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dilligasatall t1_jcg3qln wrote

She's Purdy! You don't get to see many cab-overs roaming the roads anymore.

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KeepOnTrippinOn t1_jcgb2i0 wrote

It's funny because in the UK pretty much all trucks are this style, I love the peterbilt style classic trucks you have over there😎

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Teanut t1_jcgg2n3 wrote

As I recall it's because of how maximum length (truck+trailer) is measured in both countries. Also that in Europe the shorter turning radius of a cabover is really useful.

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FireryDawn t1_jch5vzd wrote

And ferries - when the tractor counts for length, the 1-2m hoods cut into cost

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vim_for_life t1_jcihggl wrote

That's why they were so prevalent here in the states, but they updated the laws to exclude the tractor. Which is why you occasionally see some trucks with HUGE sleepers.

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Fromanderson t1_jcmqkmb wrote

Moving the engine out front makes the trucks a lot more comfortable. The interior is more roomy. They are quieter. It’s easier to access the sleeper and with the cab mounted lower there is a lot less sway.

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vim_for_life t1_jcmsk83 wrote

True, but cargo capacity trumped driver comfort. (My grandfather drove a COE OTR for 30 years). If the choice was a 53' trailer and a cab over, or a 48' trailer and a conventional cab, a company is going to choose the cabover every day. For my grandfather that was the difference between hauling 1 piece of equipment or two. (He drove for Case)

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imnos t1_jci776x wrote

You'd think that would be useful in any location..

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zap_p25 t1_jcglg3s wrote

We just call them conventionals as everyone builds them (even Volvo here in the US).

Bit of history, until 1976 the US had a maximum combination length restriction of 65 feet. For a standard 53 foot long van, that only gives you 12 feet of tractor. While you may be able to pull that off with SWB day cab in a conventional config...long haul drivers want sleepers and as long of a wheel base as they can get. 1976, fuel crisis and just about anything that could be done to lessen fuel consumption was done (national speed limit of 55 mph instituted, calls for manufacturers to build more fuel efficient vehicles, etc) and conventional trucks are typically more aerodynamic thus slightly more fuel efficient so the easy solution...extend the combo length limit to 75 feet. When you can haul a standard 53' van...have a long wheel base and a decent sleeper with a conventional tractor...why dick with cabovers?

It's truly a case of they've become rare because Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, International, GM, Ford, etc stopped making them simply because due to the lift of length restrictions, they simply weren't selling. Granted, you can still by a cab over Mack and Freightliner today...just not for tractor use (Class B application) though you could probably take an Autocar ACX as a 6x4 tandem drive chassis and add a 5th wheel to it. The cab profile would be lower to the ground compared to a traditional White-Freightliner cabover but the cab is relatively unchanged (in fact, the severe duty Autocar trucks have only updated the cab from the 1960's White-Freight cab in the last 10 years or so).

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EicherDiesel t1_jch3hl2 wrote

That's quite a bit more, over here (Germany) a semi still tops out at 16.5m or 51ft while a truck+trailer combo can be a good bit longer at 18.75m or 61.5ft. No individual part of that combo must be longer than 12m/ 39ft though. There are some experiments with a semi plus another extra trailer that can be much longer but those are the general restrictions.
From personal experience driving such a ~18.5m truck+trailer combo already massively sucks if you're driving on twisty single lane roads or through old villages so even as I really like their looks i don't think we'll ever change laws to bring back standard cab semis.

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zap_p25 t1_jckvkf1 wrote

So North America...our roads are typically straighter, many cities and communities are specifically built around automobiles and gradients are much more strictly managed (one of the reason most long haul truck sit around 500 hp, more power simply isn't needed for the majority of our loads).

Now you do see tandems in use here in the US but they are 28.5 feet long each. Canada allows what are called B-trains where they haul tandem 53 footers. Australia on the other hand has what are called road trains...which can be three to five full length vans.

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Ask_Me_What_Im_Up_to t1_jcgkhzb wrote

According to a former lorry, now taxi-driver I spoke to in the US, the normal yank style is significantly safer for the driver in cases of a traffic accident!

Mind you, he did also tell me about carrying a gun and waving it about at people who annoyed him whilst driving, so perhaps not the best source of info. Hahaha.

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MyEvilTwinSkippy t1_jcgvkqx wrote

It seemed like they all just vanished one day. Then, a few years ago, I was working a site in Texas and there they all were...crossing back and forth into Mexico.

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giftedguineapig t1_jcgmh3f wrote

This is a great truck. I own a shipping company and in order to get into ports we have to upgrade our trucks every couple years. We have a 2000 freightliner that we use as a hostler that I hope never dies.

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capt_carl t1_jcgj6zo wrote

For real! I love the riveted gleam of a Peterbilt, but cabovers just have something about them that I love.

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Slimy_Shart_Socket t1_jchzh5g wrote

Banned in California for emissions reasons, but those reasons are now redundant.

Originally it was the poor aerodynamics which caused slightly less fuel economy. However in Europe all they use is Cab overs due to length restrictions in cities and highways. As a result they have adapted the cab over design and improved emissions/fuel economy to the point that they match USA trucks.

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Sloth_rockets OP t1_jciah15 wrote

The K100 was Kenworths most aerodynamic truck until the T600 debuted in 1985.

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