Are you wondering what a straight truck is?
Straight trucks are unibody vehicles (aka one-unit vehicles).
All unibody vehicles have one common characteristic and that characteristic is having the driver cabin, the cargo area, and all axles attached to one single frame.
That straight truck configuration makes it a rigid vehicle.
Also, straight trucks are most often low to medium-heavy-duty vehicles.
Because of that, most often, drivers of such low to medium-heavy-duty vehicles are not required to hold a CDL. However, in some situations, they need it. See when you need a CDL to drive a straight truck.
Below, find what a straight truck means and its comparison with other unibody trucks.
The difference between a straight truck and other types of trucks
Examples of different types of straight trucks are delivery trucks, city buses, box trucks, cargo van trucks, dump trucks, etc.
You can find some of their comparison description below.
1. Straight truck VS tractor-trailer
The most recognizable difference between a straight truck and a tractor-trailer is the the configuration and the size of their cargo areas.
From the exterior, due to its cuboid cargo area, the straight truck looks similar to a dry van. However, their cargo area size is different.
A straight truck cannot hook or unhook its cargo area because it is attached to the vehicle's frame.
Cargo area size: 14ft, 20ft, 22ft, 24ft, 28ft.
A tractor-trailer is an articulated truck. That means that it has ability to hook and unhook semi-trailers.
Cargo area size: 28ft, 45ft, 48ft, 53ft.
2. Is a straight truck a box truck?
Most often, the phrase “straight truck” is used interchangeably to mean an actual box truck.
However, a box truck is always a straight truck while a straight truck is not always a box truck.3. Is a pickup truck considered a straight truck?
The pickup truck is also considered a straight truck because all its parts are attached to the same chassis.
4. Is a dump truck considered a straight truck?
A dump truck is also a straight truck because its cargo area and the driver’s cabin are attached to the same chassis.
5. Is a cargo van considered a straight truck
A cargo van is also a unibody vehicle, which means that the driver cab and the cargo area are connected through the same chassis.
The above overview of the medium-heavy trucks considered straight trucks should give you a clear understanding of which trucks are considered straight trucks and which can not.
Do straight trucks need reflective tape?
All commercial trucks are legally required to be equipped with highly reflective tape or its equivalent in the form of reflectors, so they are more visible.
However, the Federal regulations do not require conspicuity sheeting on straight trucks.
