Tractor Trailers

Tractor trailers are the backbone of the United States commercial industry. If there are no tractor trailers on the road then manufacturing numbers and shipping numbers have declined drastically. Tractor trailers transport goods from point to point across the country. They travel in the middle of the day, in the morning and in the middle of the night. Tractor trailers transport food, clothing, fuel, construction materials and disaster relief supplies. They are vitally important to the commercial industry of the United States.

Tractor trailers have been ruling the roads for decades now and usually consist of three axles. The front axle has two wheels and the two rear axles each have two wheels, also known as 'dualies.' Tractor trailers come in all different shapes and colors. Colors range from red to green to brown to black to white to purple and even to pink. Drivers, if allowed by their company, sometimes place their own decals and logos on the tractor part of the tractor trailer.

The various types of tractor trailers are box trucks, a bus truck, a tanker, a reefer, dry bulk, car hauler, lowboy and a flatbed. Box trucks are used mostly to ship small loads of goods; usually produce from a farm to a local supermarket or farm stand. A reefer, or a refrigerator truck, is used by food manufacturing companies and supermarkets to transport perishable goods. The truck is exactly what its name implies. It is a refrigerator on wheels. These trucks are used to transport meat, dairy products and frozen goods.

A dry bulk truck is used to transport non-perishable goods such as clothing, home goods and any other dry objects. A tanker, or tank truck, is used to transport fuel from a fuel source to gas stations, airports and refineries. These trucks are shaped like a massive tank. They are long and round and sit on axles just like regular tractor trailers. A flatbed tractor trailer is usually used to transport heavy construction equipment, large boats such as yachts, sheds, RVs, motor homes and large piping or sewer equipment.

One of the most recognizable and popular tractor trailers on the roadways today is the car hauler. The car hauler is just that; a truck that hauls cars from an airport to a car dealership. Usually the cars come from an airport if they are manufactured overseas or they come from a large car hauling ship or even from car hauling trains. Car hauling trucks consist of two different levels. Both levels are filled with all different types of cars; from SUVs to compact cars to pickup trucks.

There is a variety of tractor trailers used in the United States from different manufacturers. Those manufacturers are Volvo, American Coleman, Ford, Freightliner, Mack, Peterbilt, Sterling, Kenworth, International and Western Star. Other manufacturers of tractor trailers used in other countries are DAF, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Renault, Iveco and Scania. A lot of tractor trailers employ the use of two trailers. These trucks are known as a double trailer combination. The majority of companies that use this are the United States Mail Department, FedEx, DHL and UPS.


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