Top 5 Interesting Facts about Semi-trucks

Semi-trucks are 18-wheelers and weigh about 80,000 pounds or 40 tons; whereas, most cars only weight about 5,000 pounds. With the exception of the steer axle, each axle can handle up to 34,000 pounds of weight, which is the legal weight. They’re also quite long with an average length of 70 - 80 feet, and the standard height for a semi-truck is about 13 – 14 feet.

If you think driving a standard 5-gear car is challenging, try driving a semi-truck! Most of them have 10 forward gears and 2 reverse gears. Though these are the standard set of gears for most trucks, there are semi-trucks that have 9, 10, 13, 15, and 18 gears as well! In order for a truck driver to shift gears, they have to use the double-clutch technique. Driving a semi-truck is not a simple job!

A brand new cab for a semi-truck starts anywhere from $130,000 to $180,000. And that’s just for the cab. Buyers also need to purchase a trailer, which typically costs anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000. Not a small price tag at all.

Jack knifing is usually the result of a breaking accident, and what happens is the trailer usually swings out at a 90-degree angle and it then comes to a rest. It can hit the driver as well as other drivers along the way.

There are many possible factors that can cause a semi-truck to jack knife. Things like road conditions, speed, weight of the load the truck might be carrying, and turning on a curved pass, can cause the truck to jack knife. It’s important to remember that semi-trucks also take a long time to break.

Here are some other big numbers with which semi-trucks are associated:

• 2 Billion – is the approximate number of truck drivers in the United States.
• 140 Billion Miles – is the total annual driving length of all semi-trucks in the United States.
• 13 Billion Tons – this is the total weight of goods delivered throughout the U.S., which averages about 60,000 pounds per American.
• $255.5 Billion – is the approximate value of the 13 billion tons delivered by semi-trucks.

Semi-trucks can easily be linked to big business and we often forget about how they are such an essential part of our lives.

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