Truck Sizes in the USA: guide for drivers

Choosing a truck, it is not enough just to choose the vehicle model. You also ought to consider lots of other aspects, but the most important one is the question, devoted to truck sizes. You should try to find the answer to the question what truck sizes can meet your demands or whether you want to tow or haul anything.

In this review, we’ll discern about truck sizes and determine how to choose the most appropriate vehicle to comply with your demands.

Common US Truck Sizes

All trucks are subdivided into three categories:

• Compact;
• Midsize;
• Full-size.

Compact trucks are deemed to be the most popular models. First, they hit the market in the 1960s and gained a reputation of reliable vehicles. The most popular models that belong to this category are Chevy S10, Mazda B series, and Ford Ranger. In other words, these are just small pickups.

Mid-size trucks appeared when people wanted to have bigger hauling capacity. The first mid-sized truck hit the market in 1987. It was a well-known Dodge Dakota with a V6 engine (commonly, smaller options were endowed with four-cylinder engines only). As a rule, mid-sized trucks were endowed with a bigger and redesigned cab. The most widely-used models are Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Colorado and Honda Ridgeline.

A full-size pickup is a bigger truck, which is used for hauling too heavy loads. Its primary purpose is to conduct heavy duty functions. Some full-sized trucks can carry up to 7,000 lbs. As a rule, they are endowed with an I6, V6, V8 or V 10 engines. The biggest models are endowed with doubled rear tires.

In the USA, full-sized pickups are subdivided into the following categories:

• ½ Tone;
• ¾ Tone;
• 1 Tone.

Nevertheless, this type of classification was used many years ago with the aim to determine the weight of a load a truck can carry. These days, there are lots of vehicles that can carry more. For instance, just take a look at one of the latest models of Ford – Ford F-150, released in 2017. The maximum payload of this truck is 3,270 LBS. The maximum payload of Ford-350 is 7,620 LBS (this depends on configuration).

GVWR Classes

This is one more type of classification. GVWR (or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) means the maximum operating rate, one truck can carry. This criterion comprises such items as the truck itself, passengers, fuel and the weight of the cargo. The ranking starts from 1 to 8. The primary target of these classes is to cater for the needs of safety regulations and commercial designation.

Commonly, this criterion helps identify how many tones one truck can carry. For example, class 1 comprises cargo vans, SUVs, Minivans and Pickup trucks.  Such vehicles can’t carry more than 6,000 LBS. Vehicles, belonging to Class 2, can’t carry more than 10,000 LBS and so on. Vehicles that belong to Class 8 can carry the maximum weight – up to 33,000 LBS. These are truck tractors, dump trucks, sleeper cabs and cement trucks.

As a rule, this type of classification is used with the aim to calculate towing capacity or payload. To calculate the general payload capacity, it is necessary to take a truck’s GVWR and determine the truck’s weight itself.

As you see, truck sizes are numerous. In any case, you ought to be very attentive, choosing a truck because there are lots of issues to consider.