While lowriding maintained its presence primarily on the West Coast, the minitrucking phenomenon seemed to easily transcend the Southern California lifestyle and took shape in many communities where more traditional forms of automobile customization prevailed. The minitruck is also a popular alternative because the money invested in traditional lowriders far exceeds the average enthusiast’s bank book, if he or she doesn’t want to take out a second mortgage or worry about every ding and dent that comes with a streetable vehicle.

Matt Hodgson’s first encounter with lowrider culture came as a young man when he was exploring the pages of the popular Lowrider Magazine in search of examples of the fairer sex but found cars instead. In February 2007, he bought a 2006 GMC Canyon crew cab and decided to take the project in the opposite direction of the sky. For the first year, he drove the truck around without a single modification made. At the time, he was satisfying his need for low-profile vehicles with a “bagged” Toyota Tacoma and a few other vehicles, but gradually sold off his stable to focus attention solely on the Canyon.