alaska just legalized mini trucks

Alaska has a new state law allowing Kei trucks and other K-class vehicles, the small Japanese trucks and vans popular from Anchorage to the Interior, to be registered and titled as fully road-legal vehicles once they are at least 25 years old. The law, SB 239, brings Alaska in line with the federal 25-year rule that already governs when the vehicles can be imported into the country.

Before the change, owners could bring the compact imports into Alaska but could not fully register them for the road, leaving drivers with limited, at-their-own-risk use of vehicles they had already bought and imported. The vehicles are built far smaller than a standard pickup, closer in size to a golf cart, but owners say they still haul real loads for grocery runs, camping trips and hauling gear.

One Alaska owner says his 1995 hauler has largely replaced his full-size plow truck, which now sits parked most of the time. He has outfitted the smaller vehicle with a cargo carrier, a camera and a truck-bed tent.

With full-size trucks carrying a steep price tag in Alaska, the smaller imports offer a cheaper alternative that still gets work done. Some import paperwork still has to be worked through for older vehicles, but owners can now expect them to be fully street legal in the state.