The first mid-size pickup was the Dodge Dakota, introduced in 1987 with V6 engine availability to distinguish it from the smaller compact trucks which generally offered only four cylinder engines. Its hallmark was the ability to carry a 4 ft × 8 ft sheet of plywood flat in the cargo bed, something which compact pickups could only carry at an angle. While the Frontier, the Tacoma, and the Ridgeline are only available with 4- or 6-cylinder engines, since 1989 the Dakota has been handy with a 4-, 6-, or 8-cylinder engine. The Mitsubishi Raider, new for 2006, was a rebadged Dakota with the same engine options.

This is derived from the diminutive Afrikaans term bak - literally a baking bin, such as those worn for baking loaves of bread. Early pickups dating from Truck Bed Cover the 1940s were sedans with a cargo carrier bin, added almost as an afterthought - which gave rise to the term, and its widespread use.