Doesn't really matter anymore, what the FMCSA wants, the FMCSA gets.

Why do all you guys say Western Star drivers chug cock?

Never heard that, but Western Stars, along with Pete 379s and KW W900s, (large cars) are expensive and have all the aerodynamics of a cinderblock. Good friend of mine is a fleet owner, has 2 W900s, and struggles to get 6mpg out of the things. That's an expensive way to look pretty.

THERE IS NO FUCKING G IN CUMMINS!

Sounds like the truck I saw recently in my area.You could just about haul a Buick between the cab and trailer.

The reasons cab overs were popular in the 70's and are still popular in Europe is because of length restrictions. They lifted the length restrictions in the US after the fuel crisis but they still have them in Europe. The motor sticking out the front of the truck is basically just wasted space that could be hauling freight.

The longer the wheelbase the better the truck rides. As you strech the wheelbase it gets harder and harder to get your weight maxed out on your steering axels.

Older trucks tend to have been sold and repurposed several times. Around here you see old logging trucks that have become farm trucks. They tend to have longer wheel bases. Some times you buy a truck with a drop axel and don't need it so you take it off and sell it, then you have a pretty long looking frame.  Sometimes a truck left the factory with a sleeper and got sold to someone who didn't want a sleeper so they took it off.

The beauty of a truck is all it takes is money and you can have whatever you want done to it

Yup. Money.



Trucks have a secret internet connection to your bank account.

whenever it sees a few $$ sitting in the bank, it thinks 'mmmm, I could use that',

and then something breaks.

Thus, the truck ensures that your bank account is always empty.



Truck parts - if you can hold it in 1 hand, it costs at least $100.

If it takes 2 hands to carry it, it costs $1000.

If you cannot carry it, it's expensive.



 

The vast majority of the time you see an extra long wheelbase is going to be for weight reasons.

 

My last company I worked for had a brand new pete day cab with a drop on it and it still had an extra long looking wheelbase.

The dryer pops off when the compressor bypasses. Watch your gage. You'll see it building air. Once you hit the high limit (usually 120 psi) the compressor goes into bypass and sends a signal to the dryer to pop.

These ding a lings got it wrong too

What is the purpose of the blue or purple light on the back of the sleeper cab, pointed at the trailer?

The lights on the back of the sleeper are load lamps. The idea was that if it was dark you could see between the cab and the trailer with them on. They really don't put out that much light so a lot of guys said I will change them to a color they like. Basically customization of the truck.

Some truck manufactures are experimenting with aluminum frames again and I have seen three trucks come into our shop with aluminum frames (brand new trucks) in the last two years. Almost all engine used in semi's in the US are straight 6's with the most common (todays engines) having between 400 to 600 hp. In Europe you can still get V8's in semis. Scania makes a V8. If I take a truck at 80,000 lbs and decide to go through every gear on an 18 speed it will take me over a mile to go through every single gear.

Are horsepower and fuel economy commonly controlled via GPS? (Do they increase power outputs in the mountains and cut back in the plains to save fuel?
This is a very good question. Freightliner has tried this but their system when it came out did not work as advertised so they pulled it off of the market. You will be seeing this in the very near future in the trucking industry as in 2017.

I have used diff locks on the trucks more often than I want too. To keep 80,000 lbs moving on a 6% grade with it being snow and ice covered even with chains on you want to keep all of your speed and traction or when you hit that pesky pot hole in a truck stop that keeps one set of drive barley off the ground.

The trucker pee bomb, yes it happen and no I have not done that.

Lot lizards, yes they are there and no I have not used their services. You just have to stop and look around because you will eventually see one in bigger cities truck stops.

The long frame short cab. Two possibilities. Either the guy is doing it for looks or you can have a certain amount of the load over hanging off of the front of the trailer. If you didn't have it hanging over the front of the trailer then it would be hanging over the back and you might have to get over size permits which costs time and money so if you can get the amount overhanging the back to a minimum and over hang some on the front then you are doing good.

On the only all wheel drive trucks I have seen yes they do have a two speed selection.

A trucking thread and no one has posted this yet?? I guess it has to be me

Are you aware that there are people in this world that have a severe medical condition which causes them to be that way? My mother for instance is one of those people. She is a truck driver that has bad knees and a bad back from driving the truck but you probably do not care about that case either. Oh well I am not one of those people I am 6'4" 245lbs and I exercise every day. I would love to see you say something like that to my mother in front of me. Probably never happen though you are probably just an internet tough guy. I doubt very seriously you would say that to someones face. Just my thought. What do you think. Oh I am sorry you probably do not have a brain. I on the other hand will be happy to buy you a plane ticket to come here and see if you have the nerve to say that to someone I know.

Why do some trucks say on their sides "Driver uses electronic logs"? Is it advertising to attract more drivers (cause almost every fleet truck I see is always looking for more drivers, according to the sign on the back of the trailer!), or some way of telling the troopers "you won't find any disrepencies here, go piss up a rope"?

Amen brother!  I correct guys all the time on that. And most of them really do know better. Gotta wonder if it's a Fruedian slip or something.

That's so the weigh stations won't bother to inspect them since there is no way to game the system with electronic logs