Trucking in North America vs around the world

Usually when people talk and actually listen, they find they have more in common than differences. That is why this thread drives on.

 

And from the side....?

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

 

I still think some of the best looking trucks come from the land down under.

 

Lets put it diplomaticly.
A draw off sorts.
From the front the euro has it.
From the side is goes to the hood.

Or different viewpoint:
Daycab or regional work .......euro.
OTR .........hood.

 

And you sit in a COE cab but don't realise it.
People forget that the USA Volvo started life as a COE.
To make a hood Volvo put the cab behind the engine.

 

From Volvo website history...

The family concept
Since the early 1980s, Volvo had improved the truck programme which it had taken over from White Motor Corporation step by step. This programme had been very advanced and was based on a 'Family concept', but partly lacked some of the advanced features present in the best European long-distance trucks.

On the other hand, these American Volvo White trucks had features which were perhaps superior to European trucks, among which low kerb weight was the most important. Without doubt, experiences from the American market have played a role in the development of even more efficient light heavy-duty Volvo trucks for the rest of the world (outside North America).

Designing a new generation of trucks
In the late 1980s, development work on a new generation of Volvo trucks started. In order to be able to devote massive design resources to the development of American Volvo trucks, superior to previous generations of American trucks, the decision was taken to use major components in several truck models.

These were to include the American Volvo trucks (which would be called 'VN'), European trucks ('FH' and 'FM') and also a full-cab-width conventional truck ('NH').

The benefits of the long bonnet American legislation permits long bonnets in front of the cab, so the new American Volvo cab was given a long bonnet early in the design stage, adding to the beauty of a truck type often favoured by many truck enthusiasts. With a long bonnet housing the engine, the cab floor naturally becomes completely flat, providing extremely roomy conditions for the driver.

The space in the cab of the VN is also made even more impressive by the generous sleeping compartments of the long sleeper cab versions (a day cab is also available), being available in two lengths for the 'VN' from its introduction in 1996.

 

One shift only

 

Just as American as Paccar and Daimler.