Cabin (truck)

2002-2005 Dodge Ram Quad cab (crew cab)

Renault Premium cabover (COE) with sleeper

a Freightliner Columbia aerodynamic conventional cab with sleeper

The cabin or cab of a truck is the inside space in a truck where the driver is seated. Modern long-haul (long distance) trucks cabs usually feature air conditioning, a good sound system, and ergonomic seats (often air-suspended). Pickup truck cabs have options that can make them as comfortable to drive as a car.^[1]

Pickup trucks

There are usually three types of cabs in pickup trucks:

• Regular cab means a pickup truck with 2 doors.^[2] It has a single row of seating and may seat one or two passengers.
• Extended cab means a cab with rear seating.^[3] It can have two, three or four doors.
• Crew Cab means a 4-door truck cab.^[3] Is sometimes called a double cab.

Larger trucks

There are a few possible cab configurations:

• A sleeper (or sleeper berth or bunk) is a compartment attached to the cab where the driver can rest while not driving. It is frequently on long-haul semi-trailer trucks. They can range from a simple 2 to 4 foot (0.6 to 1.2 m) bunk to a 12-foot (3.7 m) apartment-on-wheels. It allows drivers to spend weeks on the road moving cargo.^[4]
• Cab over engine (COE) or flat nose, where the driver is seated on top of the front axle and the engine. They came into use just before World War II.^[5] Cabovers have a shorter wheelbase and good visibility.^[5] COE's are still popular among medium and light duty trucks in the United States. To access the engine, the whole cab tilts forward.
• Conventional cabs are the most common in North America and Australia. The driver is seated behind the engine similar to a pickup truck.^[6] Conventionals are further divided into "large car" and "aerodynamic" designs. A "large car" or "long nose" is a conventional truck with a long (6 to 8 foot (1.8 to 2.4 m) or more) hood. With their very square shapes, these trucks experience a lot of wind resistance. They typically consume more fuel. They also provide somewhat poorer visibility than their aerodynamic or COE counterparts. By contrast, Aerodynamic cabs are very streamlined. They have a sloped hood and other features to lower drag. The front doors are behind (and mostly above) the front tires. Access to a conventional cabin is commonly by steps at or near the fuel tank(s) behind the front tires.

References

1. Craig Cheetham, American Cars of the 1990s and Today (Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2007), p. 17
2. "Pickup Truck Cab Styles Guide". autoaccessoriesgarage.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
3. "Pickup Truck Cab Styles Guide". RealTruck.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
4. Chris Oxlade, Trucks Inside and Out (New York: Rosen Publishing Group's PowerKids Press, 2009), p. 24
5. Mike Byrnes and Associates, Bumper to Bumper: The Complete Guide to Tractor-trailer Operations (Corpus Christi, TX: Mike Byrnes and Associates, 2003), p. 139
6. Mike Byrnes and Associates, Bumper to Bumper: The Complete Guide to Tractor-trailer Operations (Corpus Christi, TX: Mike Byrnes and Associates, 2003), p. 138