After half a century of awkwardness, the U.S. gave up flat-head trucks, a little bit "crotch"

The 1950s and 1970s were the golden age of flat-head trucks in the United States. From the east coast to the west coast, old American drivers were also rocked and rocked in narrow boxes.

Different from the common trucks in China, the American flat head has its unique personality. The front overhang of the American flat-head truck is very short, the front wheel is leaning forward and the pedal is rearward. Imagine getting on and off the car is a bit embarrassing.

This kind of non-humanized look is not a designer’s disgusting taste, nor is it a driver’s weird demand, but thanks to the policy at the time, a regulation that restricts the wheelbase, which made American drivers awkward a lot. year.

The rise of flat-top trucks in the United States began before and after World War II. The main stimulus was that the government began to limit the total length of trucks. In order to expand the load space within a limited length, flat-head trucks gradually replaced long-head trucks to become the mainstream of road transportation in the United States.

By the 1960s, when the American interstate highway system was built, interstate transportation became the new normal of truck logistics. In order to cope with the strict restrictions on the total length of vehicles in the eastern states, the magic claws of auto manufacturers have once again extended to the truck cab.

When the total body length remains the same, in order to obtain a larger cargo box length, the cab space can only be compressed hard. that period of time,Various manufacturers are racing to launch "ultra-thin" cabs.

In this period of flat-head trucks, the cockpit is placed above the engine, and the door is almost the front wheel. The pedals can only be placed behind the front wheels.

When the driver gets in the car, he must climb up first, and then step into the cab with a flat step. It is easy to twist the waist and pull the hips when taking a long step. It is even more troublesome when getting off the car. You have to exit the cab with your back facing the door, then move a small step along the waistline to the pedal, and then slowly climb down the cab.

Not every driver can master this set of dangerous actions. Many truck accidents were caused by getting on and off.

In 1974, in order to prevent the premature degradation of bridges and highway infrastructure, the United States officially wrote the Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula into the Federal Aid Highway Act. The bridge formula method mainly protects roads and bridges from damage caused by the concentration of shorter truck weights by limiting the ratio of weight to length of heavy trucks.

Weighing stations will be set up on the borders of most states and some large cities in the United States, and the weighbridge is used to check the total weight and 3span of each vehicle.To check whether the passing vehicles comply with the bridge formula method.

In order to reach the maximum legal total weight without violating the bridge formula law, drivers and car dealers tend to extend the wheelbase of trucks. The longer the wheelbase of the main vehicle has caused the vehicle's front overhang to become shorter, and the front wheels almost stick to the bumper. The distance between the axle pins of the trailer is elongated, and the rear overhang of the trailer is also very short, and the rear wheel is almost moved to the position of the bottom of the vehicle.

The front suspension is further shortened, and the front wheel of the American flathead truck is more forward, almost close to the front bumper. In this case, the pedals in the cab had to follow the side-rear design, and American truck drivers continued to endure this awkward getting on and off posture.

This situation continued until 1982, when the United States revised the "Federal Assistance Highway Act" to no longer limit the total length of trucks, only the length of trailers. The new regulations have completely liberated the length limit of the main vehicle, and the long-duration truck has finally ushered in the spring.

With better comfort, safety, and maintenance convenience, the classic American West Coast long-head truck has suppressed the flat-head truck in all directions. Since this year, American flat-top trucks have gradually become historical favorites.

With the decline of flat-head trucks,The personal injury caused by getting on and off the cab is also greatly reduced, and getting on and off the car is finally no longer a difficult action.

Nowadays, I occasionally swipe the American-style flat-head video, and the comments can still see netizens complaining about this way of getting on the bus. For the old American drivers, how much they like long-head trucks now, how much they dislike flat-head trucks back then.

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