Cab Overs

Awesome post, and love the pics of the old iron. I bet that does get you some looks rolling down the street.
I was ROFL at your description of waking up in a low-ceiling truck. I ran a flattop volvo (vnm420) for a friend, and had the same thing happen the first night I was changing clothes. I was sitting on the bunk, and stood up to take off my jeans (and put on PJ's), and promptly cracked my head!

I can only imagine how scarce room can be, The last COE I was in was an Argosy (by FTL), and it had a raised roof, with a flat floor, and it was still pretty tight in there. Check this pic out, it's from Australia, and it looks like the hot ticket for city delivery, but in the same league as your Euro COE's.

 

Hey wallbanger that truck you posted there is a over here called a renault premium which uses the mack engine and is built in france by renault..i used to drive one and only for a short time thank god!..it has a narrow cab and so there for would not be the truck of choice for a long haul driver over here..i have posted a picture of one that you would see over here..and a picture of my mercedes truck..not as fancy as any american truck i no but the best we have over here at the moment..That is a 29 ton high cube iso sat on the back full of tea from china..you see we love our tea over here..lol...and grosses me out at 44 ton..you will notice that the tryes on all our trailers are what we call super singles and replaces the doubles..this keeps the weight down on the rig so as to carry more goods..however these tyres with that weight on has killed most of the roads here in the uk and europe..even after resurfacing they are back withing a few days..with tram lines in all the crawler lanes where we are all stuck running together as by law all trucks in the uk and europe are limited to 56mph..it sucks hey..lol..by the way i do get lots of great looks driving my 1942 gmc down the road over here as there is so much history over here from the war.. there where a lot of american soldiers based all over the south coast of england during the build up to d-day..and as i drove by some of our older citizens especially the older ladys that still remember the yanks based over here during the war and driving by them.. still shout to as they did then...GOT ANY GUM CHUM...lol...I just love my jimmy...Take Care you all...

 

Nice pics, and for the record, all that chrome on a Pete (or KW) sure looks nice but it doesn't help pull the load! Your Benz looks just fine, especially if it gets the job done.
BTW, I spent some time in India, so I know ALL about tea, and roundabouts! Thanks a lot for those!!!

 

I understand your question..... the answer I think we all have is that the first time you are behind the wheel.... as in at trucking school, you may have that feeling.
Later on though, you get used to it. It's not really that big. You just think it is because you're used to a car.
When you drive otr for a few months, and get back home, and hop into your car/truck/van/suv...... It feels like you're dragging your butt on the ground.
Trust me, once you get into a truck a few times, it's not so daunting.

 

How are those to drive?(The argosy) I took one of those virtual tours on freightliners website, It looked decent.

 

they are very bouncey and you will feel every bump in the road. kind of like driving a frieghtshaker.

 

For 10 years I was the main driver of my bands tour bus. An extended 48 foot Eagle. The driver is actually sitting about 4 feet ahead of the front axle. Big wide open windshield, so you could see forever. But if you had to do a tight turn around in a parking lot; you cut the wheel all of the way and let out on the clutch, it turned so tight, it felt like you were being swung out in a circle. If you let out too fast on the clutch, you could almost get thrown out of the seat sideways. Always wore a seat belt and had armrests. But I did like the feel of the cab over type dash and the view.

 

Kaydriver, the one I drove had air-ride all around, and it rode pretty nice. Granted, on harsh bumps you feel the shock in your lower back, although the air-ride seat absorbs the majority of the impact. On the plus side, you have an awesome view, and it cuts turns super sharp; it would be a great choice for a container hauler (esp in Jersey or Chicago).

 

I begat my Big truck driving career in an International Cab-Over. First in a 9600 and then a 9700, also known as a "bus," due to the set-back axle (on the 9700).

Cab-Overs offer the best unobstructed view of the road ahead and are quite a bit easier to maneuver in tight places.
Their interiors are wider than a conventional, for what it's worth.

I really liked driving cab-overs,.............. until,................
I drove my first conventional.

Here's what I DIDN'T miss about the cab-overs.

1. The doghouse in the middle. (Engine cover)

2. Having to lay down in the sleeper to pull my pants on.
**(However, as a driver trainer, that had it's benefits. You see, after graduating a trainee, I celebrated by cleaning the entire bunk area, including removing the mattress for cleaning. You ought see all the loose change that had fallen out of the trainee's pockets. Now, the FEMALE trainees carried purses, so I didn't score as well with them.
Bummers.)**

3. On the warmer nights, not idling, the heat from the engine rose and kept the interior HOT.

4. Cleaning the windshield is a hassle on a cab-over.

5. Jacking the cab to access the engine IS a hassle. Everything in the bunk not secured winds up on the inside of the windshield. Considering that inspection of hoses and drive belts SHOULD be part of a pre-trip, that gets real old, real fast.

6. Climbing in and out of a cab-over CAN be a hassle. There are many slips and falls on slippery steps and the grab handles can be slick in wet or freezing weather. DO NOT get in the habit of JUMPING out of a cab-over. Many drivers have done that for years and their legs and backs remind them with pain for the rest of their lives.

7. Running a team operation --- trying to sleep while the truck is moving is like someone violently shaking you while yelling "GO TO SLEEP". Much easier said than done.

8. And possibly the most important, --- driving a cab-over practically guarantees the driver WILL be the FIRST one on an accident scene.
Measure the thickness of the aluminum or fiberglass of a cab-over cab up front --- then imagine a frontal impact with an immovable object. Believe me, it ain't armor plate up there.

Cab-overs became popular when the 53 foot trailers made their appearance and created an over-all length situation that made them illegal in many states and Canada. Back then, I think the allowable maximum over-all length was 70 feet, and the average conventional pulling a 53 footer stretched that distance out to around 72 to 75 feet. My Kenworth T-600 with the 5th wheel slid all the way forward measured 72 1/2 feet with a 48 foot trailer. Tricky when in Georgia, back in the day where the length laws WERE enforced.

Pull over driver. I got sumthin' I wanta GIVE you.

Holy Smokie!
You're in TROUBLE now!

A shorter wheelbase conventional tractor can be used, but the shorter the wheelbase -- the choppier the ride. Stretch that frame out and it's a Cadillac ride -- until y'all get to that tight dock. Then y'all might wish you were driving a cab-over as you sweat bullets trying NOT to knock the nose off that new Peterbilt in the next door. The one with the BIG, burley driver watching your progress, or lack thereof, while backing in. And more than capable of socking a head clean off with only one swing.
YeAH!
That guy.

Have MERCY on the newbie!