Talk:Truck
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[edit] Curly Designs (Pinstriping)
Forgive the placement of this here but I can simply find no reference anywhere and I've not yet had the chance to ask a truck driver about it (I surely will when the opportunity arises). On many rigs one sees these strange (and I think personally ugly, but fascinating nonetheless) curly designs on most available panels. They are often seen on horse floats as well. I was wondering - does this artwork have a name or a tradition associated with it? Update - Ok now I know its called Pinstriping, but what I really want to know is this particular type of curly Pinstriping, where the lines get thicker and thinner and there are lots of 'chandelieresque' type shapes. 218.214.138.11 00:04, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
- Personally I don't know what You mean, but maybe it's not a common phenomenon in Northern Europe? You wouldn't accidently have a picture You could upload or link to in order to gain knowledge? G®iffen 17:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Restructuring
Everything about trucks on wikipedia need a whole lotta restructuring. First, semi-trailer is more about highway heavy trucks than about semitrailers proper. Here's my understanding of the big world of trucks
- Trucks are motor vehicles designed to haul freight. (we should probably add something to differenciate them from trains & from passenger cars, oh, and from buses too).
- Most of them are designed to travel on public highways.
- Then, there are special-purpose trucks
- Some are almost freight trucks, like garbage trucks or dump trucks.
- Emergency trucks like fire engines
- Off-road trucks such as huge mining trucks (but some highway trucks go off-road too, like construction trucks)
- The technical aspects of trucks. Most of them are built in a very similar way: chassis, cab, engine, tandems, suspension. But others are quite outlandish (Huge mining trucks with diesel-electric transmissions)
- Trucks in the grand scheme of things: their economic importance, their relation to containers, boats & trains, the people who drive them & their lives, etc.
- Somewhere in there, we have to add a few things: semitrailers vs. full trailers & types of freight bodies (flatbed, platform, van, tank, etc.).. I don't know where. Also, trucks vary a lot from country to country, with regulations mostly. we have to explain that.
So that would be the grand structure of this article, with sub-articles when section get too long. Céçaquiéça 07:20, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)
- I concur with this plan fsiler
Another thing that I think should be added is a better definition for British usage. The article says 'The British term is, however, only used for the medium and heavy types (see below), i.e. a van, a pickup or a SUV would never be regarded a "lorry"'
This creates the impression that an SUV (as it's not referred to as a lorry) would be called a truck. This is not the case. A van in the UK is a road vehicle with a roof and no side windows used to transport goods, or a closed railway wagon used to transport luggage, goods, or mail.
The word truck here will usually refer to a railway wagon for carrying freight, though it has come to describe any vehicle for moving goods. The specific names for the types of vehicles will usually be used rather than calling them trucks, though it's becoming more common for people to refer to lorries as trucks, due to Americanisation.
Someone else could probably do a better job than me at describing this (as I am long winded), but I think it would be a good idea for it to have its own section to deal with this, rather than the obscur reference it has.--Jcvamp 19:51, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Which jurisdiction ?
The following statement appears in the aricle:
Trucks have often had to pay higher tax rates, and have been subject to extensive regulation. Partly this is because they are bigger, heavier, and cause more wear and tear on roadways. This is one reason that UPS vehicles are called 'package cars', because that exempted them from certain tax-rates.
- I've never heard the term 'package cars' used, ever. Even UPS calls it a truck in their advertising slogan. TheGuruTech 05:48, 9 March 2006 (UTC)
Rules are in place for tractor-trailer rigs, regulating how many hours a driver may be on the clock, and how much rest time/sleep time is necessary (11hrs on/10hrs off; 60hrs/7days; or 70hrs/8days). Many other rules apply. Violations of these laws are subject to large fines.
Notice that these hours are different in other jurisdictions. Always check up before you go.
Which jurisdication does this apply to? If you know could you please clarify the point. Arcturus 19:39, 9 September 2005 (UTC)
- Without knowing for sure, I think this is some american rule. I know rules in Denmark are quite different. Here 4,5 hrs driving must end in a break of 45 min, though some of the break can be split up in 1/4 + 1/2 hr or 3X1/4 hr.
- A driver cannot drive for more than 48 hrs a week, and there's something about max per day, I THINK it's 9 hrs with normal time-off, but can be 11 hrs twice a week, if compensated by longer rest time. Not sure, ask an export driver. Minimum fines have just been adjustet from 500 danish Kroner to 3000 DKr, I think that's around 400 $, correct me if I'm wrong. G®iffen 11:38, 20 October 2005 (UTC)
[edit] broken knees?
A European project revealed the fact that the average city driver would step from 3 to 7 tons with his clutch-foot every day, depending on truck model, and these results made many companies buy trucks with automatic transmission, with the primary (but often untold) reason that they couldn't afford to pay compensation to drivers getting broken knees from the work.
This doesn't make any sense at all. It's like saying that a power plant generated over a million volts last year. I vote for removal.Fsiler 23:59, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
- It has been mentioned in several truck related papers and magazines and in several countries in Europe it's a legal matter in law sues (Spelled correct?) about "worn out" knees.
- If You're out lifting iron to get better muscle power, what will be smarter? 10 times 500 Kg or 100 times 50 Kg? The total in both cases will be 5 tons... How would your body react to the different weights? Personally my knee hurts after 2-3 work days in a truck with manual transmission, because I have an old injury in my knee. For the same reasom I have a note in my contract saying I can only drive manual gear one day every week.
