The Reason Why Are Trucks Getting Bigger

These same reasons could basically apply to the folks buying huge Sprinter vans instead of smaller minivans or lightweight delivery vans.

When I was a kid in the 90s, the Suburban was the vehicle people bought for these reasons. I’ve assumed the Sprinter was this generation’s Suburban.

I agree with the article's point, except not to the exclusion of ego, and I also agree with all of your points. Part of their hypothesis is legal/political, but it's nowhere near a "political screed that doesn't belong on HN".

If you sort the wheat from the chaff, I think there's still a valid issue there. It's just being wrapped in divisive crap as is the trend.

In Ireland we had a brief period where the difference between tax on personal and commercial vehicles was significant enough that it paid off to register yourself as an LLC/sole-trader and get a pick-up. That loophole was swiftly plugged.

This genuinely sounds extremely similar - the loophole is more attractive than the incentive.