When you hear or see the phrase “commercial delivery truck”, there are probably a few different images of trucks that come to your mind. You’ve probably seen these kinds of trucks hundreds of times before while driving on the highway, but do you know what each truck is used for? The trucks we’ll discuss today will showcase the different aspects of each truck format and what they’re best suited for.

Belly Dump Trucks

Also known as just the dump truck, these trucks are equipped for transporting loose materials such as gravel, sand or dirt. The back of the truck is in open bed style, with hydraulic arm underneath that pushes the bed upwards. This allows for the easy “dumping” of the materials to a specific place. These trucks work really well for loose material since they don’t need to be “gently” taken care of.

End Dumps

End Dump trucks are larger, more powerful belly dump trucks, capable of holding all sorts of materials. The beds are usually larger, built with higher sides and can project higher up with hydraulics. But this also means that because of the larger bed, this type of truck needs to have a more stable bottom, otherwise the truck itself could tip over. These trucks are often used for aggregate stockpiling and snow removal.

Haul Trucks

Haul Trucks are essentially souped up versions of dump trucks, meant for high-end mining sites, or heavy duty construction sites. Because of their large size, they are not to be used on highways. The payload capacity can reach up to 365 tons!

Vacuum Trucks

Vacuum Trucks are heavy duty trucks that specialize in carrying solids, liquids, and viscous material. Other names for this truck are “Sewer Sucker” or “Honey Sucker”. They typically have a cylindrical, closed off bed with a way to suck in material, seal it off, and then release the material within the bed. The material on the inside of the bed is then released through a pump or “vacuum”, which is great if you need to deposit the material into a tank.

Tri-axels

Tri-axel trucks are the ones we most commonly associate with “commercial truck”. These are often seen when on the highway, because they are the most commonly used truck. They can be used for transporting a wide variety of materials, from steel beams to loose material.

Rail

Road-rail trucks are trucks that can operate both on the road and on railways. These trucks are especially useful for delivering materials to an area that require both a road and railroad. These trucks are not for every day use, and should only be used if necessary.

Choosing the right truck for your project can be intimidating if you don’t know about the capabilities of each. If you have any questions about what sort of transportation would be best for your project give Nickel Rock a call at 210–468–0290 or ask us your questions at https://nickelrockllc.com/contact/. We’ll make sure you get what you need for the job!