Truck Owners Fight Chicago-Area Ban on Driveway Parking

In this truck-crazed country, it’s hard to imagine a place where you can’t leave one parked in your driveway. But that place does exist!

In case you’ve forgotten, America isn’t always the land of the free. Thanks to a handful of short-minded folks and the joys of government, there are still plenty of stupid, antiquated, and downright discriminatory laws on the books. One of the dumbest we’ve seen in recent times is thankfully under fire, however. That law comes to us from the Chicago-area village of Flossmoor, where it’s illegal to park your pickup truck in your driveway. Lest you think this is some kind of late April’s Fools joke, let us assure you that it isn’t.

But why, you ask, would such a dumb law exist in the first place? Well, it all boils down to snobby residents, apparently. According to the Chicago Tribune, many of Flossmoor Village’s 9,362 residents were/are affluent, retired steel executives. One of the anti-truck residents was quoted as saying that he didn’t mind trucks “when they’re nice and shiny,” but stated that they inevitably become “rusty and bumpy.”

If all of this isn’t insane enough, prior to 1989, it was illegal for Flossmoor residents to own a pickup truck at all. Now, it’s perfectly legal to own one, but it must be parked within a closed garage. Unless you’re loading/unloading it, of course. But that’s a difficult proposition in a town with mostly older homes, which have garages far too small to hold today’s large trucks.

Prior to 1989, it was illegal for Flossmoor residents to own a pickup truck at all. Now, it’s perfectly legal to own one, but it must be parked within a closed garage.

Thankfully, a group of sane citizens in Flossmoor have presented a petition to the village board requesting that the ban be removed. Of course, we’re sure there are still a few short-sighted folks living in the town that’ll fight it. But it’s hard to imagine this archaic law lasting much longer. After all, most pickup trucks these days are far nicer than cars. And even if they weren’t, who cares what a bunch of stuffy execs think, anyway?

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.