If you spend a lot of time on the road, you will see countless 18 wheelers every day. Also known by several names like big rigs, semi-trucks, semis, tractor-trailers, semi-trailers, or semi-trailer trucks, these are vehicles that are made by combining a powered truck and trailers. These large trucks are used all over the country to take goods to and from each state.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.

A typical 18 wheeler will have two or three axles, but those designed to pull heavy-duty commercial construction equipment may have up to five, with some being lift axles.

The most common 18 wheeler layouts include a forward engine, one steering axle, and two driving axles. The fifth-wheel trailer connections on most tractor vehicles are movable fore and aft to allow for weight distribution modifications over the rear axles.

Here are some fun facts about 18-wheelers.

Next Search: San Antonio Truck Accident Lawyer

How Long Is an 18 Wheeler?

How Long are 18 Wheelers?

An 18 wheeler is typically 70-80 feet long, combining the tractor and trailer.

Depending on some factors though, the length may vary significantly.

Sleeper cabs, which have a bed inside for truckers hauling further away from home, are typically roughly 20 feet long, though this can vary depending on the manufacturer and specification.

A typical dry van trailer is 53 feet long and measures around 70 feet when extending a few feet over the vehicle. Double or pup trailers are typically 28 feet long, whereas intermodal containers might be 20 or 40 feet long. Tanker trailers, flatbed trailers, and several other trailer types come in various lengths.

Companies can often get creative with the length of equipment for unique freight demands, but each state has its own limitations on overall length.

How Much Do They Weigh?

18 wheelers can have a gross vehicle weight of up to 80,000 pounds with both the tractor and trailer under most weight restrictions. This is normally shared between the steer axle and the drive and trailer tandem axles, with the steer axle weighing up to 12,000 pounds and the drive and trailer tandem axles weighing up to 34,000 pounds.

Oversized loads that exceed those restrictions require special permission.

The type of CDL (Commercial Driver&#;s License) a truck driver has also influences the amount of weight they may transport (e.g., Class A vs. Class B CDL).

How Tall are They?

The average 18 wheeler is 13&#; 6&#; tall.

Why do 18-Wheelers Drive Slower than Other Vehicles?

Have you ever been stuck behind a slow-moving truck and wondered why they do lower than the speed limit? Many 18 wheelers have built-in speed limiters (also known as governors) to enhance fuel-efficiency, which is good for the environment. For example, Schneider&#;s speed stance for many tractors is 63 mph.

This is why, if one semi-truck travels at a speed of 2 mph faster than the other, two semi-trucks may pass each other for long periods.

In some states, trucks have their own set of speed limits. Going at a slower speed is also beneficial if the truck has to perform an emergency stop for some reason.

How Long Does it Take for Them to Stop?

The average time it takes an 18-wheeler to come to a complete stop is 40% longer than it takes a vehicle. So if a truck is traveling at 55mph and the driver applies the brakes, the vehicle will take the distance of 2 football pitches to completely stop.

These measurements are influenced by the weight of the truck&#;s load, whether it&#;s bobtailing, road conditions, weather conditions, and other things. Trucks only have ten brakes, not eighteen, and anti-lock brakes are now standard equipment on all new trucks.

What is Bobtailing?

A truck driver is considered to be &#;bobtailing&#; when he is not dragging a trailer. Driving just the cab section of a truck is referred to as this.

Ironically, because the trailer&#;s stabilizing weight is missing, bobtailing can be quite dangerous, especially in bad weather. It can also affect how well the driver can break and come to a complete stop.

How Many Miles Can They Go on One Tank of Gas?

With 300-gallon tanks and a 7-mile-per-gallon average fuel efficiency, 18 wheelers can travel roughly 2,100 miles on a tank of diesel fuel (not widely used gasoline).

Of course, each driver must be aware of the size and efficiency of his or her truck&#;s gasoline tank. Many companies offer fuel optimization solutions to assist drivers to make the most of their fuel breaks while staying safe, and Schneider is a pioneer in the area when it comes to fuel efficiency.

How Well Can They Drive Up and Down Hills?

There are ten forward and two backward gears on most modern trucks, though some trucks may have anything from 13 to 18 gears. Truck drivers also utilize a double-clutch shifting system to match the engine&#;s RPMs to the appropriate gear for that RPM range.

