Thai hill tribe locals rope in ‘human counterweights’ for trucks on steep roads
Social media users have been left puzzled and amused by a unique sight on the roads of Phu Tab Berk, Phetchabun. They observed a woman perched on the bonnet of a pickup truck fully loaded with vegetables as it navigated steep slopes. The reports emerged on today through a TikTok user, who posted a video of the rather unusual scene.
What caught the attention of users was the accompanying soundtrack – the iconic hit ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from the film Titanic.
The caption rather humorously read…
“Never saw sitting like this before. I like it very much. It’s cool. Phu Tab Berk.”
The post led to numerous lighthearted comments from viewers, such as…
“This is it if she waves her hand.”
“The song is too much.”
“Is she a weight balancer? Amazing.”
“Can you imagine the burden she must bear?”
“Counterweight.”
As the video garnered attention, the user who posted the video revealed that they had noticed this curious sight while holidaying in the Phu Tab Berk, Lom Kao district, Phetchabun. On a break at their accommodation, they spotted locals with their pick-up trucks piled high with vegetables with a woman sat right at the grill of the trucks. Intrigued by this sight, they decided to film it for their amusement, reported KhaoSod.
The reports suggest that this is a commonplace solution among the predominantly hill tribe locals who are vegetable growers. To maximise haulage, they load their pickup trucks with as many vegetables as they can.
However, when these trucks ascend hills, the front tends to lift from the weight distribution. To offset this, some individuals use sandbags tied to the front bumper, but this only worsens the imbalance when the vehicle descends.
For a more manageable drive, the locals devised the solution of a person sitting at the front when going uphill and returning to the cabin when driving downhill – demonstrating an innovative and practical solution to a unique problem.
