A truck or rumpers is an enclosed motor vehicle usually designed to carry heavy payloads, carry special cargo, or perform other specialized work. Trucks range greatly in size, horsepower, and configuration, though most of them feature a single body-on-axle construction. Trucks are often classified according to the number of axles on the tractor unit, the configuration of the cab, the type of engine installed, and the type of load it can safely handle. The most popular types of trucks are straight truck units which are commonly used for transporting goods over long distances, utility trucks which are often used to carry materials and objects between buildings or other work sites, fire trucks which may also carry hazardous materials, and dump trucks that transport waste materials from one place to another. These trucks are powered either by internal combustion engines or by truck engines that operate in tandem with the engines to increase their efficiency. Most trucks have at least two axles, although some models are designed with five or six axles in order to allow the driver to travel long distances without having to stop and recharge the batteries.
The United States government produces and markets a wide variety of truck models. Major producers are Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Volvo, DAF, Honda, and Mitsubishi. All these companies produce models of utility trucks and heavy duty trucks. In addition, other manufacturers producing light trucks and utility vehicles include Nissan, Toyota, Fiat, Mazda, Saab, Renault, and Hyundai. Truck sales and service for the United States are primarily through American dealers.
In the cab of a truck, the driver sits in the front passenger seat and the truck driver sits behind the cab in the rear seat. Both drivers and passengers can enjoy safety features available on the new models of utility vehicles sold in the United States market. Trucks offer good cargo space for hauling long boxes and other heavy loads. Trucks are also well designed so that they can accommodate a wide variety of other equipment.
A truck has many components apart from the cab, which are used to operate the truck. When a driver is driving a truck, the engine power and torque to allow the truck to move swiftly on the highway or in town. Trucks can be fitted with a host of truck accessories including bed covers, tail lights, grilles, radiator covers, exhaust systems, tire covers, tool boxes, mirrors, seats, dashboards, televisions, radio/CD players, and CD changers. Some truck accessories are optional and some are required by law. Drivers must have a valid license in order to drive any kind of commercial vehicle.
There has been a tremendous expansion of the trucking industry in the united states. The trucking industry employs millions of drivers. There are many truck manufacturers located in the united states, India, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and several other countries. In addition to providing employment for millions of drivers, the trucking industry provides support such as infrastructure, human resources, training, and product support. The trucking industry is highly diversified and offers a wide variety of products such as semi-trailer trucks, five-star hotels, freight franchises, delivery services, automotive parts and accessories, and distribution.
There are two kinds of trucks that can be operated in the market today – the utility trailers and the flatbed trailers. Utility trailers are used for carrying goods and are usually classified as open, enclosed or closed utility trailers. Flatbed trailers are different from utility trailers in the sense that they do not have side tanks and they do not have a solid rear frame. Flatbed trailers are often fitted with a slide out bed that enables the drivers to easily load the merchandise into the truck bed. Flatbed trailers are mainly used to transport live freight and are sometimes fitted with winches to enable easy movement of the freight.
Semi-trailer trucks are designed to carry more heavy cargo than flatbed trailers. They are mostly used to transport goods and are available in different sizes. Common types of semi-trailer trucks are tractor units, unit racks, front end loaders, and tapered trucks. Tractor units are designed for transporting bulk goods while unit racks are used for large loads. Frontend loaders are used to transport merchandise that need to be transported in one way while tapered trucks are used for transporting goods in the back of other trucks.
There are many companies across the United states that are engaged in supplying and repairing truck engines. For information about companies in your area, one can use the Internet. One can easily find information about companies such as fueling services, motor vehicle dealerships, used truck parts dealers, mobile engine traders, engine re-builders and other related service providers. A search engine such as Google, Yahoo or MSN can help one locate companies that offer truck services. After finding a company, it is important to make a choice that best suits the truck specifications that one has chosen.