Truck:

For other uses, see Truck (disambiguation).

"Lorry" redirects here. For other uses, see Lorry (disambiguation).

A truck (American English) or lorry (British English) is a motor vehicle commonly used for carrying goods and materials. Some light trucks/lorries are similar in size to a passenger automobile. Commercial transportation trucks/lorries or fire trucks can be large and can also serve as a platform for specialized equipment.

Etymology

The word "truck" possibly derives from the Greek "trochos" (τροχός = wheel). In North America, certain kinds of big wheels were called trucks. When the gasoline-engine driven trucks came into fashion, these were called "motor trucks."

In the United States and Canada "truck" is usually reserved for commercial vehicles larger than normal cars, and for pickups and other vehicles having an open load bed.

International variance

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, lorry is used instead of truck, but only used for the medium and heavy types (see below); i.e. a van, a pickup or an off-road four-wheel drive vehicle such as a Jeep would never be regarded as a lorry in these countries, unlike in the United States (it should be noted, however, that the term lorry is not used in the United States). The same applies to the initials HGV (for Heavy Goods Vehicle) which is basically synonymous with lorry. What the Americans call a station wagon is called an estate car in the UK.

Driving:

In the United States a commercial driver's license is required to drive any type of commercial vehicle weighing 26,001 lbs (11,800 kg) or more.[2]

In the United Kingdom there are complex rules; as an overview, to drive a vehicle weighing more than 7,500 kg for commercial purposes requires a specialist licence (the type varies depending on the use of the vehicle and number of seats). For licences first acquired after 1997, that weight was reduced to 3,500 kg, not including trailers.

In Australia a truck driving license is required for any motor vehicle with a GVM exceeding 4500 kg. The motor vehicles classes are further expanded as LR/MR (Light/Medium rigid up to 8000 kg GVM + trailer to maximum GCM 8000 kg), HR (Heavy Rigid + trailer up to GCM 9000 kg), HC (Heavy Combination, a typical prime mover + semi trailer combination) and the MC (Multi Combination e.g B Doubles/Road trains). There is also a heavy vehicle transmission condition for a licence class HR, HC or MC in a vehicle fitted with an automatic or synchromesh transmission, driver’s licence will restrict to vehicles of that class fitted with a synchromesh or automatic transmission. To have the condition removed, a person needs to pass a practical driving test in a vehicle with non synchromesh transmission (constant mesh or crash box).[3] [4]

Anatomy of a truck:

Almost all trucks share a common construction: they are made of a chassis, a cab, an area for placing cargo or equipment, axles, suspension and wheels, an engine and a drivetrain. Pneumatic, hydraulic, water, and electrical systems may also be identified. They are complex machines. Many also tow one or more trailers or semi-trailers.


Cab

Scania R470 flat nose truckThe cab is an enclosed space where the driver is seated. A sleeper is a compartment attached to the cab where the driver can rest while not driving, sometimes seen in semi-trailer trucks.

There are a few possible cab configurations:

Cab over engine (COE) or flat nose, where the driver is seated on top of the front axle and the engine. This design is almost ubiquitous in Europe, where overall truck lengths are strictly regulated but also widely used in the rest of the world as well. They were common in the United States, but lost prominence when permitted length was extended in the early 1980s. To access the engine, the whole cab tilts forward, earning this design the name of tilt-cab. This type of cab is especially suited to the delivery conditions in Europe where many roads follow the layout of much more ancient path and trackways which require the additional turning capability of the cab over engine type. The COE design was invented by Viktor Schreckengost.[5]
Conventional cabs are the most common in North America, and are known in the UK as American cabs. The driver is seated behind the engine, as in most passenger cars or pickup trucks. Conventionals are further divided into large car and aerodynamic designs. A "large car" or "long nose" is a conventional truck with a long (6 to 8 foot (1.8 to 2.4 m) or more) hood. With their very square shapes, these trucks experience a lot of wind resistance and typically consume more fuel. They also provide somewhat poorer visibility than their aerodynamic or COE counterparts. By contrast, Aerodynamic cabs are very streamlined, with a sloped hood and other features to lower drag. Most owner-operators prefer the square-hooded conventionals.[citation needed]
Cab beside engine designs also exist, but are rather rare and are mainly used inside shipping yards.

Engine:

Cummins ISB 6.7L medium duty truck diesel engineThe oldest truck was built in 1896 by Gottlieb Daimler.[6] Most small trucks such as SUVs or pickups, and even light medium-duty trucks in North America and Russia will use gasoline engines, but many are diesel models are now being produced. Most heavier trucks use four stroke turbo intercooler diesel engines. Huge off-highway trucks use locomotive-type engines such as a V12 Detroit Diesel two stroke engine. Diesel engines are becoming the engine of choice for trucks ranging from class 3 to 8 GVWs.

North American manufactured highway trucks almost always use an engine built by a third party, such as CAT, Cummins, or Detroit Diesel. The only exceptions to this are Volvo and its subsidiary Mack Trucks, which are available with their own engines. Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Trucks and Western Star, subsidiaries of Daimler AG, are available with Mercedes-Benz and Detroit Diesel engines. Trucks and buses built by Navistar International usually also contain International engines. The Swedish manufacturer Scania claims they stay away from the U.S. market because of this third party tradition.

In the European Union all new lorry engines must comply with Euro 5 regulations.

Truck shows:
In the UK, three truck shows are popular - Shropshire Truck Show in Oswestry Showground during May, The UK Truck Show held in June at Santa Pod Raceway and FIA European Drag Racing Championships from the home of European Drag-Racing. The UK Truck Show features drag-racing with 6-ton trucks from the British Truck Racing Association, plus other diesel-powered entertainment.

Truck shows provide operators with an opportunity to win awards for their trucks.