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The economy of most nations depends on the semi tractor-trailer.
Number of trailers: 5.6 million in the US (registered).
Number of tractors in the US: 1/3 of that. 1,900,000.
Number of tractors in California, Florida and Texas: 1/3 of that.
Number of truck drivers in the US: 3.2 million.
Number of trucks owned by most trucking companies and owner operators: less than 6.
Number of miles driven by semis every year in the US: 140 billion miles.
Maximum weight for a US semi truck with a full trailer: 80,000 pounds over 18 wheels.
(Max weight in Australia for a semi: 300,000 in road trains.)
The trucking companies have to look at all of the different commercial truck insurance companies to find the cheapest option for their insurance. If they don’t do this then it could cost them a lot of money.
Top selling truck (for new trucks) in the US: Freightliner, which sells 190,000 new semis each year. Second: Navistar International. Third: PACCAR. Fourth: Volvo. Peterbilt and Kenworth are owned by PACCAR. Mack is owned by Volvo.
Most dangerous truck accident these days: rollover. How it happens: semi goes over loose surface ground, driver overcorrects to try to get it back onto pavement, rollover. If you are involved in an accident with a semi truck then you may want to consider contacting a Georgia semi truck accident attorney.
To prevent drivers from going over the hours of service they’re allowed to work and becoming fatigued, ELD devices are used to keep track of their hours. Companies often use the best eld devices to make sure their drivers are less likely to be involved in crashes.
Percent of goods transported by the semis in the US: 68%. Weight of that amount: 60,000 pounds per American every year (most of that is agricultural and building materials).
Average distance driven by a semi per year: 45,000 miles.
Average distance driven for a long-haul driver per year: 100,000 miles.
Average fuel milage for a semi: 6.5 miles per gallon of diesel. Different trucks get different fuel milage, between 4 and 8 miles per gallon. 2014 laws require semi trucks with sleepers to get 7.2 miles per gallon on level roads (milage varies a lot based on the pitch of the road).
The word “semi”: A trailer isn’t a whole vehicle, so it’s a semi. It can’t fun on itself because it doesn’t have front wheels and has to be connected to a truck.
“Semi trucks” is a term that came along with calling trailers “semis”. A semi truck is a truck that pulls a semi trailer.
Typical trailer length: 53 feet.
When the trailer isn’t connected to a truck, trailer brakes are on automatically. It takes pressure rom the truck’s engine-powered air pump to make the breaks release.
The great photo at the top is by vehicle photo specialist (we think, anyway), Jack Byrnes Hill (click here).
