Trucks are large, versatile vehicles that are designed for transporting goods, materials, and other objects of value. A truck or small lorry is usually a large vehicle used to transport heavy cargo, carry heavy payloads, or do other utilitarian work. Trucks range greatly in size, strength, and configuration, although most trucks feature straight body-on-frame design, with an isolated cab-like interior. Trucks are typically classified into three categories: motor hauler, utility hauler, and trailer trucks.
The vast majority of truck users use their trucks for hauling goods or loading other vehicles. Many people also use trucks to take weekend breaks, visit friends and family, or work from home. There are many different types of trucks that can be used for different purposes, depending on what the truck is intended for. For example, some trucks are designed to haul supplies or ore directly to manufacturing plants, while others are designed for transporting heavy-duty trucks. As you can see, there are many different purposes for which heavy-duty trucks can be used.
One way that truck classification is determined is by the gross vehicle weight, or GV, of a specific vehicle. The gross vehicle weight is the maximum weight a truck can legally pull or tow with the engine running. Trucks, SUV’s, and vans are considered to fall into one of five classes, which are the largest, medium, and small vehicles; the smallest being the minivan. Other vehicles include utility trucks, such as garbage trucks, tow trucks, and others. One of the most important factors when determining the truck classification is the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle, which is also known as the center of mass.
Heavy trucks fall into the larger passenger cars category, while SUVs, mini-vans, and other smaller passenger cars fall into the utility truck category. In order to determine which category a vehicle falls into, one of two numbers must be compared: the gross vehicle weight, or GV; or the empty weight, which can be determined by adding the weight of the tires to the weight of the empty vehicle. If the difference between these weights is greater than ten percent of the car’s weight, the car is classified as a passenger car.
Trucks can often be broken down into different categories, based on the overall size of the truck, including passenger cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Pickup trucks, sometimes called box trucks or boxy vehicles, are small vehicles that are designed to haul cargo. This type of truck is popular for carrying goods from one location to another. Other types of trucks include enclosed semi-trailers, which carry goods in a closed compartment that cannot be accessed by the public; and open trailers, which can carry more than a thousand pounds of freight.
One of the most common types of trucks is the semi-trailer, also known as a flatbed truck. These types of trucks can have up to three cabins and are available in either a tandem or a crew configuration. Other popular types of semi-trailer trucks include the limited production truck tractor, which are a special tractor manufactured by a manufacturer approved for commercial use; the dual purpose truck, which have both a tractor and trailer; and the double trailer truck, which can carry two trailers. Heavy duty hauling trucks, or HA trucks, are often the workhorses for hauling large loads. Many of these trucks are in service for delivering goods in the delivery areas of grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and large corporate events.