TRUCKS

toc __**TRUCKS ** __ = = = = =**What is a truck?**= A **truck** (American English) or **lorry** (British English) is a motor vehicle - more specifically a commercial vehicle commonly used for tra nsporting 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.

= 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. The United Kingdom and the rest of Europe now have common, yet complex rules (see European driving licence ). As an overview, to drive a vehicle weighing more than 7,500 kilograms (16,535 lb ) 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 kilograms (7,716 lb), not including trailers. In Australia, a truck driving license is required for any motor vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) exceeding 4,500 kilograms (9,921 lb). The motor vehicles classes are further expanded as: There is also a heavy vehicle transmission condition for a licence class HR, HC or MC test passed in a vehicle fitted with an automatic or synchromesh transmission, a driver’s licence will be restricted 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).
 * LR** Light rigid: a rigid vehicle with a GVM of more than 4,500 kilograms (9,921 lb) but not more than 8,000 kilograms (17,637 lb). Any towed trailer must not weigh more than 9,000 kilograms (19,842 lb) GVM.
 * MR** Medium rigid: a rigid vehicle with 2 axles and a GVM of more than 8,000 kilograms (17,637 lb). Any towed trailer must not weigh more than 9,000 kilograms (19,842 lb) GVM. Also includes vehicles in class 'LR'.
 * HR** Heavy Rigid: a rigid vehicle with 3 or more axles and a GVM of more than 8,000 kilograms (17,637 lb)). Any towed trailer must not weigh more than 9,000 kilograms (19,842 lb)) GVM. Also includes articulated buses and vehicles in class 'MR'.
 * HC** Heavy Combination, a typical prime mover plus semi trailer combination.
 * MC** Multi Combination e.g. B Doubles/Road trains.

= 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 roadwheels, an engine and a drivetrain. Pneumatic, hydraulic , water, and electrical systems may also be identified. They are complex machines.[//weasel words//] Many also tow one or more trailers or semi-trailers.

Cab
The 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 above 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.
 * //Co// //nventional// 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, or other specialist uses such as aircraft baggage loading.

Engine


The oldest truck was built in 1896 by Gottlieb Daimler. Most small trucks such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) or pickups, and even light medium-duty trucks in North America and Russia will use petrol engines (gasoline engines), but many diesel engined models are now being produced. Most heavier trucks use four stroke diesel engine with a turbocharger and intercooler. 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.[//citation needed//] In the European Union, all new lorry engines must comply with Euro 5 emission regulations.

//Cummins ISB 6.7L medium duty truck diesel engine//

Drivetrain
Small trucks use the same type of transmissions as almost all cars, having either an automatic transmission or a manual transmission with synchromesh (synchronizers). Bigger trucks often use manual transmissions without synchronisers, saving bulk and weight, although synchromesh transmissions are used in larger trucks as well. Transmissions without synchronizers, known as "crash boxes", require double-clutching for each shift, (which can lead to repetitive motion injuries), or a technique known colloquially as "floating", a method of changing gears which doesn't use the clutch, except for starts and stops, due to the physical effort of double clutching, especially with non power assisted clutches, faster shifts, and less clutch wear. Double-clutching allows the driver to control the engine and transmission revolutions to synchronize, so that a smooth shift can be made, //e.g.,// when upshifting, the accelerator pedal is released and the clutch pedal is depressed while the gear lever is moved into neutral, the clutch pedal is then released and quickly pushed down again while the gear lever is moved to the next higher gear. Finally, the clutch pedal is released and the accelerator pedal pushed down to obtain required engine speed. Although this is a relatively fast movement, perhaps a second or so while transmission is in neutral, it allows the engine speed to drop and synchronize engine and transmission revolutions relative to the road speed. Downshifting is performed in a similar fashion, except the engine speed is now required to increase (while transmission is in neutral) just the right amount in order to achieve the synchronization for a smooth, non-collision gear change. //Skip changing// is also widely used; in principle operation is the same as double-clutching, but it requires neutral be held slightly longer than a single gear change. Common North American setups include 9, 10, 13, 15, and 18 speeds. Automatic and semi-automatic transmissions for heavy trucks are becoming more and more common, due to advances both in transmission and engine power. In Europe 8, 10, 12 and 16 gears are common on larger trucks with manual transmission, while automatic or semi-automatic transmissions would have anything from 5 to 12 gears. Almost all heavy truck transmissions are of the "range and split" (double H shift pattern) type, where range change and so-called half gears or splits are air operated and always preselected before the main gear selection. More new trucks in Europe are being sold with automatic or semi-automatic transmissions. This may be due the fuel consumption can be lowered and truck durability improved.[//citation needed//] The primary reason perhaps is the fact that such transmissions give a driver more time to concentrate on the road and traffic conditions.

Frame
A truck frame consists of two parallel boxed (tubular) or C-shaped rails, or beams, held together by crossmembers. These frames are referred to as ladder framesaxles. The holes in rails are used either for mounting vehicle components and running wires and hoses, or measuring and adjusting the orientation of the rails at the factory or repair shop. due to their resemblance to a ladder if tipped on end. The rails consist of a tall vertical section (two if boxed) and two shorter horizontal flanges. The height of the vertical section provides opposition to vertical flex when weight is applied to the top of the frame (beam resistance). Though typically flat the whole length on heavy duty trucks, the rails may sometimes be tapered or arched for clearance around the engine or over the

Though they may be welded, crossmembers are most often attached to frame rails by bolts or rivets. Crossmembers may be boxed or stamped into a c-shape, but are most commonly boxed on modern vehicles, particularly heavy trucks. The frame is almost always made of steel, but can be made (whole or in part) of aluminium for a lighter weight. A tow bar may be found attached at one or both ends, but heavy trucks almost always make use of a fifth wheel hitch.

=Truck Market Worldwide= Largest truck manufacturers in the world as of 2007, over 16 tons GVW in 2005. = = = = = = =Inside the truck= = = media type="youtube" key="_e6mCb7gk0I" height="354" width="463" align="center" = = =**Today's Trucking Magazin**= rss url="http://www.todaystrucking.com/top5news_rss.cfm" link="true" description="true" length="80" number="5" date="true" enclosure="true"
 * ~ Pos. ||~ Make ||~ Units ||
 * ~ 1 || [|Isuzu] || 478,535 ||
 * ~ 2 || [|Daimler AG] ([|Mercedes-Benz], [|Freightliner Trucks], [|Sterling Trucks], [|Unimog], [|Western Star], [|Fuso]) || 438,954 ||
 * ~ 3 || [|Volvo Group] ([|Volvo], [|Mack], [|Renault], [|UD Nissan Diesel]) || 210,446 ||
 * ~ 4 || [|Hyundai Group] ([|Hyundai]) || 159,237 ||
 * ~ 5 || [|Tata Group] ([|Tata Motors], [|Daewoo Commercial Vehicle]) || 157,781 ||
 * ~ 6 || [|UD Nissan Diesel] || 131,429 ||
 * ~ 7 || [|Hino Motors] ([|Toyota Group]) || 129,107 ||
 * ~ 8 || [|Fiat Group] ([|Iveco], [|Magirus], [|Astra], [|Seddon Atkinson], [|Yuejin]) || 127,542 ||
 * ~ 9 || [|PACCAR] ([|DAF Trucks], [|Kenworth], [|Peterbilt], [|Leyland Trucks]) || 126,960 ||
 * ~ 10 || [|MAN] || 92,485 ||

media type="youtube" key="YtTOQSRMRcM" height="360" width="580" align="center"

References: [|http://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Truck]