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- Besides the fact that it makes no sense scientifically, I don't think this is terribly relevant on a page about trucks. Why not just edit it to say that manual transmissions are becoming less common because of legal issues?Fsiler 23:59, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
- Okay, maybe it's more relevant in an article about gear, clutch or transmission...
- If it's just "because of legal issue", I thind sby would like to know WHICH legal issue, so it might be written in different words. Sorry, beyond my english skills to spell out a good sentence here... G®iffen 16:49, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
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- How about (feel free to edit) "The trend in Europe is that more new trucks are being bought with automatic transmissions. This may be due in part to lawsuits from drivers claiming that driving a manual transmission is hard on their knees." Fsiler 23:56, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
- Quite good. It explains, and at the same time it gives a set-off if an expert should drop by, wanting to add specific details. I've contacted the local drivers union to see if they can find reports about this issue, eventually something to quote or add to wikisource or something G®iffen 11:01, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
[edit] History
I've got a possible conflict. The article credits Daimler 1898 with the first IC truck. I've seen Richard F. Stewart, using a 2hp Daimler motor, in Pocantico Hills, NY in 1895 credited, as well as with the first commercial truck sales, 1897. Can anybody clear this up? Also, the article omits mention of the first articulated (semi-trailer) truck, by Thorneycroft, & the first (or early) cabover, by Mack in the early 1900s (1905 Bulldog, sold to B.A.?) Trekphiler 06:38, 9 December 2005 (UTC)oz
[edit] Automatic or semi-automatic transmissions?
Are automatic or semi-automatic transmissions in europe?
- I'm not quite sure I understand... Are you asking IF these are available in Europe?
- In that case yes, both manual, semiauto and fullauto transmissions are available; we have different variations of all three kinds at my work. G®iffen 17:55, 29 March 2006 (UTC)
"The trend in Europe is that more new trucks are being bought with automatic or semi-automatic transmission. This may be due [...] to the fact that you can lower fuel consumption and improve the durability of the truck."
I can't say I've ever heard a claim that an automatic transmission is more economical than a manual (engine speed being equal)? Can anyone provide any evidence to support this claim? 60.242.154.34 12:26, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
- From what I've heard, fullautos use more fuel, while most semiautos can be switched between power or ecomony. Fullautos are adjusted better and better though. G®iffen 15:40, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Cab Section
Is there any reason that the units of measurement in this section are imperial followed by SI? i.e. US laws or some such? Otherwise it reads quite strange to have the entire article preceding this section in SI units (and no imperial figures), only to switch to imperial. It also contradicts wiki guidelines, unless the source reference uses imperial as well (no source quoted here though). If not could someone please change this? Steevm 01:06, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Trucking
Where is the article that describes the trucking industry? In comparison, consider the article book and the article printing. There are two separate articles.
[edit] Naming
Don't know where you come from, but I'm British and believe your usage of truck is entirely colloquial; only other usage has come from Americans, "dump truck" and "fork-lift truck". I think what you mean is train carriage' for train-car. A quick check on http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ seems to confirm my belief for British English. Also, if you aren't going to put " "Truck" (American English) or "Lorry" (British English) " I don't see why "lorry" is given special treatment; I refer you to the colour debacle. mrhappyhour 18th Oct 2006
[edit] Australian Naming
Just for the record we in Australia also use the word "truck", not "lorry". But like our British friends we say "Bonnet" for the front of the car that lifts up, and "Boot" for the luggage compartment at the back. Even if cars have rear mounted engines we say the engine is "in the Boot". 218.214.138.11 00:02, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Steam Lorry Naming
As we seem to be on a bit of a theme today, thought I'd elaborate on my earlier edit summary.
In the UK for definite, and (judging by the Google results) elsewhere too, the following names are used (see traction engine for terminology):
- "steam wagon" (27500 Google hits) - this was the original name, I think, and tends to be used for the overtype examples, which show a traction engine ancestry
- "steam lorry" (11800 hits) - tends to be used for undertype variants, since they are very similar to contemporary lorries, but happen to be steam-powered!
- "steam waggon" (2440 hits) - a variant, but used by manufacturers (eg Sentinel Waggon Works)
- "steam truck" (757 hits) - I'd not come across this before. Probably used by same people who use the term 'truck' instead of 'lorry'
EdJogg 01:26, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Scania info
"The Swedish truck maker Scania claims they stay away from the US-market because of this third party tradition. Scania wants to sell a highly integrated product with proven interoperability and quality."
Scania did indeed sell trucks here in the USA from the mid 80's to early 90's. They failed due to not being able to establish a dealer network or partnership. Their trucks were also very heavy compared to similar North American trucks which was another blow against them. Mack trucks did offer a Scania engine as a light weight low power alternative to the Maxidyne series in the R model around the late 70's early 80's. That statement is not entirely accurate should be deleted or edited.
Thaddeusw 01:24, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Alaskan Trucking
I used to drive a truck in Alaska, and in the winter it could get extremly dangerous. I would like to know if anyone else ever had the promblem of the suspension freezing completely while parked overnight. This made my truck incredibly unsafe. Please let me know if you has this problem. =]
Thankyou, kind regards,
Zesty Prospect 14:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
