Giant trucks for the common man are a hot area for Ford (F) - Get Report .

The automaker known for the Mustang and F-150 pickup truck sold a total of 15,486 F-650's and F-750's (one of the largest trucks Ford makes) last year, up 54% from 2015. It marked Ford's best annual sales performance for the line since 1997. The performance of the extra large trucks outdid a red-hot U.S. pickup market.

U.S. pickup truck sales jumped 6% last year to about 2.7 million units, fueled by surging midsize trucks, which spiked 26%.

"We have seen an extremely positive response [to the line]," Kevin Koester, marketing manager at Ford told TheStreet in an interview.

Ford builds the F-650 and F-750 at its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, moving production there from Mexico in 2015 following a $168 million plant investment. The 6.8L V10, 320 horsepower engine is Ford made and uses gas, which is more helpful when it comes to emissions standards relative to diesel.

TheStreet had the opportunity to get up close and personal with an F-650 that was retrofitted with a fully functional dump body. The dump body -- which effectively turns the auto in a dump truck -- adds $12,570 to the truck, which comes out to $80,085.

What's unique about this huge truck is that anyone with a regular driver's license can drive it, no commercial driver's license required. That's because at 26,000 GVWR with the dump body, the truck still classifies as a Class 6 vehicle by a pound.

"Anyone who gets one doesn't need special training and testing, making it easier for businesses," points out Koester. What's more, the interior is laid out exactly like a normal F-150, meaning none of the learning curve that often accompanies a commercial truck.

Asked who the mini monster trucks are for, Koester said "People that are America, they build your homes, your roads." Or a senior editor with a video camera hanging out on Wall Street.

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Editor's Pick: Originally published April 1.