Trucks

Trucks are the workhorses of the road. They deliver almost everything you find in stores. Big trucks called semi-trucks haul heavy loads across the country. Without trucks, grocery stores, toy shops, and gas stations would all run out of supplies.

Types of Trucks

There are many kinds of trucks. Semi-trucks pull big trailers full of goods. Dump trucks carry dirt and rocks for construction. Tanker trucks haul liquids like gasoline and milk. Pickup trucks are smaller and used by families and workers. Each type of truck has a special job.

Life on the Road

Truck drivers spend long hours on the road delivering goods. Some drivers travel thousands of miles in a single trip. Big trucks have a small sleeping area behind the driver's seat called a sleeper cab. Truck drivers must follow safety rules about how many hours they can drive each day.

Fun Facts

• A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.
• There are over 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States alone.
• The first trucks were built in the 1890s and ran on steam power.

Did You Know?

If you lined up all the trucks in America end to end, they would stretch to the moon and back! Trucks move about 70% of all goods in the United States.