When traveling up or down an incline, a truck driver must select the appropriate gear based on the engine&#;s RPMs. This might cause a &#;slow&#; ascent and downshifting when leveling out after a hill.

What Happens if They Blow a Tire When Driving?

18 wheelers have two sets of tires, known as a tandem system. This is a backup in case one tire blows on the road. If this happens, the other tire will continue to hold the weight of the truck and keep the whole vehicle steady until the driver can stop safely and make repairs.

What&#;s a Jack-Knife Accident and How Does it Happen?

When a truck&#;s trailer is at a 45-degree angle from the cab, it&#;s more likely to cause a jack-knife accident. When a driver comes to a sudden stop on a wet or slick road, the vehicle may begin to skid and slide. A jack-knife will occur if the trailer starts to spin towards the trailer faster than the cab.

In addition to jack-knifing, tractor-trailer trucks are prone to all types of accidents because of their sheer size. In regards to a trucking company&#;s crash records, anyone can check the safety history of a trucking company through via the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System.

An 18-wheeler&#;s 5th wheel is placed directly behind the cab. It&#;s a huge round metal plate that connects and secures the trailer to the truck above the driving tires.

How Much Does an 18 Wheeler Cost?

The cost of an 18-wheeler is influenced by a variety of factors. A new taxi usually costs between $80,000 and $140,000. New trailer rigs range in price from $30,000 to $70,000.

What is their Average Lifespan?

18 wheelers have a lifespan of about 10-15 years on average, however, this varies widely based on maintenance standards, the type of freight transported (80,000 pounds and city driving vs. lightweight long hauls), and driver competency.

A high-mileage driver can travel over 120,000 miles in a single year, but many trucks can travel over one million miles in their lifespan.

How Much Freight is Moved by 18 Wheelers?

18 wheelers handle around 71 percent of freight by weight, totaling about 11.5 billion tonnes of freight, according to the American Trucking Association (ATA).

According to the ATA, freight volumes will increase by 35% by , implying that driving jobs will continue to grow, making one of the many benefits of truck driving job security.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from AUTONE.

What Amenities are in the Cab?

Each trucking company specifies different amenities for their drivers, and each manufacturer offers different spec options, but in general, modern trucks are like homes away from home, with plenty of driver-friendly features.

Schneider&#;s truck demand for example includes APUs (auxiliary power units), power inverters, refrigerators, memory foam mattresses, and other items in addition to automated transmissions.

Do 18 Wheelers Have Manual or Automatic Transmissions?

When most people think of trucking, they conjure up pictures of intricate shifting patterns. Many vehicles still have manual transmissions, but some companies are beginning to move towards more automated transmissions.

The word &#;automated&#; refers to vehicles that are ostensibly manual but have the majority of their shifting done by a computer (in part to enhance fuel-efficiency) and allow the driver to override the computer.

A CDL (Commercial Driver&#;s License) with an automated restriction that permits you to work in a variety of jobs is available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Trucks 53 Feet Long?

There&#;s a reason trucks are 53 feet long. For a long time, the 48-foot dry van was the de facto norm in shipping due to laws that limited overall vehicle length to 75 feet. After the laws were changed, the industry adopted the 53-foot trailer. There&#;s enough room for 13 rows of pallets and a foot more to close the door.

How Long Can a Trailer be in Texas?

In Texas, an 18 wheeler trailer can be 65 feet in length at maximum. They can also be no taller than 14 feet, and no wider than 8 1/2 feet. The combined length of the cab plus trailer cannot go above 65 feet either.

What States Allow for Triple Trailers?

Mainly states in the west allow for this, as their roads are flatter and straighter. In total, 13 states allow for triple trailers including Nevada, Nebraska, Arizona, and Oregon.

Summary

So there you have it &#; everything you need to know 18-wheeler trucks. We hope you&#;ve enjoyed all of the cool facts that we&#;ve given you, and perhaps it will give you something to think about next time you pass one of these trucks.

The Full History of Semi Trailers

Semi trucks carrying 53&#; trailers seem as common as anything you could see on the road today. Regardless of your location, trailers are moving on every road at all times of the day. What may be lost on some of the younger folks is that it hasn&#;t always been this way. In fact, 53&#; trailers were illegal to tow even as recently as 30 years ago. The history of semi trailers has been long and mostly glossed over. Semi trailers power the trucking industry, the backbone of the economy, so how has it looked throughout history?

