2015

A truck (US, CA and AU)

or lorry (UK and Ireland) is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile. Commercial trucks can be very large and powerful, and may be configured to mount specialized

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Large semi trucks are one of the mainstays of transportation in the US and around the world, and the men and women who drive these big trucks are considered icons in some cultures. Drivers operate 18-wheeler trucks, also called semis. They may be an independent, owning their own

rigs, or work for a trucking company. The movie Smokey and the Bandit and the counЭrв/ЧШvОХЭв sШЧР “CШЧvШв” by C.W. McCall helped propel this

profession into the public eye in the US.

A truck driver must first be trained to drive an 18-wheeler. Driving this kind of vehicle is totally different from driving a car, a pickup truck, or even a small delivery truck. A semi has air brakes, many gears in the transmission, and a thousand other differences from conventional vehicles. A driver must be trained in КХХ ЭСО sОЦТ’s systems and operations. He or she has to know what to do when going up or down a steep grade, so the brakes will not overheat, and how to keep a load from shifting on a curve, which means she also has to know how to load the semi trailer properly.

A driving school teaches a novice how to park an 18-wheeler, how to maneuver in traffic, and how to turn into narrow streets. The driver must learn different driving techniques, depending on where he or she is. A person drives the rig one way in Los Angeles and another way on the flat Kansas interstate.

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When the truck breaks down, the driver must know some basic repair skills. He or she should know how to deal with the unique traits of a diesel engine and how to change a tire. The driver also has to know how to connect and disconnect the tractor (the cab) from the trailer.

A truck driver is expected to drive long hours, keeping track of them in the truck’s logbook. He or she must get merchandise to its destination on time, load the truck, unload the truck, make sure the load matches the manifest sheet, and a hundred other small duties. In short, he or she is respon- sТЛХО ПШr ЭСО vОСТМХО’s operation, efficiency, management, and safety, as well as for the load he or she carries.

While some companies pay their drivers well, many drivers do not make a salary commensurate with what is expected of them. The hours are long and lonely, and burnout is common. Trucks and their drivers are still the most common way to move consumer goods around the US.

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1.What does the word semi mean?

2.Why is driving an 18-wheeler different from driving a car?

3.What does a driver have to know to drive a truck?

4.What is a driver responsible for?

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History. There are a number of claims to the invention of the pile

driver. A mechanically sound drawing of a pile driver appeared as early as 1475 in FraЧМОsМШ НТ GТШrРТШ MКrЭТЧТ’s treatise Trattato di

Architectura . Also, several other prominent inventors – James Nasmyth, watchmaker James Valoue, Count Giovan Battista Gazzola, and Leonardo da Vinci – have all been credited with inventing the device. However, there is evidence that a comparable device was used in the construction of Crannogs at Oatbank and Loch Tay in Scotland as early as 5000 years ago. Otis Tufts is credited with inventing the steam pile driver in the United States. Ancient pile driving equipment used manual or animal labor to lift heavy weights, usually by means of pulleys, to drop the weight onto the end of the pile. Modern piledriving equipment uses various methods to raise the weight and guide the pile.

Diesel hammer. A modern diesel pile hammer is a very large twostroke diesel engine. The weight is the piston, and the apparatus which connects to the top of the pile is the cylinder. Piledriving is started by having the weight raised by auxiliary means – usually a cable from the crane holding the pile driver – which draws air into the cylinder. The weight is dropped, using a quick-release. The weight of the piston compresses the air, heating it to the ignition point of diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is added/injected into the cylinder. The mixture ignites, transferring the energy of the falling weight to the pile head, and driving the weight back up. The rising weight draws in fresh air, and the cycle starts over until the fuel runs out or is stopped by the pile crew.

From an army manual on pile driving hammers: The initial start up of the hammer requires the piston (ram) to be raised to a point where the trip automatically releases the piston, allowing it to fall by gravity. As the piston falls, it activates the fuel pump, which discharges a metered amount of fuel into the ball pan of the impact block. The falling piston also blocks the exhaust ports, and compression of fuel trapped in the cylinder begins. The compressed air exerts a pre-load force (approx. 44,000 lbs.) to hold the impact block firmly against the drive cap and pile. At the bottom of the compression stroke, the piston strikes the impact block, atomizing the fuel and starting the pile on its downward movement. In the instant after the piston strikes, the atomized fuel ignites, and the resulting explosion exerts an even greater force on the already moving pile, driving it further into the ground. The reaction of the explosion rebounding from the resistance of

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the pile drives the piston upward. As the piston rises, the exhaust ports open, releasing the gases and force of the explosion into the atmosphere. After the piston stops its upward movement, it again falls by gravity to start another cycle.

There are different fire truck models, so not all carry exactly the same equipment. However, most modern fire trucks are multi-purpose vehicles making use of a variety of types firefighting equipment. Most will also carry certain equipment for other types of emergencies as well.

Fire trucks are generally heavy duty suspension trucks with brakes, tires, an alternator, a transmission, and a cooling system, like regular tucks. Fire trucks have different methods of directing water to quench fires. Most use a hose to pump water onto a fire through hoses, though some use water cannons that can be pointed towards the fire from a greater distance. Some fire trucks have an on-board reservoir of water, while others must use water from an external source, such as a fire hydrant or a lake. A water tender, a fire appliance used to transport large amounts of water to the site of a fire, is sometimes part of a fire truck.

Fire trucks may also have devices to reach fires high above the ground. Two of the most popular devices of this type are the turntable ladder, and the hydraulic platform. Both are mounted on the top of the truck. Turntable ladders are telescopic, and may be operated by hydraulic or pneumatic power.

The turntable ladder can be rotated to reach different areas, while the hydraulic platform simply lifts high above the fire truck. Some hydraulic platforms are articulated, allowing them to extend over a high surface like a roof. Turntable ladders sometimes include a small platform or basket at the top.

Other equipment a fire truck often has on hand includes ropes, axes and other cutting tools, floodlights, ventilating equipment, and fire extinguishers. A tool called a pike pole or ceiling hook is used to search for fires beneath the sheetrock in some walls and ceilings, to pull items from burning areas, and to break windows to provide ventilation. A halligan bar is a similar implement used to break into burning structures when necessary.

In addition to fire-fighting devices, a fire truck generally has a variety of rescue and first aid equipment. Turntable ladders and hydraulic platforms can be used to rescue people from high places as well as to fight fires. Breathing apparatus and other resuscitation items can help treat in-

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jured people on site, before the arrival of an ambulance. Fire trucks also usually have a two-way radio, allowing communication with other rescue personnel, as well as visual and audible warning systems including a siren and flashing lights.

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The dump truck is thought to have been first conceived in the farms of late 19th century Western Europe. As early as 1905, the first motorized dumping vehicles were developed. The first motorized dump trucks in the United States were developed by small equipment companies such as Galion Buggy Co. and Lauth-Juergens among many others around 1910. Such companies flourished during World War I due to massive wartime demand. Companies like Galion Buggy Co. continued to grow after the war by manufacturing a number of express bodies and some smaller dump bodies that could be easily installed on either stock or converted (heavy-duty suspension & drive train) Model T chassis prior to 1920. Galion and Wood Mfg., Co. built all of the dump bodies offered by Ford on their heavy-duty AA and BB chassis during the 1930s. Galion (now Galion Godwin Truck Body Co.) is the oldest known truck body manufacturer still in operation today.

The first known Canadian dump truck was developed in Saint John,

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