1,256 readers responded to the third bi-annual Truck Camper Magazine Truck Survey and the trend lines are very telling. For Part 1 we look at what we have, and how our trucks have changed.
At the end of 2011 we held our first dream truck survey. We asked about the make, model, fuel, cab, bed, transmission, driveline, and rear wheel configuration you have, and want. We followed up two years later, in 2013, with the same exact survey, and now two years later again, in 2015.
With three sets of data spread over six years, we can now spot trends. For example, what truck makes are doing better, or worse, with truck camper owners? Which models are we moving to, and away from? And are we moving towards gas or diesel?
For Part 2 we’ll look at the dream truck survey results, and see if there are emerging trends. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the dream truck trends were starting to line up better with what we have? That’s certainly what we’re hoping to find out later this week.
1. CURRENT TRUCK MAKE
For the third straight time, Ford is the clear winner (36.3%), followed by GM-Chevy/GMC (27.73%), Ram (23.64%), and then Toyota (5.13%) and Nissan (0.88%).
The other news is the emergence of Ram. From 2012 to 2016, Ford is down -4.17 percent and GM-Chevy/GMC is down -6.75 percent, but Ram is up +18.85%.
| TRUCK MAKE | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Ford | 37.88% | 36.6% | 36.30% |
| Dodge Ram | 19.89% | 22.81% | 23.64% |
| Chevrolet | 23.30% | 18.83% | 18.11% |
| GMC | 6.44% | 10.48% | 9.62% |
| Toyota | 4.73% | 4.38% | 5.13% |
| Other: Fuso, Unimog, Jeep, etc. | 0.76% | 1.06% | 0.88% |
| Nissan | 0.95% | 0.93% | 0.88% |
| None, I do not own a truck. | 6.06% | 4.91% | 5.45% |
2. CURRENT TRUCK MODEL
While there have been small changes in the Mini, Half-Ton, and F-450/F-550 categories, the most significant move in the truck model chart is away from three-quarter ton trucks towards one ton trucks.
From just 2014 to 2016, three quarter ton trucks are down -13.7% while one ton trucks are up +8.89%. It’s also interesting to note that half-ton trucks are hovering around 15.5%, well behind three-quarter ton (28.67%), and one ton (41.85%).
| TRUCK MODEL | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Mini: Ranger/Tacoma, etc. | 5.87% | 4.52% | 4.98% |
| Half-Ton: F-150/1500 | 16.48% | 15.29% | 15.66% |
| 3/4 Ton: F-250/2500 | 31.82% | 33.24% | 28.67% |
| 1-Ton: F-350/3500 | 37.5% | 38.43% | 41.85% |
| F-450/F-550/4500, etc. | 2.27% | 3.46% | 3.13% |
| I do not own a truck | 6.06% | 5.05% | 5.70% |
3. CURRENT TRUCK FUEL TYPE
The truck fuel data is inconclusive. While it’s tempting to state that gas has made gains against diesel for 2016, the variances in the past data show no clear trend line. What we can see is that diesel is generally preferred over gas with about 54% of the vote.
| FUEL TYPE | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Diesel | 48.57% | 55.56% | 53.99% |
| Gas | 45.7% | 39.49% | 40.37% |
| I do not own a truck. | 5.73% | 4.95% | 5.64% |
4. CURRENT CAB TYPE
In short, Regular Cabs and Extended Cabs are down, and Crew Cabs are up. In fact, Crew Cabs are up a whopping +52.65% from 2012 to 2016. At the same time, Extended Cabs are down -12.06% and regular cabs are down -31.94%.
| CAB TYPE | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Crew Cab: Four Doors | 35.65% | 54.95% | 54.42% |
| Extended Cab: Half Doors | 35.65% | 31.68% | 31.35% |
| Regular Cab | 12.52% | 8.16% | 8.52% |
| I do not own a truck. | 6.36% | 5.21% | 5.71% |
5. CURRENT TRUCK BED TYPE
Short beds (standard and super short combined) had an impressive gain between 2012 and 2014 (+13.92%), but the truck bed data held steady for 2016 with approximately 56% with long bed trucks and 37% with short bed trucks.
| TRUCK BED TYPE | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Long Bed | 60.34% | 56.12% | 55.96% |
| Short Bed | 32.45% | 32.98% | 33.87% |
| Super Short Bed | N/A | 3.99% | 3.20% |
| Custom Storage Bed | 0% | 1.06% | 0.80% |
| Flatbed | 0.76% | 0.93% | 0.56% |
| I do not own a truck. | 6.26% | 4.92% | 5.60% |
6. CURRENT TRANSMISSION TYPE
The consistent trend in transmission type continues to be towards automatic transmissions. Since 2012, automatic transmissions are up +5.61% and manual transmissions are down -29%.
| TRANSMISSION TYPE | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Automatic Transmission | 81.59% | 83.9% | 86.17% |
| Manual Transmission | 12.02% | 11.23% | 8.5% |
| I do not own a truck. | 6.4% | 4.87% | 5.34% |
7. CURRENT DRIVELINE TYPE
While four-wheel drive dipped a little for 2016 (down -2.95%), it’s still the clear choice.
| DRIVELINE TYPE | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Four-Wheel Drive: 4×4 | 76.63% | 79.78% | 77.42% |
| Two-Wheel Drive: 4×2 | 17.43% | 15.23% | 16.94% |
| I do not own a truck. | 5.94% | 4.99% | 5.65% |
8. CURRENT REAR WHEEL CONFIGURATION
Looking at the data, there’s a slow but consistent move away from single rear wheel (SRW) to dual rear wheel (DRW) trucks. Since 2012, single rear wheel trucks are down -5.34% and dual rear wheel trucks are up +17.76%.
This lines up nicely with the move from three-quarter ton trucks (-13.7%) to one ton trucks (+8.89%) from 2014 to 2016. This data suggests that folks who move up to a one ton truck opt for a dual rear wheel configuration.
| REAR WHEEL CONFIGURATION | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Single Rear Wheel: SRW | 70.1% | 68.23% | 66.35% |
| Dual Rear Wheel: DRW | 23.81% | 27.08% | 28.04% |
| I do not own a truck. | 6.1% | 4.69% | 5.61% |
Next: The 2016 Dream Truck Winner and Truck Survey Results
On Wednesday we will reveal the 2016 Truck Camper Magazine Dream Truck and the dream truck survey results. With the above data we certainly get some clues, but what about the dream truck trend lines? After six years and three surveys, will the trucks we have better line up with the trucks we want?
If you’re researching a truck purchase for a truck camper rig, please start by reading our Newbie Corner. Specifically, read “Matching A Truck and Camper“, “The Payload Match Challenge: Part 1“, and “The Payload Match Challenge: Part 2“.
