Trucks come in a vast range of shapes and sizes, each designed for specialized transportation purposes. This article will provide an overview of 30 different types of trucks, ranging from compact personal vehicles to massive mining haul trucks. We‘ll explore key features, typical applications, and pricing for today‘s most common truck categories.
Pickup Trucks
The versatile pickup truck has long been one of the most popular personal and commercial transportation choices. Pickups range widely in size, towing capacity, bed length, and available cab configurations. Most provide four-wheel drive capabilities for off-road use.
Modern pickups retain the durability and functionality of their predecessors but also offer contemporary amenities and powertrain options. Electric models like the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning point toward the pickup‘s future. Costs range from about $25,000 for a basic compact truck to over $70,000 for a fully loaded heavy duty pickup.
Dump Trucks
Massive dump trucks excel in safely transporting and precisely delivering large loads of dense materials like dirt, gravel, and demolition debris. State of the art suspension systems and enormous tires enable them to tackle the most demanding job sites.
Specialist manufacturers like Caterpillar and Komatsu dominate the mining and heavy construction dump truck markets. Costs typically run well into six figures for smaller models and can exceed $5 million for the gigantic mega trucks used in mining pits and quarries.
Box Trucks
Also known as straight trucks, box trucks maximize cargo carrying capability and security within their spacious enclosed compartments. Fold down rear loading doors provide easy access. These versatile trucks serve an immense range of industries and niches. Depending on specifications and customizations, costs range from around $50,000 up to $150,000+. Well known models include Isuzu‘s NPR and the Freightliner M2.
Flatbed Trucks
The defining open cargo area on flatbed trucks facilitates convenient loading and transportation of especially large, tall, or awkwardly shaped items. Common flatbed loads include lumber, piping, tanks, industrial equipment, and construction vehicles. Prices generally fall in the range of $40,000 to $80,000. Top manufacturers consist of Kenworth, Peterbilt, International, Freightliner, and more.
Tow Trucks
Ranging from small models for personal use to massive rotating boom wreckers, tow trucks provide critical vehicle transport and accident recovery services. In addition to their distinctive apparatus, specialized equipment like winches gives tow trucks the muscle to safely move disabled passenger cars and heavy commercial vehicles. Costs vary widely based on size and features.
Refrigerated Trucks
Essential for transporting perishable consumables like food and pharmaceuticals, refrigerated box trucks maintain strict interior temperatures ideal for preservation. They use thick insulation in conjunction with cooling units analogous to household air conditioning systems. Build cost ranges from about $70,000 into the low six figures. Kenworth, Freightliner, and International rank among the most recognized refrigerated truck producers.
Concrete Mixer Trucks
Concrete mixers use their large rear-mounted drums to blend together water, cement, and aggregates while in transit to form concrete. High capacity pumps enable them to dispense freshly made concrete at construction sites. New concrete mixers go for $80,000 to $200,000+. Key manufacturers include Mack, Peterbilt, and Kenworth.
Garbage Trucks
Garbage trucks perform the crucial functions of collecting waste and recyclable materials from homes and businesses before transporting it all to sorting facilities, landfills, and processing centers. Common types include automated side loaders, front loaders, and rear loaders. Prices range from around $150,000 to well over $500,000 for the largest models outfitted with extra equipment for tasks like industrial waste handling.
Tanker Trucks
Specializing in safely conveying liquids and gases, tanker trailer trucks transport everything from milk and juice to hazardous chemicals and liquefied gases like propane. Small tankers configured to navigate residential neighborhoods can cost as little as $50,000, while large scale industrial fuel haulers run $150,000+. Custom work like requiring specialty alloys or extensive pumping/metering systems can drive costs higher still.
Fire Trucks
Fire trucks leverage powerful pumps coupled with extensive onboard water supplies to combat structure fires. They also carry rescued victims, ventilation equipment for clearing smoke, generators, and a variety of specialized tools tailored to firefighting and rescue operations. Costs typically exceed $500,000 due to this specialized equipment and durable construction.
Logging Trucks
The enormously strong frames, beefy suspensions, and towering tires of logging trucks are essential for transporting timber from remote forests to processing facilities and consumers. Average pricing falls between $100,000 to $200,000. Mack, Peterbilt, and Kenworth rank among the most popular logging truck manufacturers.
Car Carrier Trucks
Distinctively shaped car carrier trailers allow individual trucks to transport multiple vehicles at a time. Loading ramps provide access to the upper decks. In addition to moving new autos from factories to dealers, car carriers also enable vehicle relocation services. New car carriers usually cost somewhere between $100,000 and $250,000+.
Semi-Trailer Trucks
Semi-trailer trucks haul some of the heaviest loads over the longest distances. The tractor contains the diesel engine, driver controls, and front steering axle. The attached semi trailer rides passively on its tandems and contains the cargo. Popular models like the Peterbilt 579 and the Freightliner Cascadia start around $150,000 new.
Off-Road Trucks
Where road infrastructure ends, off-road trucks take over to tackle construction, mining, drilling, and more. Massive suspension travel paired with ultra grippy tires allows these mechanical beasts to traverse rocky, muddy, and unstable terrain while transporting equipment or retrieving natural resources. Top manufacturers include Caterpillar, Komatsu, Liebherr, and BelAZ. New prices range from $1 million up to around $5 million.
Delivery Trucks
Delivery trucks form the backbone of the thriving ecommerce industry. Models range from small cargo vans like the Ram ProMaster City ideal for urban deliveries up to 26 foot box trucks comparable to traditional moving trucks. Growth in online shopping translates to booming delivery truck sales, with costs typically ranging between $25,000 and $50,000+.
