck, you don't go back to anything else."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

WWE Superstar turned actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is an avid pickup driver—perhaps because that's the only thing his chiseled, 6-foot-5-inch frame can fit into. In 2021, the Rock gave away his personal truck, a modified Ford F-150 Raptor, to deserving Navy veteran Oscar Rodriguez.