American Trucks - Other brands and a different look
One of our employees went on a trip to America. There, he shot some great pictures of typical American trucks. We would like to share these with you and have listed the best-known American truck brands for you.
Well-known truck brands in America
In America, you see different truck brands than in Europe. Below is a list of major players.
Freightliner
Kenworth
Peterbilt
Western Star
Mack
Isuzu
Ford
Volvo Trucks North America
Design philosophy
American trucks have a look all their own. Think, for instance, of the famous Coca-Cola truck that appears on our screens every year at Christmas. Some readers will also know Optimus Prime from the 1980s cartoon Transformers, while younger readers may recognise "Mack" from the animated film Cars.
American tractors have a characteristic long nose and are also called torpedoes or conventional trucks. But apart from taste or style, there is also a practical idea behind this design.
American tractor unit / Conventional cab | European tractor unit / Cab over Engine | |
Ease of maintenance | Engine easily accessible | Harder to acces engine |
Technology | Simple and strong | Advanced |
Maneuverability | Less maneuvarable | Very maneuvarable / tighter turning circle |
Fuel efficiency | Less efficient | Very efficient |
Comfort | Very Spacious | Compact |
Roads | Long straight roads | Urban |
Safety | Larger blind spot / safer for driver in frontal impact | Smaller blind spot + stricter EU safety standards |
Legal
In the US, there is a maximum length for the semi-trailer / trailer but the towing unit itself does not count in this. In the EU, there is a maximum length of tractor + trailer of 16.5m, so placing the cab above the engine simply saves a lot of length. It allows for a longer semi-trailer behind with more cargo space.
Freightliner
Freightliner is part of German Daimler (also owner of Mercedes-Benz). Its founder was Leland James. He was the managing director of the transport company 'Consolidated Freightways'. James was the inventor of aluminium parts in trucks. In addition, his trucks had the cab sitting above the engine. In 1940, he coined the name Freightways Manufacturing Company, which he changed to Freightliner Corporation in 1942.
Kenworth
Kenworth trucks were conceived through a collaboration between H.W. Kent and E.K. Worthington. During the depression in America in 1930-1932, Kenworth specialised in manufacturing fire engines. A year later in 1933, they were the first manufacturer of diesel engines as standard equipment in trucks. Kenworth, like Peterbilt, is part of PACCAR.
Peterbilt
2019 marked Peterbilt's 80th anniversary. Its founder was T.A. Peterman. Peterman was an entrepreneur in the timber industry. However, he was struggling with problems around transporting his timber. So he decided to start building trucks. At first only for his own trade, later from 1939 also for sales. The Peterbilt name was only brought to life when PACCAR took over the company 'T.A. Peterman'.
Western Star
Western Star started making trucks a bit later compared to other US trucks, as late as 1967. The company started with heavy load tractors. Not soon after, trucks were built for somewhat lighter loads. What is special is that Western Star makes all its trucks one by one by hand, tailored to the customer's requirements.
Mack
The popular Mack truck is characterised by the English bulldog on the front of the truck's nose. Mack was founded in 1900 by brothers Jack and Augustus (Gus) Mack, it was only in 1922 that the bulldog was added to the logo. Especially during the First and Second World Wars, Mack supplied many trucks, as well as artillery tractors, salvage vehicles and tank transporters.
Volvo Trucks North America
Volvo is originally European, of course. This Swedish manufacturer has managed to play a major role in the US truck market. In fact, it is the market leader in the US when it comes to electric trucks. By 2024, Volvo Trucks had a market share of around 40 per cent.
Photo gallery
