The Semi Truck is an 18-wheeled articulated truck featuring the truck, consisting of the engine and cab, and trailer. These semi big rigs are equipped with three axles. The front axle steers the vehicle, while the rear-wheel-drive axle propels it. Double wheels, or dualies, give the vehicle stability and traction, according to Amtrex.net.
The Early Days
In the early years big rig semis were not built for comfort but instead for utility. Back in the day trucks riding on solid rubber wheels with mechanical brake systems were built to only travel short distances at low speeds, and often on unpaved roads. Technological advances in developing the pneumatic tire and hydraulic brakes have transformed the semi into becoming a powerful workhorse.
Mack Trucks was an early innovator of heavy-duty commercial vehicles. They were founded in 1900 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the company developed its own engines that featured an automatic starter, eliminating the hand-crank. Mack soon developed a reputation or building tough trucks and the name became synonymous with durability, according to MackTrucks.com
The logging industry had an impact on the development of the semi truck.
Peterbilt, based in Tacoma, Washington, began sales to the public in 1939. Peterbilt was used extensively to transport logging materials from the forests to the lumber mills. T.A. Peterman was particularly frustrated with the standard method of transporting logs by river or horse teams and sought to rebuild surplus Army trucks equipped with trailers specifically designed to haul logs, according to Peterbilt.com.
Today, about 4 percent of semi truck accident deaths are due to driver fatigue. Federal laws limit the number of hours a driver is on the road, but major truck builders, such as Peterbilt, have developed sleeper cabs over 40 years to make life on the road easier. Sleeper cabs are offered in many different sizes with some large enough to accommodate husband-wife driving teams, according to TruckInfo.net.
Accidents
With this being said it is not hard to argue that these are powerful pieces of machinery that are on our roads, that if not used right or being driven by the hands of someone that is not qualified or someone that is distracted, or tired… they can easily become a death machine on wheels. The maximum weight for a U.S. semitruck and full trailer is 80,000 pounds spread over 18 conventional wheels. Antilock brakes on semitrucks have been required since 1997, which has significantly reduced the number of jackknife crashes, in which the rear wheels of the truck lock up and the trailer swings around to an acute angle with the truck. Today, some of the the most dangerous semi accidents are rollovers. Federal highway investigators say that these happen when a semitruck travels over a loose surface and the driver overcorrects while trying to steer it back onto pavement.
Stopping Power
At 55 MPH on dry pavement with good brakes, it can take a heavy vehicle about 390 feet to stop. It takes about 4 seconds. total stopping distance: At 55 MPH it will take about 6 seconds to stop a truck and the truck will have traveled about 512 feet.
Given that time frame it only takes a blink of an eye to do the damage that can change your life forever.