I don’t get how these people even feel comfortable driving something where you can’t see the road that’s in front of you for 10+ meters out. I just wouldn’t feel safe, there could be any kind of obstruction you can’t see on the road from 10m away but will still fuck up your day and/or life.
As a truck driver I get it. It’s nice to see more. The tradeoff isn’t worth it and not why they do it. I would bet my paycheck they never take it off road either. Which would be the only good reason to raise something that much. Truckers have a good reason to. They have giant engine and transmissions that need to last for the industrial work involved.
cabovers are almost exclusively used throughout europe and asia. it’s only america and australia that tends to use the big bonnet american style trucks.
there no real reason for it
To be fair the regulations on vehicle length and older infrastructure makes the cabover popular.
American style trucks(long nose) get better mileage on longer hauls than the blunt nose design. They also provide more cabin room. As a final note American audiences are conditioned for the long nose design and it’s difficult to find the imports here.
Having driven both I think they both have merit. In Europe an American truck would be impossible to maneuver in towns.
So that’s the “real reason for it”.
A lot of trucking is long-range. America is fucking big and not everywhere is served by ports, railroads, and tributaries.
Those roof-scoops and curvaceous hoods aren’t just for being sexy. They greatly increase aerodynamics and with it, range.
The important thing is that it requires specialized training and a license to drive something with such poor visibility. The pickups, any 16yo kid can legally drive.
There is a reason for it: Regulations that limit the overall vehicle length. The EU has a lower maximum than the U.S., so it favors the cabover design, which allows a longer trailer. The U.S. had lots of cabover trucks on its roads until it increased the allowed length, when truckers took advantage of the easier maintenance and better ergonomics of the bonnet design.
I think there is a legal reason for no cabovers in the USA. Maybe something based on crash safety (for just the occupants of course).
There is a reason in Australia, the distances travelled and the enormous loads they haul require far more powerful trucks. Look up road trains. They are significantly more efficient than using multiple trucks.
Trains would be more efficient but Australia is too large and too sparsely populated to do everything with trains.
They are also safer for the driver than the Cab over style.
but you don’t actually see more, that’s kinda the whole point here?
maybe you see over other cars but you lose sight closer to you
You see more further down the road. Which you need when it takes 4 to 8 times longer to stop depending on conditions.
If they thought about things and came to good conclusions afterwards, they probably wouldn’t be driving this kind of car to begin with. The people who are driving it are probably not good thinkers.
Agreed, but some people drive that way. It’s their road, get out of the way. I had a 1996 Dodge dually long ago for pulling a trailer, and its visibility wasn’t very bad, except for around the damn side columns. I got into the habit of leaning forward and back as I would turn so that I had some idea of what was being blocked. At one point we had considered upgrading to the big trucks like the F-450/F550, and I got into one to see what it was like. I could see EVERYTHING. I was like, holy shit, this is luxury.
Looking at those dumbfucks driving their emotional support vehicle in the city, they don’t seem to be comfortable
They are driving slow and can’t stay in their lane, as they can’t judge the distances correctly
I have a Chevy 2500 to tow my RV (needed for the weight and it’s my home) and I hate not being able to see shit. I would gladly replace it with a cab over if they brought them to the states. The truck only gets used to move the RV from site to site and I have small single cylinder motorcycles to get around because fuck parking that thing anywhere.
