9781422277102

Truck Configuration Semis come in two configurations . The one most people recognize is the forward engine configuration. This is where the engine sits above the steering axle and in front of the cab. Behind the cab sits two drive axles under the fifth-wheel trailer. The couplings on the fifth wheel have a fore and aft adjustment that offers options for weight distribution. Much more common in Europe is the cab-over-engine configuration. This is where the cab sits over the engine, shortening the length of the truck. The downside to the cab-over-engine configuration is that maintenance on the engine requires the entire cab to come off the engine. To accomplish this, cabs are fixed to the truck using a system

would the same amount of gasoline fuel. Less fuel equals less cost. So, the solution was to put diesel engines in trucks. The diesel engine was invented in 1890, even before the gasoline engine. Diesel engines make a lot of sooty smoke, so they were the grubby cousin to steam and electric engines of the time that powered horseless carriages. When gasoline fuel was invented, it became a cheaper option, cleaner than diesel, and eventually won out over steam and electric, becoming the standard energy source for cars and trucks. When being used for hauling commercial goods, semitrucks operate under a patchwork of federal and state laws. The federal government operates the Interstate Highway System. Those freeways are designated with red, white and blue shield-shaped signs. A little older, and operating in tandem with the Interstate Highway System, is the United States Numbered Highway System. Together they are known as the National Highway System. This network of roads can be confusing. The United States Numbered Highway System, for example, consists of roads designated by black and white numbered signs. States have their own individual system of numbered roads and with signage that has its own color and shape. Both these road systems operate under laws governed by each individual state, and highway laws vary from state to state.

Dead Man’s Curve is a famous section of the original Route 66, which is part of the United States Numbered Highway System. This curve is located not far from Chicago. Many accidents happened there, a great number of which ended up taking out the front porch of a house just outside the curve. The house was finally demolished after a semitruck knocked it off its foundation.

European semitrucks typically have a cab-over-engine design, making the truck shorter but also making it difficult to access the engine.

30

31

Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker