More like: "Then the trucks arrived."

Cars are rough on roads, trucks are even worse.
Twice the weight = more than twice the wear and tear.
IMO, the solution is trains.
For very spread-out rural areas, cars make sense, but large quantities of people and goods moving across the same routes should definitely use trains.
If you want a greater sense of freedom: make sure they are reliable and cheap to use, and can take cash.
Also, restrictions on face tracking by corporations and government.
For short distance, use bicycles.