Overview of Modern Trucks

Autos & TrucksTrucks

  • Author Rad Michael
  • Published October 1, 2007
  • Word count 371

Trucks are generally large vehicles that are used to carry different goods and merchandise in bulk from one location to the other. The history of trucks is a long and interesting one, starting with the year 1769. This was the year when the steam-powered fardier was launched by Nicholas Cugnot. Even if this is considered to be the prime ancestor of the truck, the steam trucks first appeared in the 1800s. These were usually employed for horse and carriages and this is where it all started. The semi trailer was the next important step and this happened in 1890. The very first internal combustion engine was built by the famous Karl Benz in 1895, while Gottlieb Daimler came up with a similar engine three years later, followed by other prestigious car manufacturers in the upcoming years.

Once the engine was well developed, the tires became pneumatic, while before they were made of rubber. Next, the electric starters were added and the power brakes were also included. Meanwhile, the 2 cylinder engines were replaced by 4-6 or even 8 cylindered engines. Semi trailer trucks appeared and closed cabins together with electric lighting were in.

The manufacturing technology as well as the design of the trucks has been modified and improved and there are many variants of quality trucks available. Today, there are several types of trucks, categorized by size: ultra light trucks, very light trucks, light trucks, medium trucks, heavy trucks and off road trucks. Each of these trucks is built for a different purpose, and the truck users should know which the most suitable size of the vehicle they choose to drive is.

As mentioned earlier, there are many truck manufacturers, some of them specialize in manufacturing trucks only, and some of these make small cars as well. The manufacturer with the most sales in trucks is presently Daimler Chrysler, followed closely by Volvo. Other top manufacturers are PACCAR (the DAF trucks), Man, Scania, Hino Motors (made by the Toyota Group), Iveco (made by the Fiat Group), Nissan Diesel, Renault, Sisu Auto, Mercedes Benz, Avia Trucks, Mitsubishi, Mahindra and Mahindra, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and many others. As you can see, the manufacturers are spread all around the globe as the trucks are popular all around the globe

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