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6 Types of Trucks Used in Logistics Worldwide

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Different types of trucks are used to transport goods from one place to another. Logistics is one of the largest industries in the world, transporting various materials to different places.

There are different trucks that can capacitate different quantities of goods. The needs of logistics department are specific but changes according to the type of good transported or the quantity of it.

Each truck has different capabilities which cannot change. So the transporter carefully chooses the means of transportation. This also affects the profit margin of the transporter.

So they have to choose wisely what kind of transportation has to be used to transport their goods.

One of the biggest challenges while transporting goods is to move goods from one point to another without damaging it and also in a time frame.

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Types of Semi Trucks & How to Buy the Right One for Your Business

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At Transwest, we know how difficult it can be to determine which trucks are best for your fleet. With a quality inventory of semi-trucks and trailers, we are here to ensure that your purchasing process is efficient and that you find the right truck for your needs. 

Before you begin researching and prior to making a final choice, it’s important to understand what options are available. From the cab type to the trailer being towed, there’s a lot to know.

The following guide will help you learn more about the types of semi-trucks available on the market, as well as information on how to buy the right one for your business. By the end, you should feel confident in your ability to choose the right vehicles for your business’ fleet. 

 

COMMON SEMI-TRUCKS

Before exploring the types of semi-trucks available, it is important to establish an understanding of what the term “semi-truck” encompasses. A semi-truck is a combination of two components.

First, there’s the tractor unit that provides the power. The tractor is also where the truck’s cab is located.

The second component of a semi-truck is one or more trailers attached to the tractor. These trailers can be used to haul everything from heavy equipment to refrigerated goods, depending on the style of the unit. 

To begin, the following will walk you through common types of semi-trucks: 

DAY CABS

A day cab is a basic semi-truck that contains an area for a driver and a passenger to sit and is often equipped with rear windows. These rear windows make backing up and navigating the day cab easier than cabs with sleeping quarters.

Day cabs are often used for shorter trips that do not require the driver to be gone overnight. With their shorter body, they are easier to drive in tight areas and are ideal for simple navigation. Almost any trailer style can be attached to a day cab, making this a versatile tractor type.

SLEEPER TRUCKS

For those who do over the road hauling, a sleeper truck is a great choice. These semi-trucks are designed with built-in sleeping quarters and additional amenities. Similar to a day cab, the front of the tractor contains the driver and passenger seats. However, in a sleeper truck, the rest of the cabin is dedicated to living quarters.

Sleeper tractors are available in a wide array of sizes and styles. You can opt for a simple version with a basic sleeping area or a much more elaborate style with a full RV set up. Sleeper trucks can be hooked up to a variety of trailer styles, most often utilized in conjunction with long hauling.

CUSTOM HAULERS

For those who need a specialized tractor, a custom hauler is a great choice. Custom haulers are versatile trucks that are customized to meet the needs of your business. You can purchase a hauler with varying towing capabilities, as well as with any extras you desire. If you want to add sleeping quarters to a custom hauler, you can. 

The benefit of a custom hauler is that it is equipped with some of the most powerful engines on the market. These haulers can reliably transport goods across long distances and are often chosen for oversize loads. 

 

SEMI-TRAILER TYPES AND THEIR USES

Attached to the semi-tractor is one or more trailers. These trailers come in numerous sizes and styles, with a variety of specialized trailers available for hauling distinct goods. The following is a list of common semi-trailer types and their uses:

