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What is a Commercial Truck? A Guide to Trucking Types
There are a lot of commercial truck types in the US, and it is handy to understand how they differ. This guide covers the most popular vehicles on the road.
Semi-Trailer Truck
Also known as just a “semi,” a semi-trailer truck is a tractor unit joined with one or more trailers. The trailer carries freight, and it attaches to the tractor via a hitch. The semi-truck design differs from a rigid truck and trailer. The hitch on many tractor-trailer trucks can move about so that the weight of the freight distributes evenly.
4 Styles of Semi Trucks
Flat Roof Sleeper
This type of semi-truck is also called a sleeper cab. As the name suggests, they have a compartment attached so that the truck driver can rest. This truck has a flat roof and minimal headspace.
Mid-Roof Sleeper
A mid-roof sleeper is a type of semi-truck with an attached compartment. The driver can rest or sleep, and the compartment usually has a TV, bed, and storage. It is slightly bigger than the flat roof sleeper, which only has room for a bunk and side storage. The mid-roof has a higher and more rounded roof.
Raised Roof Sleeper
This type of semi also has a compartment joined to the cabin for the truck drivers to enjoy. The raised roof sleeper has the most space of all the sleepers, so the drivers are more comfortable. Some of these sleepers have high-quality sound systems, flat screens, and decent storage space.
Day Cab
Day cab semi-trucks are only meant for day trips. For this reason, they do not have overnight sleeping compartments. If you see a day cab on the road, you know that the driver is hauling a large load for a relatively short trip.
Other Types of Commercial Trucks
Box Truck
A box truck is also known as a box van, cube van, or cube truck. This cab truck has a cube-shaped cargo area attached. With a box truck, the cabin and cargo area are separate entities. The truck has a cargo box added to the chassis, and you can clearly see where the pieces join.
A box van is only one piece. A rear door separates the cabin from the cargo area, but the vehicle is unibody. Box trucks often transport appliances and furniture.
Dump Truck
As you may know, dump trucks take waste away from construction sites and carry cargo for purposes where convenient unloading by dumping is required. They have an open-box bed with a hinged rear so that the driver can dump materials from the truck easily. Standard dump trucks have one 4x2 four-wheeler and one front steering axle.
Garbage trucks collect solid waste and transport that waste to landfills. Though you are probably familiar with garbage trucks, you may not recognize the different types. The seven styles of garbage trucks include:
- Front-loaders
- Rear-loaders
- Side-loaders
- Manual side-loaders
- Automated side-loaders
- Manual/automatic side-loaders
- Semi-automatic side-loaders
The name of the truck corresponds to the place on the truck where the driver can load and dump trash bins. Manual loaders require the driver to dump the waste using the truck controls.
Flatbed Truck
A flatbed truck is a big truck with no sides or roof on the body. The completely level bed allows for quick loading of large, heavy goods. You may see a flatbed truck carry a small house or other weather-proof cargo.
Bucket Truck
Also known as a boom truck, bucket trucks have a hydraulic boom that can raise people to high up areas. You will see this type of truck used by construction workers or utility companies.
Grapple Truck
Grapple trucks have a grapple loader mounted to their frame. Sanitation, public works departments, or waste collection companies use these trucks to load and haul bulky waste. The six types of waste collection systems that require grapple trucks are:
- Loader and body systems
- Roll-off systems
- Rear-mounted loader
- Rear steer systems
- Haul truck systems
- Transfer systems
Refrigerator Truck
Refrigerator trucks are equipped to carry freight at certain temperatures. The cooling agent can be ice, a mechanical refrigeration system, or carbon dioxide. These trucks differ from insulated vans, which do not have a cooling apparatus.
Heavy Hauler
A heavy hauler 18-wheeler allows drivers to transport oversized loads without a special permit. They have a multi-axle flatbed trailer and a heavy tractor unit. It is not uncommon to see multiple trailers towed by one tractor unit.
Tow Truck
Tow trucks move vehicles from one location to another. They may move broken-down vehicles or those involved in accidents, cars improperly parked, or impounded. Tow trucks only carry one vehicle at a time, and there are five styles of tow trucks, including:
- Boom
- Wheel-lift
- Integrated
- Flatbed
- Lift flatbed
About The Stephens Law Firm Accident Lawyers
The Stephens Law Firm Accident Lawyers can help you with personal injury cases, including accidents involving commercial trucks in Houston, Texas. As a top rated Texas truck accident attorney, Joe Stephens has helped hundreds of clients get compensation for wrongful injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured, call 281-623-1701.
Types of Trucking Accidents We Handle in Houston and Across Texas:
Jackknife Accidents
Truck Rollovers
Tire Blowouts
Truck Driver DWI
Wide Turn Accidents
Blind Spot Accidents
Read End Accidents
Brake Failure
Underride Accidents
Lost Load Accidents
Headon Collisions
T-Bone Collisions
Call The Attorney Who Wins Big Truck Wreck Cases
When your case requires the skill and knowledge of a seasoned semi truck accident lawyer in Texas, Joe Stephens is the expert you're looking to work with. Having tried over 100 cases to a successful verdict, he has a solid reputation for stalwart representation for his clients. Cases involving commercial truck wrecks can be very complex and present difficulty proving negligence of the truck driver, the trucking company, or both. Joe's experience with these cases allows him to get right to the heart of the matter, his clients rights and owed compensation.
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