A state lawmaker wants to free the mini trucks.

The undersized pickups imported from Japan have an extremely limited use under current law.

“I believe that mini trucks are safe to operate on Pennsylvania roads, and we should not limit the choices that our constituents have for what vehicles they choose to utilize. My legislation would allow our constituents to freely choose whether to use mini trucks or not, a decision that we should not be making for them exclusively,” Rep. David Zimmerman, R-Lancaster, said in a memo seeking co-sponsors for House Bill 1205. Three Republican lawmakers signed on as co-sponsors. HB1205 was introduced Tuesday and assigned to the Transportation Committee.

How small is a mini truck?

Mini trucks are those in the Japanese “Kei Jidosha” classification. They measure no more than 130 inches long, 78 inches high and 60 inches wide.

Current prohibitions

These vehicles must be at least 25 years old to be exempt from federal emissions and safety regulations. The vehicles’ lack of compliance with those regulations is no small matter, according to PennDOT.

“It is also important to note that there are concerns with the safety of these vehicles and the crash protection that they provide — mini trucks manufactured prior to 1998 were not subject to crash testing,” according to PennDOT. “These vehicles are most likely another nation’s cast-offs that no longer meet that nation’s vehicle safety or emission standards.”

These trucks can only be registered for off-road use, as farm vehicles or as antique vehicles.

Antique vehicles are not supposed to be used more than once a week, according to PennDOT guidelines.

“Permitted use shall be limited to participation in club activities, exhibits, tours, parades, occasional transportation and similar uses,” according to the guidelines.

Proposed limits on mini truck use

The legislation would allow drivers to operate mini trucks on most roads, except those with speed limits exceeding 55 mph, Zimmerman said.

Local officials could ban the use of mini trucks on municipal roads under a provision in HB 1205. Also, the transportation secretary would have the authority to bar mini trucks from state roads deemed too dangerous for those vehicles.