  • Belt: A belt trailer is a specialized style of a self-unloading trailer. Utilizing a rubber conveyor belt that runs down the length of the trailer, a belt trailer grabs onto and unloads cargo. This makes it possible for a driver to unload the entire trailer from the cab of the truck. 
  • Drop Deck: Also referred to as a step-deck trailer, a drop deck trailer contains a platform that is lower than the normal trailer height. This makes it ideal for hauling cargo that would exceed the legal height limit when loaded onto a standard trailer. 
  • Dump: Utilizing a hydraulic system, a dump trailer can lift the trailer bed up and down, allowing materials to be loaded and unloaded with ease. Dump trailers can be equipped with side dumps, end dumps, and even bottom dumps.  
  • Flatbed: One of the most common trailer types, a flatbed trailer can be used to haul almost any type of cargo. Available in a variety of lengths, flatbeds make it easy to haul items long distances.  
  • Grain Hopper: One specialized trailer type is the grain hopper. This trailer is designed to haul grain, with built-in equipment that makes it easy to load and unload grain. Additionally, grain hoppers are often equipped with specialized covers to ensure compliance with EPA regulations regarding the coverage of the load during transportation. 
  • Lowboy: Featuring a uniquely low profile, a lowboy trailer is a great fit for transporting vehicles, heavy machinery, and other oversize loads. 
  • Sliding Axle, Hydraulic Tail: Sliding axle and hydraulic tail trailers are designed to make loading and unloading equipment easier. With a lower load angle, these trailers are often equipped with a ramp to make the process even simpler.
  • Tank: From hauling fertilizers to transporting milk, tank trailers come in a variety of sizes and styles, each equipped with the necessary equipment to transport liquids safely.

These are only a few of the numerous semi-trailer options available on the market today. Pairing the right trailer with the right tractor makes hauling almost any cargo possible. 

POPULAR SEMI-TRUCK BRANDS

Additionally, when shopping for a semi-truck, you will need to choose between a few standard manufacturers. The following are all popular semi-truck brands:

FREIGHTLINER

With the slogan “Trucks that mean business”, Freightliner is a trucking industry staple. Freightliner is highly esteemed for its quality trucks offering extreme durability, efficiency, and excellent fuel economy.

WESTERN STAR

Western Star is another clear industry leader. Starting in 1967, Western Star has been esteemed for its heavy-duty trucks capable of holding up in the roughest environments. From the logging industry to the coal mines, Western Star has earned a premium reputation in the trucking industry.

AUTOCAR

Autocar designs a line of specialized semi-trucks, with a focus on leading innovation and technology. Autocar has been in business since 1897 and has become a trusted staple of the trucking industry. 

 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TRUCK FOR YOUR BUSINESS

When choosing the right truck for your business, it comes down to a few key questions. What type of cab do you need? What do you need to haul? And, do you have a preferred manufacturer? 

At Transwest, we can assist you in answering all these questions and more. We will work with you to locate the ideal semi-truck from our quality inventory. Whether you need to purchase a single day cab or a fleet of semi-truck and trailer combinations, we’re here to help.

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8 Essential Truck Driver Safety Tips to Minimize Risk

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Keeping your drivers safe on the road isn’t just essential for their health and well-being. Their safety directly impacts other motorists on the road, as well as your bottom line. Here are 8 essential truck driver safety tips to keep your drivers protected on the road.

 

Keeping your drivers safe on the road isn’t just essential for their health and well-being. Their safety directly impacts other motorists on the road, as well as your bottom line. The Department of Labor (DOL) singles out trucking as one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. In fact, transportation and logistics fleets have some of the highest numbers of injuries and fatalities on the job—and those numbers seem to only grow year over year. By improving the safety of your drivers, you not only ensure their protection, but you can also reduce costs associated with accidents, claim payouts, and rises in insurance premiums. The good news is that you can improve your truck drivers’ safety by creating a work culture that actively coaches, trains, and rewards the safest drivers. Read on for our best truck driving tips and advice on how to improve the overall safety of your fleet.

 

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1. Encourage your truckers to practice defensive driving

Defensive driving is a form of driving that encourages truckers to consistently be on the lookout for potential hazards and changes in driving or road conditions. Drivers are encouraged to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries by anticipating potentially dangerous situations and making safe, well-informed decisions while behind the wheel. By using defensive driving techniques, drivers are less likely to be involved in accidents—so you can worry less about costly repairs, claim payouts, and insurance premiums increases.

