Ultimate Truck Education 101 - Every Question Answered

Find out Why US Trucks DON’T Have 770 hp Like in Europe here https://youtu.be/J69RVCuqbCc

Just because we don't need 700+ hpr doesn't mean we don't want a 700+ hpr big rig here in the US.

On the transmissions, automated ones can produce better fuel mileage with average driver experience but manual transmissions can get better fuel efficiency with very experienced drivers.

Tag axles: You missed a couple more reasons, like a) Toll reduction; some places charge trucks by number of axles on the road. If you can legally carry your load with the tag axle lifted, you will pay a lower toll. b) Makes installation of tire chains easier. On SOME trucks, the tag axle can be lowered so far that the drive axle can be at least partly lifted, which makes makes it a bit easier to install the tire chains

I have done a lot of mountain driving in Colorado. And I must say that the main reason I prefer a manual transmission is for the hills, both up and down. Going up hill it is easier to keep the truck in the correct gear for the hill. You have only limited gear selection in autos. And most importantly, a manual transmission holds a truck back better going down hill with the direct connection to the engine. The reason for the added cost of manual transmission maintenance is due to lack of driver knowledge. I drove a manual in the mtns for 3 years with the same truck and clutch. The only reason it ever needed a clutch was when I went on vacation for 2 weeks toward the end of that time and an inexperienced driver burnt the clutch. Now all my companies trucks are automatics. Thanks for the video!

Tbh, large companies changing to automatic transmissions has nothing to do with driver comfort. It has everything to do with new drivers having never learned how to drive manual transmissions even in a car and not knowing the basics. I’ve driven an auto truck once before and I was more fatigued in that and found myself zoning out than when driving a manual. But just to prove my point, the driver in this video actually used the clutch while shifting. If you know how to shift properly, then the only time you need to touch the clutch is when coming to a stop. And before someone says, “well, an automatic transmission is great in heavy traffic areas.” Again, that’s because you weren’t taught right. I can drive through most big cities in stop and go traffic and rarely touch the clutch. If you don’t drive a truck like you’re in a hurry to get somewhere and just coast, then you’ll rarely have to come to a stop. But everyone wants to ride up each other’s asses like that’s going to get you somewhere any faster.

I may not need 700hp but I sure want it.

In Australia we have both Euro and American style trucks and Euro trucks seem yo more popular on our better roads but when it comes rural and out back roads majority of trucks are US makes with some made in Australia with some trucks gross over 180 tons as roadtrains

my grand pa has been driving from 1976 and his 1 truck just hit 4 million miles and his other truck has just hit 3.4 mill

You can't say how awesome the motor sounds and not play a short.

A couple more items come to mind. Engine capacity has a direct effect on the effectiveness of it's braking power or Jake Brake/ Jacob's brake. Invented by a log truck driver in the western usa it reduced the number of run away trucks after excessive braking (brake fade) from descending long down hill runs (mountainous terrain) The bigger engine capacity provides so much braking effect with the correct down shifted gear that you can descend hills without using the brakes at all. The second thing I thought of was the pro's and con's regarding transmissions. There are many drivers out there that do not know how to shift gears, or even how to use the clutch from a standing start. The wear and tear on the clutch, transmission and power train is very costly, not only in repairs but lost revenue due to the truck sitting in a shop waiting to repaired. Many experienced drivers will only use the clutch to get the rig rolling, then all shifting is done without using the clutch. I put 600,000 miles on a new Kenworth Sleeper with a C15 Cat engine and it still had life in it when I retired from that company. The terrain varied from flat land to over the Cascade Mountain ranges. Stay smart and stay safe out there! All the Best!

80,000 pounds = 40 US tons not 36

Cat 3408. Loved that 8 cyl. monster. ❤️

The people that decide we don’t need higher horsepower in the US hasn’t ever been behind the wheel of a working truck, just test tracks. The limited horsepower has more to do with companies here wanting to spend less money on the trucks not caring how long it takes or frustrating it is to climb a hill or mountain while still pushing you to make the delivery on time or ahead of schedule. They also don’t really care about driver comfort because the seats in most trucks unless modified really suck and the options within the trucks are very limited and sparse. The legal limit in the US is 80k but that doesn’t mean that drivers don’t often haul much heavier loads with the proper permits. The EPA also has a big hand in the engine choice here in the states. Just another example of them sticking their noses into areas they don’t belong because a lot more to concerned about than what engines we use.

I run the same route each night and have a 450hp in my truck. It takes 12-15 gallons less fuel to do the same run than my old truck did with a 385hp engine.

Diesel is a lubricant, gasoline is a solvent. Less wear on cylinders and rings burning diesel

US truck design is still stuck in the 1950s. Here in Australia we have both Euro and US trucks to choose from. The only US truck that comes close to the Euros for refinement and low driver fatigue is the Mack Superliner. Kenworths are noisy, have a crap ride and are made with a collection of third party components. A Scania is Scania right through and it shows with lower running costs and maintenance.

After watching the whole video I came to a conclusion that as a European citizen I need a 1980 W900l Kenworth or Peterbilt 359, long wheelbase and a CAT V8 with standard shifter...😂

Pretty spot on information. However, there are places in the US like Michigan, where you are legal to run 164,000 pounds on 11 axles. Which requires every bit of 550+ hp in order to get any work done.

One word answers every questions about big long haul trucks. Necessity.