The Importance of Trucks in our Society

DREAM TRUCKS

In this day and age, truck makers realise that safety comes first – this has become their first priority.Manufacturers have made huge efforts to ensure driver and employee safety when behind the wheel of any of their trucks.  Truck manufacturers have expanded their efforts to create trucks that are not just fast, tough and reliable, but safe to drive under any circumstances and even in the most hostile terrains. This effective and well-oiled machine that is the truck manufacturing sector of the automotive industry is well worth a closer look.

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. Basically, without trucks, practically all global enterprise could grind to a halt. The demand for commercial trucking will not die as long as there are countries, companies and people who are striving to improve the surroundings and circumstances in which they live.   In fact, the need for trucks has been growing consistently during the past decade. During the recession, demand fell for new truck orders due to obvious financial constraints, but the economy as a whole still relied on the use of trucks. 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. An example just to put some perspective on this: a Dodge Ram 3500 would fall in a class 2 while the Ford F-350 falls under class 3. Likewise, a class four truck would be something like a GMC4500, for example, and a Ford F550 would come into the class five category. 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. There is as big an industry built up around the manufacture of trailers as there is around the manufacture of truck tractors. 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. These types of truck perform basic utility functions and mostly transport everyday household goods a relatively small distance.  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.   The medium duty trucks are the trucks with better carrying capacities and used by most large companies for transport of goods from one branch to another, for example. Types of commercial trucks used may be medium duty box trucks, bucket trucks, reefer trucks and rollback trucks. All types of company or business will in some capacity use this type of truck – these are the most frequently used commercial vehicles.

 Large commercial trucksare 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 big guys – the trucks that really just get on with the job.  As kids we grew up calling them Mac trucks. That is actually no different from calling a vacuum cleaner a Hoover though. Heavy-duty trucks or articulated dump trucks and graders are used heavily by both the construction industries and the transportation industries. 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.

 Whatever their need or application, and no matter where in the world they are needed, a few companies come to mind instantly – Mack trucks, Caterpillar and JCB. Mack’s reputation is built on the supply of the most reliable transporters, refuse trucks and construction trucks in the US. As the jingle goes – Mack trucks always deliver! Both JCB and Caterpillar have built their reputations upon their huge range of trucks whose reliability enables their employment in some of the most hostile and challenging environments around the globe. 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. Down time on these massive machines can cost corporations thousands if taken out of operation; replacements need to be flown into often remote and hostile locations at a moment’s notice. Time really does equate to money in this game!

Sleeper trucks, dump trucks as well as the heavy-duty cab chassis trucks are the main types of these big commercial vehicles. 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 could go on forever, as trucks of all sizes have such a big part to play in the development of any enterprise.

Names like Mack, Peterbilt, DAF, Renault, Kenworth, Freightliner, Ferteri and Mercedes, Navistar and Caterpillar commercial trucks are the biggest and best in the world of truck manufacturing.  These truck companies supply some of the best looking and functioning trucks on the market. Unique among transport vehicles and truly in a class of their own, they exhibit flair, strength and speed all in one hit. A buzz among the world business community is created every time one of these manufacturers releases their latest commercial truck model.

It is these big-name commercial truck makers selling the majority of the trucks of all shapes and sizes you see advertised. They are responsible for a huge chunk of the supply of commercial trucks to both US and UK markets.Successful migration into the African, Asian and south American markets has been achieved as a result of huge efforts in truck brand recognition by the main players in the industry.  Commercial trucks are changing the world, and hopefully for the better. 

 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. The rail structure in England and across much of Europe is not always conducive to freight haulage and when it is, costs are cited as prohibitive.

 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 makers and manufacturers are actually helping to improve communities and people who live in them.  Commercial trucks create results and results create jobs at the end of the day.

As we all know, economic growth is necessary for the provision of a stable financial life for ourselves and our families. Truck sales across Europe and the US have been crippled by the world recession. Some smaller truck dealerships who were appointed as approved representatives on behalf of the big manufacturers have been dealt a crippling blow to their order books, with many experiencing unprecedented returns. The reason for this is simple economics: even after the reserve banks lowered their lending fees, small businesses were still being offered higher interest rates on truck loans than they could afford, forcing them to return the trucks, or risk financial ruin.

 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. Truck drivers typically spend a lot of time away from home when making these important deliveries, so next time you see a big truck, spare the truck driver a thought, as he or she may be miles from their home town or even country.