 

 

Alexander Winton, a self-titled &#;horseless carriage maker&#; (now known as a carmaker), was a Scottish American man living in Cleveland in the earliest days of the automobile industry. Winton founded The Winton Motor Carrier Company of Cleveland just a decade after the first motor vehicle hit the dirt roads of the late s. As customers began purchasing his vehicles from all across the country, he hit a metaphorical speed bump (pun intended) &#; how is he to deliver these vehicles to the other side of the country?

 

To tackle this problem, Winton began working on a prototype for a large truck capable of carrying his passenger vehicles long distances. In , the &#;automobile hauler&#; was born with the world&#;s first diesel engine. He made the first trip to test the truck from Cleveland to New York City. The 800 mile trek took 78 hours, an average of 10.2 MPH. The sluggish speed seems cartoonish by today&#;s standards, but was astounding in . If this machine was able to haul a vehicle cross-country, what&#;s to stop it from hauling other consumer goods? Thus, the trucking industry and semi trailers were born.

 

 

According to TruckInfo.net, there were only an estimated 700 commercial trucks in America. That number ballooned into over 416,000 by . The spike, fueled by new companies like Mack Trucks, quickly showed that the future was no longer constrained to the confines of locality. In a matter of years, lumber, coal, and other raw materials were being transported hundreds of miles from where they were sourced.

 

The early stages of commercial trucking and semi trailers had its fair share of roadblocks. From strict local laws to unsafe and unpaved roads, it was not a friendly landscape by any metric. Most semi trailers were not semi trailers at all, rather elongated flatbed trucks of no longer than 24 feet. Early stage tanker trailers were also common, as the explosion of motor vehicles created much greater need for refined fuels. Box vans were rare, if not nonexistent, in most areas during the s.

 

By the s, box vans began to pick up in popularity, boasting of easier and safer transport of many commercial goods. There was no strapping, tarping, or fear of spilling product on the newly-paved highways. These new box vans were not &#;box&#; shaped by any means. Shaped like an Airstream camper trailer, the curved body helped reduce drag as truck speeds began to improve from the previous 15 MPH limits. Local and federal governments quickly introduced new legislation to allow for faster semi trucks and longer semi trailers. However, don&#;t get confused when we say &#;longer&#;. Semi trailers were typically regulated to range between 30 and 40 feet. This dimensional limit for semi trailers slowly increased over the years as truck hauling capacities improved.

 

The first refrigerated trailer was deployed in by Fred Jones. This refrigeration unit went on to be known as Thermo King, one of the most utilized refrigerated (or &#;reefer&#;) units on the road today.

 

As World War II took over the US economy, the trucking industry was given an unparalleled adrenaline shot. As the US produced resources and equipment for our allies across the world, efficient transportation of these products was essential. New equipment, such as the intermodal trailer, began to take hold. Ground transportation utilizing all types of semi trailers was a necessity to supplement the railroad industry and aid in the war efforts.

 

In , a bill was passed that allowed trailers to increase in length to 48 feet. The ability of carriers proved beneficial for the US economy, while the public continued to be concerned about the safety of such large trailers. What followed were a series of studies to determine the risk factor involved with longer trailers. Studies typically concluded that, given proper training for drivers, public safety was not notably affected. Given this new information, individual states began introducing regulations that allowed for 53 foot trailers to be used in intrastate roles. In , a truck safety law straightened out the state frameworks and paved the way for modern 53 foot trailers to operate across state lines without separate permits.

 

Today, there are dozens of trailer types and hundreds of variations. From dry vans, refrigerated trailers, flatbeds, tankers, and lowboys to custom trailers capable of moving entire Airbus airplane wings, there are very few things that aren&#;t able to be transported by a semi truck pulling a semi trailer.

 

Semi trailers were born out of necessity to transport goods. Today, there are even services available to transport the trailers that are used to transport things themselves. Oneway Trailers is the industry leader in trailer relocation services, used by large fleets, trailer owners, and trailer dealerships across all of North America. By leveraging an incredible pool of highly qualified carriers, Oneway Trailers can move trailers to and from any location in North America. Used to cut down on carriers&#; bobtailing costs and balance trailer pools or deliver trailers to new owners,  we are proud to assist in driving the legacy of the incredible trucking industry into the future.

 

 

 

Are you interested in learning more about autone wingspan van semitrailers? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!