What are some of the biggest differences between passenger cars and commercial trucks (besides the obvious size difference)?
A: There are many differences between passenger cars and commercial trucks. Here are just a few of the biggest differences:
- Stopping Distance. The size and weight of commercial trucks creates tremendous momentum. An average passenger car traveling at 65 miles per hour can stop in about 160 to 170 feet. A tractor trailer traveling at the same speed won’t stop for about 420 feet (or the length of almost one-and-one-half football fields).
- Brake Systems. The braking systems of commercial truck and passenger cars are completely different. Big trucks have air brake systems. In an air brake system, pressure increases braking force, and the compressed air can increase braking force by several times. When locking up the brakes occurs, the truck continues to move forward and the risk of a truck jack-knife accident increases.
- Underrides. Trucks are supposed to have safeguards to prevent an accident known as an “underride,” but sometimes they do not. An underride accident happens when a commercial truck stops suddenly and a passenger car crashes into the rear or side of the truck, often resulting in the cab of the car being cut off. This sort of accident kills approximately 1,000 people each year. In 1996, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) required all trucks made after 1998 to have adequate rear underguards and side and rear reflector tape. Still, older trucks were not required to be retrofitted with these safeguards.
