In this day and age, truck makers realise that safety comes first – this has become their first priority. Truck makers have gone the extra mile to make sure truck owners and their employees are safe when driving behind the wheel. Advances in technology mean that truck manufacturers have been able to create machines which are not only fast and reliable, but which can cope with the most hostile of terrains remaining ultimately safe to drive. This particular sector of the automotive industry is itself a well-oiled machine worth taking the time to find out a little more about.

The World Is Changing Fast

Whether you are a produce or hi-tech goods supplier, global raw material distributor, a manufacturer of any sort or a factory owner in Naples, you will almost without doubt be reliant on the trucking industry. Your company may find itself in need of tipper trucks, curtain side, flat bed trucks, graders, diggers, tippers or perhaps even just the tractor unit on its own. The upshot of it all is that without trucks almost all global enterprise would cease to exist. As companies continue to grow, developing world countries continue to develop and the people who live in this world continue to improve the surroundings in which they live – the demand for commercial trucking will not die down. In fact, the need for trucks has been growing consistently during the past decade. Even in the recession, the economy relied on the use of trucks, despite the demand for new trucks falling through the floor. That remained a constant requirement. The growth of new markets within developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America has given truck manufacturers a great opportunity to expand their own share.

Different Size Types of Trucks Available

There are many different types of trucks and not everyone may be aware of just how many variations of truck the manufacturers have to offer, especially small or medium size business owners who rely on the global logistics market every bit as much as the international construction and mining companies do. Manufacturers of trucks categorise them by the amount of weight they are capable of carrying. Trucks in the US are categorised into eight weight classes, ranging from the lightest at class one up the scale to class eight. For example, a Dodge Ram 3500 falls into a Class 2; a class 3 vehicle would be something like a Ford F-350. A GM C4500 falls under class 4, while the Ford F-550 is categorised class 5. Trucks which are bigger than, say, a GM8500 or a Ford F750, would most likely fall into a class eight.

The tractor unit of the truck is really where all the important stuff happens. This is the bit which not only houses the engine and gearbox, but is also the cab of the truck and it has to pull the trailer as well! The trailers are usually built for purpose and ordered separately from the tractor. There are many different tractors and each has a specific purpose much the same as for trailers. Trailer manufacture is just as big an industry sector as that of the truck tractor itself. To give you an idea of the differences between types of truck the categories are as follows:

Light Duty Trucks – These trucks provide a lower capacity of storage. The light duty trucks are utility provider carriers; they transport many of the products we use in our homes on a daily basis. They also deliver the products we need to build the homes we live in. If these trucks did not exist, we would not have many of the everyday items available to us which we so take for granted!

Main Models- These trucks are service trucks, dump trucks, flatbed trucks and the pickup trucks. These medium size model trucks are usually used for the lighter capacities of carrying and quickest way of transporting. Medium duty trucks have better carrying capacities than light trucks, and are used by most large companies for transporting goods between branches or depots. Some types of commercial trucks are: medium duty box trucks, bucket trucks, reefer trucks and rollback trucks. These are the most frequently used commercial trucks, which all types of companies and businesses use.

Large commercial trucks are also sometimes called articulated trucks, or Artics for short. The trailer of these trucks is able to swivel on a hook, hinge or tow-bar, giving them articulation by design and thus name. These are the really big trucks, which get the big jobs done. Mac trucks are what we knew them as while I was growing up. This is a brand name, however, and the same as calling a vacuum cleaner a Hoover. Both the construction and transportation industries rely heavily on the use of articulated, heavy-duty dump trucks and graders. They have a justified reputation for immense power and the performance to match, moving industrial sized mounds of earth or transporting thousands of tons of heavy machinery or raw materials such as iron and steel from suppliers to construction sites around the world.

There are a handful of companies which come to mind immediately – namely Mack, JCB and Caterpillar – when thinking of any need, application or location possible for a truck. Mack have a reputation for building reliable construction trucks, reliable motorway and interstate transporters, and the most hardy of refuse trucks in the US. Mack trucks always deliver! Both Caterpillar and JCB build a huge range of ultra reliable articulated dump trucks and graders which operate under the harshest conditions imaginable from building schools to preparing runways in the harsh African sun, to operating in the world’s biggest diamond mines and coal mines in Russia or the world famous opal mines of the Australian outback. These amazing giants of the automotive world often operate night and day, thanklessly performing their important function time after time as quickly and safely as possible. The tyres alone on these monster trucks often need to be made to order and can cost around twenty thousand pounds each. They need to be flown to some of the most inhospitable places on earth at a moment’s notice as down time on these machines costs corporations hundreds of thousands a day when they are taken out of operation. Time really does equate to money in this game!

