So to clarify, a heavy duty truck is a large vehicle (a big truck) that is used to transport freight commercially. It also requires special licensing and the observation of other regulations such as completing and maintaining DOT’s logs about different things like example: hours-of-service logs. These can be either paper or electronic, but they must be current and up to date.
Heavy Duty Truck Types
Well, this is a bit easier to identify… ok not that easy really, because there are literally dozens of trucks used for a variety of commercial purposes. The heavy duty truck can be a straight truck or semi. It can have multiple axels, both the truck and the trailer.
The heavy-duty trucks are used for different trucking services so therefore they can be found in numerous configurations as well. This of course, will depend on the type of cargo they are designed to haul. But some of the more common heavy duty truck types are:
- The van or Box trucks (or trailers) this is the most common heavy duty truck (trailer).
- Car carrier trailers are designed to haul multiple vehicles.
- Conestoga trailers, flatbed trailers with retractable roof and siding allowing for the cargo to be lifted by an overhead crane, but still protects the cargo from the elements.
- Curtain siders (not as common in the USA) similar to the box trailers, but the sides are movable waterproof curtains, combining the best features of the box and flatbed trailers.
- Dry bulk trailers look like tankers however, they’re used for sand, cement, and other such dry powder materials.
- Dump truck trailers allow one end to be raised, allowing the cargo to be ‘dumped’ out the backend.
- Flatbeds trucks and flatbed trailers are just that, a load floor usually, with removable side rails and a bulkhead. They are for anything that can be exposed natures elements.
- Hopper bottoms, these are typically for grain but can haul sand and other materials.
- Livestock trailers are used for the transportation of livestock (pigs, cows, sheep, etc.).
- Lowboy trailers are used to haul heavy equipment (bulldozers, backhoes, cranes, and etc.), the load floor is lower to the ground (hence the name).
- Refrigerator trailers and trucks have a reefer (heating/cooling unit) and are used for hauling frozen foods, plants, produce, and etc.
- Refrigerator tank trailers are used for transporting bulk liquids, like milk, water, juice and etc.
- Tanker trailers used for liquids as well, but things like oil, propane, gasoline and etc.
- Concrete trucks are generally used for the transportation of cement, from the plant to the construction site.