Armored Trucks
Built to securely transport high value, sensitive, or dangerous cargos, armored trucks feature extensive ballistic protection and sturdy construction. Most incorporate thick bullet resistant glass, military grade armored bodies, and other protective mechanisms. Costs range from around $300,000 into the millions for extreme security vehicles designed to safeguard dignitaries.
Mobile Crane Trucks
Boasting hydraulic boom arms akin to those of construction cranes, mobile crane trucks provide responsive on site material lifting capabilities. With strategically placed outriggers stabilizing the vehicle, mobile cranes swing loads of 50 tons or more exactly where needed around job sites. New mobile cranes range from about $100,000 to $500,000+, with specialized or extra capacity models reaching even higher prices.
Bucket Trucks
Sometimes called cherry pickers, bucket trucks utilize extendable booms tipped with enclosed platforms to safely lift workers up to heights of around 140 feet. On board tool storage and attachments like augers, saws, or drilling gear maximize productivity for tasks like tree trimming, power line maintenance, and exterior construction. Costs typically run from $50,000 to $200,000. Manufacturers include Altec, Terex, Manitex, Elliott, and more.
Vacuum Trucks
Featuring powerful vacuum pumps and tanks holding hundreds to thousands of gallons, vacuum trucks suck up and transport large quantities of liquids and slurries containing solids. Applications range from cleaning storm drains to removing waste from oil tanks to industrial plant maintenance. New vacuum trucks run $100,000 to $300,000+.
Utility Trucks
Utility trucks help services like power and telecoms companies access and service infrastructure like power poles, underground cables, and cell towers. Versatile equipment like bucket lifts, cranes, generators, and even drilling apparatus tailored to utilities makes these trucks indispensable for infrastructure upkeep. Costs generally run from around $50,000 up to $100,000.
Water Trucks
Large on board tanks give water trucks the capacity to haul thousands of gallons. Powerful pressurized sprayers let them precisely distribute water for purposes like controlling dust on construction sites, fighting wildfires, irrigating crops, or dampening quarry haul roads to limit dust. Cost ranges from around $50,000 to well over $150,000 for specialized high capacity models.
Military Trucks
Built to tackle the most demanding conditions around, military trucks feature rugged construction, run flat tires, vehicle armor, strategic communication tech, and high output drivetrains. Models range from general troop and materiel transporters to specialized vehicles like mobile missile launchers and mobile command centers. New costs range from around $200,000 up to $1 million+.
Articulated Trucks
Articulated frame steering enables exceptional maneuverability for traversing tight quarries and congested sites. Robust suspensions and horsepower ratings into the hundreds ensure these trucks continue working reliably when loaded down with dense payloads. Popular models include Caterpillar‘s 740 and Komatsu‘s HM 400. Brand new articulated trucks run $300,000 to $500,000.
Haul Trucks
The goliaths of mining, quarrying, and massive earthmoving projects, haul trucks stand multiple stories tall and can haul payloads of well over 300 tons. State of the art transmissions and suspensions work alongside 3,000+ horsepower diesel engines to motivate these behemoths. New haul trucks run $5 million to $10 million+ for the ultra class models. Leading brands consist of Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, BelAZ, and Liebherr.
Pallet Trucks
Pallet trucks utilize rolling forks to enable a single worker to easily transport palletized cargo weighing up to 8,000 pounds. Electric and manual pallet jacks represent ideal tools for smoothly transferring goods inside warehouses and trucking terminals. New pallet trucks range in cost from around $2,000 to $8,000. Brands include Toyota, Crown, Jungheinrich, Yale, and Raymond.
Fuel Trucks
Tasked with keeping our transportation networks moving, fuel trucks deliver gasoline and diesel to filling stations and truck stops across the country. Advanced pumping and metering capabilities ensure smooth transfers for replenishing underground storage tanks. New fuel trucks run around $50,000 to $150,000+. Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, International, and Mack top the list of leading fuel truck brands.
Postal Trucks
Ranging from small cargo vans to large walk-in box trucks, postal trucks transport enormous volumes of mail and packages between postal facilities for sorting. They also deliver directly to homes and businesses on daily routes. The iconic Grumman LLV with its right hand drive setup continues to deliver mail decades after its introduction. New postal trucks commonly run in the range of $25,000 to $50,000.
Tilt Tray Trucks
Hydraulically operated tilt tray beds simplify handling of exceptionally heavy or awkward cargo. Items like bulldozers, excavators, or industrial gear get anchored to the steel bed before the entire assembly smoothly tilts back for easy roll on loading using built-in ramps/winches. Isuzu, Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso, and UD Trucks lead the global tilt tray truck market. Costs range around $100,000 to $200,000+.
Moving Trucks
Moving trucks help individuals and families relocate while providing plenty of enclosed space to protect valued possessions. Convenient loading ramps and tie down points secure cargo for safe transit. Leading brands include industry specialists U-Haul and Penske along with light/medium duty truck makers Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, and Nissan. New moving trucks run anywhere from around $20,000 to $50,000+.
Electric Trucks
Leveraging zero emissions electric propulsion, the latest electric trucks meet sustainability targets while offering strong performance. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup accelerates fiercely thanks to 1,000 horsepower. It also provides remarkable off-road talents via torque vectoring technology. The Tesla Semi promises 500 miles of range alongside 82,000 pounds of towing capacity. Large scale electric truck adoption promises cleaner air along with reduced dependency on fossil fuels.
Conclusion
This broad survey of truck categories demonstrates the immense diversity underlying the descriptor "truck." From simple pallet jacks and package delivery vans up to off-road mining behemoths, tremendously specialized mechanicals work hard around the globe to transport raw goods necessary for our modern way of life as well as shipping consumer products that continue to drive ecommerce growth. Whether you‘re looking to purchase a truck for commercial or personal use, the information and examples above illustrate the vast range of available body configurations and capabilities tailored to unique transportation niches.
