In the United States, the various rules and regulations that determine how much a truck is legally allowed to weigh and measure can vary a bit from state to state. For the most part, though, these laws are fairly accommodating. A single truck with three or more axles, for example, has to weigh under 80,000 pounds and have a width below 8.5 feet. That’s more than enough weight and space to haul gigantic loads across the country.
In Europe, on the other hand, trucking laws are a lot more stringent. Trucks driving in the member nations of the EU can’t be longer than 18.75 meters in length (approximately 61 feet). Due to this size restriction, European trucks need to slash sizes wherever possible to accommodate the maximum possible hauling load. The obvious answer, then, is to slice off some of the truck body and save the leftover length for the trailer. Thus, we’re left with flat-faced trucks.
