I see pickups in Manhattan all the time and many have Jersey or NY license plates. The reason I notice them is because I have a brother and a brother-in-law who ONLY drive trucks. They would never drive a car.

I can remember seeing a family sitting in the back of a pickup at a routier somewhere near Lyon. I didn't think anything of it, but there were others who were actually taking pictures of it. It was a blue and white Chevy, probably from the 70's.

I have an amusing anecdote about a pickup in Naples, Italy. I was driving behind a white Chevy pickup with a bride and groom sitting on dinette chairs in the back. She was wearing a white gown with veil blowing in the wind; he was wearing a brown suit with white socks and black shoes. They were both waving and smiling to all the passing cars. It is an image that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

For bigger jobs in Europe, there are all of the other types of trucks -- flatbed, dumptruck, etc. But a small contractor will always use a van.

The reason they use the little white vans is that they're little - much smaller than most American vans - and get like 30 to 35 mpg.

After all - if you're a plumber doing a minor job in someone's house you relly don't need tons of equipment - why drag all that extra - and expensive - truck around with you?

What's illegal? The truck? The ballcaps? The rifles?

Actually, the answer is none of the above.

Yep, it's "normal" to have a shotgun or two in the truck.

What IS illegal is to have a HIDDEN firearm...unless of course you have a permit to carry it that way.

Texan visiting an Aussie "ranch" (called "station" Down Under): "So how big is your property?" "From that tree to the hilltop up there to the riverbank back there".
Texan: "On my ranch, I start my pickup in the morning, drive in a straight line and have not reached the far boundary by nightfall!" Aussie: "Yes mate, I know what you mean, I had a ute like that once."

Jokes aside, just input any auto maker marque into your browser and add .fr - nissan, peugeot, renault all come up without a single pickup in their line-up.

But Toyota has the Hi-Lux, bless their multinational hearts - check it out at

http://www.toyota.fr/cars/new_cars/commercial.asp