Photo Essay: Erik Binggeser’s Big Dumb Trucks
29 MAR 2026
PHOTOS: ERIK BINGGESER
WORDS: TOM PARR
Erik Binggeser – a.k.a. @truemarmalade – explores the American landscape from an idiosyncratic vantage point: the saddle of his cargo bike.
As he’s criss-crossed the US, he has documented a troubling phenomenon he calls “Big Dumb Trucks” — oversized, often modified SUVs and pickups that dominate the road and make even a heavy-duty cargo bike look like a toy.
Erik’s photos capture the extremes of American auto culture; but they’re also a visual record of “autobesity”—the wider trend of vehicles becoming heavier, wider, and more dangerous. But while Big Dumb Trucks are a fixture of modern Americana, they also form a looming threat to European streets.
A proposed trade deal between the US and EU is currently on the table, and the EU has stated it intends to accept lower US vehicle standards as part of the agreement.
➔ In Europe, strict safety regulations have helped achieve a 36% reduction in road deaths since 2010.
➔ In the US, road deaths have increased by 30% over the same period.
If this goes ahead, the autobesity Erik has documented will be exported directly to Europe. Europe cannot sacrifice road safety for a trade deal.
More than 75 European cities and civil society organisations have already signed an open letter to EU lawmakers. They are clear: The consequences for European road safety would be profound.
EU citizens and residents: Use your voice. Contact your MEP today and tell them to protect our streets by opposing lower vehicle standards.
Further reading:
European Transport Safety Council: Accepting US car standards would risk European lives, warn cities and civil society
European Federation for Transport and Environment: Ever-wider: why large SUVs don’t fit, and what to do about it
BBC: Are cars getting too big for the road?
Photos used with kind permission of Erik Binggeser, a.k.a. @truemarmalade ➔ give him a follow
Check out Features: longer reads and deep dives into the world of cargo bikes and pedal powered logistics, from the International Cargo Bike Festival…
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Photo Essay: Erik Binggeser’s Big Dumb Trucks
Erik Binggeser – a.k.a. @truemarmalade – explores the American landscape from an idiosyncratic vantage point: the saddle of his cargo bike. As he’s criss-crossed the US, he has documented a troubling phenomenon he calls “Big Dumb Trucks” — oversized, often modified SUVs and pickups that dominate the road and make even a heavy-duty cargo bike look like a toy.
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