subject: The Anatomy of a Truck [print this page] The Anatomy of a Truck The Anatomy of a Truck
A Lorry is a large vehicle designed to carry cargo.
The size of trucks varies greatly, smaller almost car like trucks up to custom built specialised cargo hauling trucks.
Trucks are made up of 4 main sections, this guide aims to run through briefly about each one.
Cab
The cab is where the driver is seated, it is an enclosed space. Some trucks have a space behind the cab where the driver can rest while not driving, this is called the sleeper. 3 types of cab design exist, these are Cab Over Engine (COE), Cab Beside Engine (CBE) and Conventional cabs.
Cab over engine designs are popular in Europe as the length of the trucks is strictly regulated. The driver is sat in the cab with the engine underneath the cab.
Conventional cabs are most common in North America. The driver is sat behind the engine like most car drivers.
Cab Beside Engine trucks tend to operate in specialised conditions, for example dumper trucks have CBE designs.
Engine
Most trucks use four stroke diesel engines. Turbo chargers and after-coolers come as standard on most truck engines. Smaller or medium trucks may sometimes use smaller petrol engines.
Drivetrain
Small trucks will have a transmission similar to cars or vans, however most large trucks will use a manual transmission without a synchroniser. This saves on weight, but required the driver to double clutch when changing up and down gears.
Frame
A truck frame, sometimes known as a ladder frame consists of 2 parallel steal beams held together by cross members. They are almost always made of steel, although some trucks have aluminium to save weight.
Although trucks will vary between countries and even manufacturers the above list gives you a brief run down on the anatomy of a truck..
