As a truck-loving teenager, I found one of my biggest conundrums in the choice between long-nose and flat-nose trucks. It took a while to understand that the reasons are a lot more than personal preferences. It comes down to roadways, topography, regulations, and different trucking cultures. Big-rig review obsession aside, there are the major reasons behind most American semi trucks having long noses while European trucks feature flat noses.
Why the different design? It has a lot to do with engine
placement. These trucks have massive engines, both in terms of displacement and size. Most American semi trucks have a long hood as the engine is placed ahead of the driver cab compartment. In comparison, a flat-nosed truck has the cab compartment over the engine, hence the term "cab-over design."
North America has a huge landmass compared to Europe, with a vast network of highways (some quite congested). Americans prefer long-nose trucks for interstate transportation because they're more comfortable. The longer wheelbase and engine outside the cab liberate more cabin space, enough for a bed and storage as American drivers, unlike Europeans, typically spend days on the road. The longer wheelbase also offers a more comfortable ride, while having the engine outside the cabin reduces the noise and vibrations filtering in.
Cab-over trucks, meanwhile, have drivers sitting higher and offer a better view outside the cabin. This and their shorter wheelbases help truckers better navigate European towns where roads are narrow.
Read more: Ford Faces Yet Another Massive Safety Probe As Feds Investigate 1.3 Million Faulty F-150s
Regulations Define The Truck
The difference in cab design also has a lot to do with American and European regulations. There was a time when flat-nosed trucks were common in the U.S. because international truck makers sold overseas truck designs here, and laws restricted semi trucks' overall length. This meant the cab's length limited the size of the load a truck could carry, and a flat-nosed truck could carry more than a long-nosed truck. But in 1982, new U.S. laws excluded the tractor-trailer from the length limit. This meant manufacturers could get away with longer, more comfortable long-nose cabs. European trucks, though, have to navigate size restrictions as well as narrow roads.
Another regulatory reason why long-nose cabs became popular in America is the federal bridge formula, a weight limit calculation to prevent bridge damage due to heavy trucks. Besides weight, the formula factors the number of axles in the trucks and the distance betweenaxles. This means the longer the truck, the more evenly weight is distributed over the bridge it's crossing.
There's one final, non-regulatory factor that leads American trucks to be long-nose: bigger turns out to be safer. As satisfying as it is to watch semi truck crash tests, having an engine ahead of the cab means that in the event of an accident, the engine acts as a crumple zone and absorbs most of the impact. This is a good thing for truckers, especially because American semi trucks travel at higher average speeds than their European counterparts.
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