Happy Riding, American Trucks

Welcome to another F&E tip by
Camaion Vaytoi

Monster Truck racing is a strange phenomenon and many find
it hard to understand its appeal. However, when you find
yourself staring at a truck you are actually staring at an
a genuine symbol of American.

However, trucks did not originate in the USA. 19th century
America was a very different place than it is today with a
highly developed economy and world leader status. British
and German Empires held that position but it was the
Germans that came up with the truck.

Back in 1985 two very different types of trucks competed
for attention. One, driven on petrol, the other was a
steam truck... yes really, a truck driven on coal. The
steam trucks had many supporters and in fact they were
manufactured right up until the second world war.

It was also a German, Benz (of Mercedes Benz of course)
that brought in diesel as a fuel - the fuel made economic
sense being cheaper and making the engines last longer.
These improved trucks came in 1924.

Jeeps from the US and their 4WD truck cousins, also US
built, worked very well during World War Two, and marked
the beginning of US dominance in the big truck world.

During the fifties tractors were made that tilted and the
big trucks we see now began to make their mark. They moved
essentials the length and breadth of the country. These
huge vehicles are certainly iconic and have been made the
star of innumerable songs and movies.

Domestic-sized trucks have also undergone a seismic shift
over the years. Not only are pick up style trucks very
popular (and powerful, comfortable and fast), but family
vehicles have been moving nearer to trucks for years. In
fact many SUV are more truck than family sedan.

The sheer size of some of these truck derivatives has meant
that they have become a symbol of political divisions in
the United States. It used to be a division between urban
dwellers and pickup driving country dwellers, but this has
shifted. Now there are divisions between people who want to
see a move towards ecologically friendly cars and those who
want to protect their families in ever-bigger automobiles.

But in the minds of many, the USA will always be associated
with big cars more than any other country. It also
explains why there is always a huge crows watching the
proud owners of these huge vehicles strut their stuff at
the Monster Truck racing venue.

Camaion Vaytoi is the webmaster and editor of
RUA Truck, INC
which is a helpful resource for information about trucks.
For more information go to :
http://www.ruatruck.com