History of Trucks

It could be said that t he history of trucks started along with early man. Ancient civilisations devised ways of moving large objects over distance before the use of animals, and years before anyone considered a diesel engine. Wooden logs where used to roll objects over, easing the drag and giving an obvious route to the first use of the wheel. The first evidence we have of the wheel is from 3500BC with the sumerian civilisation of mesopotamia. By 2000 BC, ox and horses where being used to pull carts. This started the direct history of the articulated truck.

Although the modern truck has really evolved over the last hundred years, before this stage there where many attempts at building transportation that the truck owes its creation to. The first steam powered form of road transport came in 1769 through Joseph Cugnot. However steam powered vehicles were not common until the mid 1800's. due to the roads of the time, these vehicles were limited to short journeys, usually from the factory to the nearest train station. The first semi trailer was pulled by a De Dion steam tractor in 1881. Steam powered tractors were sold in the UK until the beginning of world war II.

The first internal combustion engine powered truck was built in 1898 by Gottlieb Daimler. other companies followed suit and the format was mainly a 2 cylinder engine with a capacity around 1500 - 2000 kg. The first world war brought many advancements including pneumatic tyres, electric starters, power brakes, closed cabs, electric lighting and 6 cylinder engines. Although invented in 1890, the diesel engine was not common in Europe until 1920. The first British built diesel truck was the kerr Stuart in 1929.

Since then, trucks have come a long way through the need to carry more goods, more efficiently. Aerodynamics and greater horsepower help to produce this efficiency, whilst better braking systems, airbags and on board electronics aid safety. More recently in the UK, higher specification trucks are the norm due to driver shortages leading to companies placing a higher priority on driver retention.