Category Transport

 Some fire trucks carry ladders so long that the ladder needs its own extra-long trailer. A second driver in a rear cab turns the rear wheels of the trailer so that the truck can get round sharp corners to reach fires in narrow streets.

Amazing! Water is pumped along fire hoses by a powerful pump in a fire truck. It comes out of the hose nozzle so quickly that the fire fighter holding the nozzle can be lifted off the ground.

Is it true? Fire engines need stabilisers.

Yes. Fire engines with long ladders could topple over if the ladder was fully extended to the side. So they have two stabilisers on each side.

How far can a fire truck’s ladder reach?

Some fire trucks have telescopic ladders which are more than 40 metres long when fully extended. That’s long enough to reach the eleventh floor of a building.

Who puts aircraft fires out?

Airports have their own teams of fire fighters who use fleets of special fire trucks. The trucks fight fires with foam instead of water. The foam is fired from cannon on top of the fire truck and smothers any fuel which is alight.

Strong metal chains called snow chains stop trucks skidding on icy or snow-covered roads. The chains are wrapped around all the truck’s tyres and cut into the ice or snow, gripping it tightly. In cold countries, truck drivers always carry snow chains with them.

Amazing! Some farm tractors have huge double sets of wheels to stop them from churning up the soil. In very muddy ground, normal tractors sink into the mud. Double wheels spread the tractor’s weight over a bigger area to stop it sinking.

Which trucks race across the Sahara?

Trucks compete in many rallies, including the famous Paris-Dakar Rally that crosses the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. More trucks carry spares and mechanics for other competitors, who race in cars and on motorbikes.

What is four-wheel drive?

When a truck has four-wheel drive, it means that the engine makes all the wheels turn. In some trucks, the engine only turns two of the wheels. Four-wheel drive is good for driving off-road on muddy tracks.

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A type of digger called a backhoe loader can dig, load and drill. At the back is a digger arm with a bucket called a backhoe. At the front is a shovel for picking up loose soil and rock. Different sized buckets or a pneumatic drill can be attached to the backhoe.

Is it true? Some trucks have bullet-proof glass.

Yes. Demolition machines have extra-strong, bullet-proof glass in their cabs. The glass stops falling masonry crashing into the cab and hurting the driver.

Amazing! There are mini digging machines as well as big ones. Mini machines are used where large machines can’t go, such as in basements, and for digging small trenches in pavements and gardens.

Which trucks can reach high up?

A mobile crane is a truck with a crane on its back. Mobiles cranes work on construction sites, lifting heavy objects such as steel girders into place with their telescopic arms. There is a cab at the back for the driver who operates the crane.

How is concrete delivered?

Concrete is carried to building sites in cement mixers. The ingredients are put in the mixer’s drum, which rotates, mixing the concrete.

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A monster truck is an ordinary pick-up truck fitted with huge dump-truck wheels, extra-strong suspension and a very powerful engine. Monster truck owners race their trucks over tracks with huge bumps and jumps. The trucks bounce about and even tip over if they go too quickly.

Is it true? Monster trucks drive over cars.

Yes. In monster truck racing, some of the obstacles that the trucks drive over are old cars! The cars get crushed flat under the trucks’ massive wheels.

Amazing! One of most famous American monster trucks is called Grave Digger. It has an amazing custom paint job, with scenes of graveyards all over its bodywork!

Who paints trucks for protection?

 In countries such as Afghanistan and India, truck drivers paint their trucks with bright colours and religious symbols. They believe that the symbols will stop them from having accidents.

What are customised trucks?

Customised trucks have special parts such as huge wheels, high suspensions and big engines. Some even have boots, bonnets and doors moved by hydraulic rams. Custom trucks are built specially for shows and races.

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Tanks are good at driving across rough, muddy ground, but they’re quite slow. When tanks need to move quickly, they’re carried on special tank transporters. The transporter’s trailer needs lots of wheels to spread out the huge weight of the tank.

Which trucks can swim?

Armies transport equipment in amphibious trucks that can drive on land like a normal truck and float across water like a boat. Amphibious trucks have a waterproof underside to stop water flooding the engine.

Amazing! Some trucks have armour plating on the outside. They’re called armoured personnel carriers (APCs for short). They’re used to carry troops on battlefields.

What carries missiles?

Missile-carrying trucks transport huge nuclear missiles. On board the truck is a launch pad and a control centre for launching the missile. The trucks carry the missiles into the countryside if their base is threatened by enemy attack.

Is it true? Some trucks have caterpillar tracks.

Yes. A type of truck called a half-track has wheels at the front and caterpillar tracks at the rear. Armies often transport their troops in half-tracks.

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In the 19th century, the first powered trucks had steam engines, before petrol engines and diesel engines were invented. They looked like the steam tractors used on farms.

