Anyone who has seen at least a photograph of an American truck tractor must have paid attention to the obvious fact that overseas these cars are much larger than those who drive in other countries. And in the former Soviet republics, and in the European Union, there are noticeably fewer trucks. In particular, they do not have such a hefty hood. Why are the cars so different in the USA, and what is in the big “box” behind the cab?
The main reason why American trucks are so long is because of one simple word "roads". And in this case, we are not talking about the categories “better or worse”, but about the fact that, with rare exceptions, they are not the same as in the Old World. In the United States of America, a huge number of highways have been built without sharp turns and narrow sections. This allows the use of truck tractors with fundamentally different characteristics than in Europe. European and Russian roads are often too winding and difficult to handle American-style trucks.
It is for this reason that truck tractors in the USA are bonneted, and truck tractors overseas are cabover. All these matters are governed by local laws. In Europe and Russia, the length of the road train takes into account both the trailer and the truck tractor itself. In the USA, the legislation in this matter is “more democratic”, the length of the road train here is almost not limited in any way. And the most important thing is that only the length of the trailer or trailers is taken into account. The length of the machine itself in the United States is not regulated by law in any way.
This opens up unprecedented scope for truckers in the matter of creating entire “palaces on wheels”. The dream of any lord of the steering wheel in the United States is to buy a tractor with a sleeper. Translated into normal Russian, this is a residential module that is installed behind the cab. And since the length of truck tractors in the United States is not limited, Americans have the opportunity to take cars with very long wheelbase and put on it hefty boxes that can completely replace a small apartment.
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Of course, not all truckers choose such tractors and not all of them can afford. However, if you wish, you can still get such a car. In the secondary market, prices for tractors with "sleepers" start at about 100 thousand dollars. New cars are predictably more expensive. Only for the tractor itself in the United States will have to pay 120-350 thousand dollars. "Sleeper" is bought and installed separately. Their prices vary greatly depending on the size and configuration. An average module costs between 100-150 thousand dollars. Inside there will be everything necessary for life: a comfortable place to sleep, a shower, a toilet, a kitchen, a recreation area. Truckers change their steel assistants in 3-5 years, after the mileage reaches 800 thousand km.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about why trucks with semi-trailers are called "trucks", and what does the inscription "TIR" mean on them.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/250122/61918/