Heavy-duty cab chassis trucks, sleeper trucks and dump trucks are among the main types of these. Many land development companies use these types of trucks; they are also popular with related industries such as construction.

Commercial trucks have various uses:

1. Transport of small and medium sized goods.

2. Transportation of fuels, liquids and gases in tankers.

3. Contributing in the development of residential construction.

4. Maintaining a safe community by playing their part in road construction.

5. Waste elimination.

6. Providing services for other companies or residential.

There is more to add to the list. The list of types of operation or business in which commercial vehicles play a part is endless; trucks play an enormous part in all of our business and personal lives.

Some of the best names in the world of big trucks are Peterbilt, Mack, Kenworth, DAF, Renault, Mercedes, Freightliner trucks, Feterl Manufacturing Corporation. Some of the best looking and high functioning trucks on the market are supplied by these companies. Unique among transport vehicles and truly in a class of their own, they exhibit flair, strength and speed all in one hit. New commercial trucks on the market by these manufacturers never fail to create a buzz in the global business world.

Trucks of all sizes and shapes are being advertised and sold primarily by these big-name commercial truck makers. A massive percentage of all commercial truck supplies to both UK and US markets are made by these major companies. Over the years, they have made huge efforts to make their trucks well known worldwide, with a very successful migration to the Asian, African and South American markets. It can be said that commercial trucks have changed, and are still changing, the world as we know it.

CEO and company managers worldwide strive to help improve our societies’ infrastructure by quickly moving everyday goods and perishable resources between company depots, from cities to rural areas as well as between countries, as is the case in Europe. Our economies can only move forward with the help of big trucks. It is often neither cost effective nor logistically possible due to rail infrastructure to haul large amounts of freight across Europe and Britain.

Commercial trucks are easy to buy through expert distribution services worldwide made available by the big names in the trucking world. Franchised dealerships will often have heavy regulation from the manufacturer so as to ensure their desired level of service and supply of equipment and parts. Commercial truck providers are helping to improve communities and the hard working people who live in them. At the end of the day, commercial trucks bring results, and results go on to create jobs and more results.

A stable financial future for us and for generations to come depends on continued economic growth. The global recession has crippled truck sales across the UK, Europe and the US. Smaller dealerships acting as representatives on behalf of big manufacturers have experienced crippling blows to order books and unprecedented returns of new trucks. The reason is not as complicated as governments may like us to think either; it’s down to simple economics – high interest rates on truck loans for small businesses have continued to be offered to struggling companies even after reserve banks lowered their lending fees and the small business, still left at the mercy of the big banks, have simply had to return the trucks or risk going broke.

While some small businesses may no longer be able to consider purchasing a new truck, the flip side of the coin is that the market for used commercial vehicles in some sectors could actually see positive growth. Commercial vehicles play a part in so many types of operation. Whether you are a small enterprise starting out with a couple of Ford Transit Vans, perhaps a larger company needing to downsize to smaller vans, or maybe you are considering whether to buy a minibus to move workers between sites – the used commercial vehicle industry is yet another important facet of the truck industry as a whole.

The future of the trucking industry around the world is still bright. Trucks perform a critical job; keeping our economy moving by delivering building materials, consumer goods such as TVs and hi-fi equipment to super stores and perishable goods from our farms to the supermarket shelves. Most truck drivers spend a lot of time away from home; spare a thought for the driver who may be many miles from home and family next time you see a big truck on the road.

Ben Weaver Used Commercial Vehicles sell Minibuses and used vans – specialising in LDV and Ford. There are many used vans for sale to the public skipping the middleman so call on 01142 757 076 or have a look at the new website where new stock is being added all the time.

Stephanie Andrew writes and publishes articles for SEO consultants ePage Solutions, whose clients include Ben Weaver Commercials, A family business with “The best prepared minibuses for sale in Yorkshire”. Ben Weaver Commercial Vehicle Sales Supply Minibuses, Wheelchair accessible minibuses and used vans direct to business and private individuals.

Truck driving by its very nature carries a certain amount of risk. Therefore safety has become one of the top priorities in the industry due to the rigorous nature of the job. It is important that truck drivers should recognize this and make safety their first priority in their jobs.