Amazing! The first ever steam-powered vehicle was destroyed in a crash. The three-wheeled carriage was built by French engineer Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769, and was supposed to pull artillery guns.

What did trucks look like before steam engines were invented?

Before steam engines were invented, cargo was moved in wagons pulled by animals such as oxen or horses. This is why the first powered trucks and cars were called ‘horseless’ carriages.

Is it true? Early buses were pulled by steam tractors.

Yes. A steam tractor was a steam-powered vehicle designed for towing wagons. The first passenger-carrying buses were made up of a wagon with several seats inside, pulled by a steam tractor.

What was a charabanc?

A charabanc was a flat-bodied truck with benches in the back for passengers to sit on. Factory workers and their families travelled in charabancs on days out to the seaside or to the city. The first charabancs were pulled by teams of horses.

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A jack-knife happens when a truck driver tries to stop, but the trailer slides sideways, out of control. A jack-knife is very dangerous – the trailer might turn over. It is named after a Knife with a folding blade.

How do truck drivers talk to each other?

Truck drivers talk to each other on citizens’ band (C.B) radios. They warn each other about traffic jams or bad weather. Drivers use nicknames called handles instead of their real names.

Amazing! During the winter, some truck drivers build fires under their cabs while they are stopped! When diesel fuel gets very cold it goes thick and gooey, so drivers try to keep it warm and runny so that their engines will start again without any trouble.

Is it true? Trucks have up to 16 gears.

Yes. Trucks need lots of gears. They need very low gears for starting off with a heavy load and for slowly climbing steep hills. They also need very high gears for travelling quickly on motorways.

Where do truckers sleep?

Some long-distance truck drivers sleep in bunks behind or over their seats. The biggest trucks have a sleeper compartment behind the cab, with a toilet and shower.

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Freestyle motocross is a new motorbike sport where the riders perform daring tricks as they jump off humps on a dirt truck. Sometimes they even let go of their bikes completely!

What is stunt riding?

Stunt riders speed up ramps on their bikes, and jump over cars, buses and trucks. The most famous stunt rider of all, Evel Knievel, even tried to jump a canyon in a rocket-powered ‘skycycle’ in 1974. He nearly drowned in the attempt. Evel claims that he has broken every bone in his body.

Amazing! Teams of stunt riders perform incredible tricks such as building motorcycle pyramids and jumping through rings of fire. For a pyramid, the team members balance on each other’s shoulders while the bikes are moving.

What is the wall of death?

The wall of death is a circular, vertical wall. Stunt riders whizz round and round it on their motorbikes, as if they’re riding inside a tin can! They have to ride at full speed to stop falling off the wall.

Is it true? Riding on one wheel is impossible.

No. Riders can lift their front wheels off the ground and ride along on the rear wheel. This trick is called a wheelie. Superbike racers do wheelies to celebrate winning a race.

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 A chopper is a customized bike with a low seat, high handlebars and long front forks. The rider leans back, as if in an armchair. Choppers first appeared in the USA when Harley owners chopped up parts of bikes to make much lighter and faster versions.

Amazing! Chopper motorbikes and tricycle motorbikes a popular with motorbike gangs called Hell’s Angels. Hell’s Angels wear all black – black leathers and black helmets.

Is it true? Chopped scooters are used for drag racing.

Yes. A drag race is a race between two motorbikes along a short, straight track. Some drag racers compete on chopped scooters, which are scooters with a beefed up engine and a long frame.

Who reached 345 kph on a Triumph?

Johnny Allen rode a cigar-shaped Triumph bike at 345 kph across the Bonneville Salt Flats in America in 1956. Triumph named their most famous bike the Bonneville after this feat.

Who put three engines on a motorbike?

Russ Collins put three engines on to his Honda drag racer in the 1970s. Drag bikes need a huge amount of power for maximum acceleration, and some models are even powered by rocket engines!

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TT races are held every year on the public roads of the Isle of Man, part of the British Isles. TT stands for Tourist Trophy, because, when the races started in 1907, they were for touring motorbikes.

Who raced on wooden boards?

Early motorcycle races used to take place on wooden bicycle tracks. Imagine the splinters if you fell off!

Is it true? All motorbikes have brakes.

No. Motorbikes built for speedway racing have no brakes, and only one gear. These races take place on oval tracks made of dirt, sand, grass, and sometimes ice. The riders slide round the bends at each end of the track.

Amazing! In high-speed crashes, motorbike racers sometimes skid across the ground at 250 kph! So racers wear leather overalls to protect them in case they fall off. They also have tough knee pads sewn into their leathers because their knees touch the road as they lean into bends.

What is a superbike?

A superbike, such as this Ducati, is a very fast motorbike, normally with an engine of 750 cc or bigger. The word ‘superbike’ was first used to describe the Honda CB750 of the late 1960s. Superbikes are designed for high-speed racing but can also be used for touring on public roads.

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