Here are a few key defensive driving strategies and practices to encourage your drivers to use:

 

  • Watch out for blind spots: For drivers who operate tractor trailers or refers, being in such a large truck that’s so high off the ground can make it difficult to see cars behind or even next to their vehicle. A blind spot is any area around a vehicle that cannot be directly seen by a driver. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 840,000 accidents per year are directly due to blind spots. Most of these accidents occur when drivers are changing lanes. Since rear-view and side mirrors aren’t always effective when checking for blind spots, make sure you’re encouraging drivers to look over their shoulders and out the windows when changing lanes. Also, encourage them to leave plenty of room around their vehicles when merging. 

  • Practice the three-second rule: When it comes to avoiding forward and rear collisions, a best practice is for drivers to follow the three-second rule. This rule states that truck drivers should allow three full seconds to pass between the time the car in front of them reaches a particular spot on the road and the time it takes the truck driver to reach that same point. If heavy rain or winds are present, drivers should increase the follow time to five seconds. If the roads are icy, drivers should increase the follow time to 10 seconds. 

  • Be prepared for emergencies: When driving, especially over long distances, conditions can rapidly change. Encourage your drivers to be prepared for a variety of potential emergency situations—like bad driving conditions or breakdowns. Drivers who stock their cabs with water, snacks, a first aid kit, a change of clothes, and blankets can comfortably and safely weather unexpected conditions that may require them to pull off the road or wait long periods for vehicle repairs. 

  • Stay calm, cool, and collected: Road rage is a serious threat to safe driving. When truckers are cut off, honked at, or otherwise harrassed by other drivers, it can be tempting to indulge in road rage behaviors, like tailgating or weaving between lanes. Drivers who allow their anger to control their driving put themselves and others at risk for accidents. Encourage your drivers to de-escalate road rage situations by increasing the distance between themselves and angry drivers. 

  • Always signal: For drivers who operate on longer stretches of roads or during non-peak traffic times, it can be tempting to complete lane changes and exit highways without signaling. But failing to signal can increase the likelihood of collisions. Remind drivers that signaling before changing lanes or turning is required by law, and they should still signal even if they don’t see any other vehicles nearby.

  • When in doubt, slow down: Train your drivers to always default to slowing down in response to changes on the road, including bad weather or poor visibility. Slowing down offers drivers extra time to take corrective action or respond to sudden changes, like an animal running onto the highway or slippery roads when it starts to rain. Slowing down can prevent accidents altogether or, at the very least, decrease the impact and severity if an accident does occur. 

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2. Develop preventative maintenance schedules 

The safety of your drivers really starts with the safety of the vehicles they’re in. Trucks and tractor trailers that aren’t up-to-date with their regular maintenance—like oil and brake pad changes—are more likely to break down on the road. Telematics devices, like Samsara’s Vehicle Gateway (VGs), offer real-time visibility into odometer and engine data, including fault codes.

Using this data, your mechanics can build out robust preventative maintenance schedules based on mileage, days, previous breakdown history, and more—plus get real-time alerts for critical fault codes. Through regular upkeep and proactive repairs, you can ensure your vehicles are in top shape so drivers can avoid breakdowns on their routes. 

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3. Ensure comprehensive pre-trip and post-trip inspections

Hand-in-hand with increasing driver safety through maintenance is using thorough vehicle inspections to ensure all trucks are safe before drivers start driving. While pre-trip and post-trip inspections are required by the DOT, not just any inspection will do. To protect the safety of your drivers, use tools that ensure all inspections are thorough and accurately documented.

The Samsara Driver App, for example, allows drivers to submit electronic DVIRs directly from their phone. Our app walks drivers through every part of the inspection and allows them to upload photographs of any vehicle issues. This ensures that every inspection is thorough. And if an unsafe DVIR is submitted, your management team can be notified in real time, so they can arrange repairs to ensure your drivers are safe. 

