4 ms·

It's definitely primarily because of the space on the streets. I would not want to try to maneuver a American Semi through Europe.

frosted-flakes 5y ago
The article states that it's because of length restrictions. European leangth restrictions include the truck, American restrictions don't.
- flyingfences 5y ago
  Presumably, though, the length restrictions are due, at least in large part, to [lack of] available space on the streets.
- the_mitsuhiko 5y ago
  The European length restrictions don't exist because someone hates long trucks but because city and road planers don't need to account for longer trucks than that. This is especially important because of parking. In the EU there are maximum driving hours for truckers which means they often need to take rests and the infrastructure needs to support that.
  - dahfizz 5y ago
    > In the EU there are maximum driving hours for truckers which means they often need to take rests and the infrastructure needs to support that. The same is true in the USA.
    - PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
      Specifically: - 14 hour days, maximum - high tolerance of pulled over "resting" trucks - conventional truck designs with builtin bedrooms - state-run and private truck stops along most highways
      - jaclaz 5y ago
        In EU (for comparison): https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules The tachograph [0] is - I believe - not used (not mandated by Law) in the US, though it is being introduced recently. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachograph https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachograph
        harpersealtako 5y ago
        The US equivalent is the ELD [0], which basically does the same thing with minor technical differences. They've been mandated for years. I'm not a truck expert though. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_logging_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_logging_device
irrational 5y ago
That and the fact that European truck drivers don’t live in their trucks on a semi permanent basis.
- thex10 5y ago
  > One of the differences between European and American trucking is that owners-operators are very common in US and not so much in Europe. These people own their own trucks and pretty much live in them for months at a time. Semi-trucks with conventional cabs feature longer wheel base, which makes them a little more comfortable. Also, they tend to have a lot of room inside. Owners modify their trucks to include huge living compartments – something not common in Europe. I wonder why owner-operator truck drivers are more common in USA than Europe? Is it an externality of our lack of worker protections and safety net?
  - ptudan 5y ago
    I'd guess that in Europe there are a lot less long-haul drives than in the USA. Those are the ones that can pay big bucks and make O/O efficient. If you're going on a 6 hour round trip there's no reason you can't drop off the truck at HQ and head home to your family.
    - Teknoman117 5y ago
      Europe also kept maintaining their rail lines whereas the US has neglected ours because trucks were seen as a way to stick it to the rail companies. Our loss considering that freight trains are 4 times as efficient in terms of cargo ton-miles per gallon of diesel.
      - maxerickson 5y ago
        The US makes extensive use of freight rail. Like look at the per Capita number at the end of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_usage https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_us... The modal share for rail is also relatively high. A lot of it is bulk commodities of course.

frosted-flakes 5y ago

The article states that it's because of length restrictions. European leangth restrictions include the truck, American restrictions don't.

flyingfences 5y ago
Presumably, though, the length restrictions are due, at least in large part, to [lack of] available space on the streets.
the_mitsuhiko 5y ago
The European length restrictions don't exist because someone hates long trucks but because city and road planers don't need to account for longer trucks than that. This is especially important because of parking. In the EU there are maximum driving hours for truckers which means they often need to take rests and the infrastructure needs to support that.
- dahfizz 5y ago
  > In the EU there are maximum driving hours for truckers which means they often need to take rests and the infrastructure needs to support that. The same is true in the USA.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
    Specifically: - 14 hour days, maximum - high tolerance of pulled over "resting" trucks - conventional truck designs with builtin bedrooms - state-run and private truck stops along most highways
    - jaclaz 5y ago
      In EU (for comparison): https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules The tachograph [0] is - I believe - not used (not mandated by Law) in the US, though it is being introduced recently. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachograph https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachograph
      - harpersealtako 5y ago
        The US equivalent is the ELD [0], which basically does the same thing with minor technical differences. They've been mandated for years. I'm not a truck expert though. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_logging_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_logging_device

irrational 5y ago

That and the fact that European truck drivers don’t live in their trucks on a semi permanent basis.

thex10 5y ago
> One of the differences between European and American trucking is that owners-operators are very common in US and not so much in Europe. These people own their own trucks and pretty much live in them for months at a time. Semi-trucks with conventional cabs feature longer wheel base, which makes them a little more comfortable. Also, they tend to have a lot of room inside. Owners modify their trucks to include huge living compartments – something not common in Europe. I wonder why owner-operator truck drivers are more common in USA than Europe? Is it an externality of our lack of worker protections and safety net?
- ptudan 5y ago
  I'd guess that in Europe there are a lot less long-haul drives than in the USA. Those are the ones that can pay big bucks and make O/O efficient. If you're going on a 6 hour round trip there's no reason you can't drop off the truck at HQ and head home to your family.
  - Teknoman117 5y ago
    Europe also kept maintaining their rail lines whereas the US has neglected ours because trucks were seen as a way to stick it to the rail companies. Our loss considering that freight trains are 4 times as efficient in terms of cargo ton-miles per gallon of diesel.
    - maxerickson 5y ago
      The US makes extensive use of freight rail. Like look at the per Capita number at the end of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_usage https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_us... The modal share for rail is also relatively high. A lot of it is bulk commodities of course.