Truck Driving And Tractor Trailers

Yesterday’s post looked at tractors so it would be logical to assume that a tractor trailer was a trailer that was towed by a tractor. This is actually far from the truth. Tractor trailers are actually trucks and require truck licenses to drive them.

The term tractor trailer is given to a combination of a trailer and a truck. These are two entirely separate units. The truck can be hooked to other trailers and the trailer can be hooked to other trucks. They are connected by hardware,electronics and often compressed air, used to control brakes and lights.

The trailer component can come in many configurations, generally boxed, flat bed or tanker. Boxed is used to transport items such as bulk groceries; tankers are used to transport liquids and bulk dry goods such as grain; flat beds are used to transport a variety of products such as timber and heavy equipment like earth moving machines.

The truck or tractor component can also come in a range of configurations, some large enough to include a small sleeping chamber for long journeys.

To operate a tractor trailer you require a special license. To obtain this license you will require training – training by qualified people who can teach you not only how to drive a tractor trailer, but also some of the trickier maneuvers such as reversing. If truck driving is in your career plans then consider ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.