Not only did my dad let a whole slew of kids (and our dog) ride in the back of the p/u, when we begged he would drive fast enough on the gravel road to get the damn thing to fish-tail. Better than 6 Flags Over Texas.
And a hell of a lot cheaper! LOL!
I remember riding from our fishing camp on the MS Gulf Coast up to our hometown about 2 hours away in the back of Daddy's truck. It was fine, unless it happened to start raining. Riding two hours under a tarp on a steamy summer day ain't fun at all!