When you have a lot to haul, you want to be sure you have the right heavy haul companies to choose from. And it is quite the industry. In 2012, an estimated 1,701,500 individuals were working for heavy haul companies, mostly in trucking. And it’s not just a job for men. Many women drive and haul as well.
What gets shipped?
On average, a long-haul truck can trek around 8,000 miles in a single month. And they are typically carrying any number of items. In the heavy haul transportation industry, furniture and various other manufactured products are the items that are most frequently shipped, as they account for 15% of all the transported cargo.
What is an “18-wheeler”?
These large trucks, some of the largest in heavy haul companies, get their name from combining the eight tires of the trailer and the ten tires of the tractor. These can transport nearly anything, from furniture to food and beverages. Normally an eighteen wheeler will have five axles, making it ideal for use in a heavy haul trucking company. The heavy equipment hauling that is often too much for a smaller vehicle to handle is no problem for the massive eighteen wheeler rig. There is a reason that their engines are generally around six times larger than car engines when it comes to size and weight.
Driving a big rig
Driving one of these massive trucks is not something most people can just hop behind the wheel and do. Driving such an enormous machine, especially on the road with mostly smaller ones that make visibility difficult, takes quite a bit of training and special certification. Next time you pass a large semi truck on the road, think of what everything the driver must consider, and think about giving them a wider berth. And of course a smile or a wave.
