Have you spotted those pint-sized trucks on Oahu roads? Expect to see more of them

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Tiny trucks appear to be a growing trend in Hawaii.

“It’s pretty much my favorite machine you could possibly ask for,” said Kahuku’s Mojo Custom Carpentry owner, Dougie Fresh.

More and more people are trying out the small trucks.

“It’s got a 10-foot bed. I can put racks, I can put lumber, you can do anything with them,” he said.

Fresh’s reason for embracing these petite powerhouses has more to do with business sense.

“To put in perspective, I’m selling all three of those for these little ones. Like literally the box trucks are gone, all that is too big. It just doesn’t do it,” he said.

“They require commercial registration, commercial insurance, crazy overhead. I’m not allowed to take them to a lot of local places. I don’t have the I requirements. But I can do with the little rig.”

Fresh gets all his tiny trucks from Slater Robinson, owner of JDM Hawaii. The company recently expanded to a larger lot on North King Street.

Tiny trucks come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. From a standard Honda, to a Mitsubishi, Subaru, Hijets, and even a Barbie edition Suzuki carry.

JDM Hawaii’s motto is ‘We bring the fun’ but for Robinson, it wasn’t always fun and games.

“I opened Sky Auto in 2020 just before the pandemic,” he said. “I jokingly say COVID was my first customer.”

But those dark clouds cleared and the sun shined on Slater and his team.

“Sure some of it is a trend, a shift in what people need from a vehicle. But if you ask customers like Dougie Fresh, it’s more than that.”

“It seemed like it was gonna be quite difficult, but they walked us through the whole process. It was a pretty easy transition” said Fresh.

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