 

 

 

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4. Coach drivers to avoid distractions 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has identified distracted driving as the number one cause of accidents for truck drivers. Distracted driving is anything that causes a driver to take their eyes off the road or their hands off the steering wheel. Distractions can range from eating lunch while driving to turning out the window to stare at a billboard. But the most common form of distracted driving is cellphone usage, in particular texting while driving. 

If your vehicles are equipped with dual-facing dash cams that have artificial intelligence (AI) built in, like Samsara AI dash cams, the camera can identify when a driver is distracted based on their head position (like if they’re looking down at their smartphone). Using this footage, you can coach drivers on how to correct their behaviors to avoid distractions and reduce their likelihood of causing an accident. 

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5. Have tools in place to respond to changes in road conditions

Road conditions can be unpredictable, especially for long-haul drivers working long hours across many regions or states. The two conditions most likely to impact the safety of drivers on the road are traffic and bad weather. Bumper-to-bumper traffic causes vehicles to constantly stop and go, which increases the likelihood of accidents. And bad weather conditions—like snow, ice, hail, or rain—can impact a driver’s visibility or can cause roads to become slippery, all of which contribute to a greater chance of an accident.

Dispatch management solutions, like Samsara, provide live weather and traffic map overlays that allow your dispatchers to see where road conditions may be unsafe for your drivers. With Samsara, your dispatchers can easily reroute drivers to avoid bad conditions and can directly send drivers their updated routes through our Driver App—which eliminates the need for manual back-and-forth calling. 

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6. Watch over your fleet with real-time GPS tracking

With a fleet management platform, like Samsara, that provides real-time GPS tracking you can always know the exact location of all your drivers. Real-time GPS is essential for ensuring the safety of your drivers, especially during breakdowns or other emergency situations. If a vehicle breaks down, it’s essential that you know its precise location so you’re able to assist the driver as soon as possible.

By knowing a driver’s exact location, you can either easily reroute them to the closest shop for a repair or can send a maintenance crew or tow truck directly to them. This ability to quickly and accurately respond to breakdowns means that you can reduce downtime and get your fleet back to work. Also, drivers won’t have to wait long hours off the side of the road, which can potentially put them at risk for collisions. 

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7. Encourage proper rest and breaks 

Under HOS regulations, all drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) are required to take certain breaks before they can continue driving. For instance, under HOS truck driver limits, all CMV drivers must take a 30-minute break after eight hours of driving and a 10 to 11 hour break before coming back on duty.

Outside of taking these mandatory breaks, encourage drivers to always prioritize their safety and the safety of other motorists while on the road. This means encouraging your drivers to take additional breaks while en route if they are feeling sleepy or impaired in any way. Although this may require additional time taken out of their “On-Duty” period, it could play a significant part in reducing at-fault accidents due to fatigue. This not only keeps your drivers safer but helps you reduce accident-related costs. 

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8. Build out coaching and rewards programs with dash cams

An important part of building a safety-first culture is incentivizing and rewarding drivers who embody good driving habits and practices. One of the easiest ways to ensure safety in your fleet is through building out coaching and rewards programs. By introducing dash cams to your fleet, you can use real footage to actually show drivers how to improve their safety on the road. 

Samsara’s dual-facing AI dash cams capture both external and in-cab footage. Plus, they integrate with our Vehicle Gateway, so it’s easy to  detect when a driver brakes too hard, accelerates too fast, or turns too harshly. When one of these events is detected, you can receive a text or email notification. In that notification, you’ll have immediate access to footage of the event. You can review this footage with drivers to coach them on safer driving practices. And for on-the-go training, our dual-facing dash cams offer optional in-cab audio alerts for speeding and more, so you can minimize risk in real time. 

With Samsara, you can track how your drivers’ safety is improving over time. Plus, every driver can see a safety score based on harsh events, miles driven, speeding, and more. Your fleet can use these scores to gamify safety by offering drivers with the highest score a reward. Our customers have offered everything from special plaques to the best parking spot to reward their safest drivers. But mostly it’s just the sheer recognition, not the reward, that counts.