4570Man
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2015
- Messages
- 17,826
- Location
- Crossville, TN
- Tractor
- Kubota M59, Kubota L3800, Grasshopper 428D, Topkick dump truck, 3500 dump truck, 10 ton trailer, more lighter trailers.
Although this is way more common in Scandinavia, the other countries in Europe will also do it but not as much.
It's easier and cheaper to get the drivers license for the bigger tractors and it's less expensive having tractors doing trucks jobs. With a tractor, you wouldn't need the yearly vehicle inspections, tachograph and tachograph inspections, and all the associated stuff. Also, I don't think you have to renew the drivers license for tractors, or at least that often compared to trucks.
This works better because of the smaller travel distances to the jobs since the countries are, for the most part, small. At least compared to the US.
My country actually don't do it that much. For those that can justify the expense of running a truck, they mostly run 20 ton dump trucks fitted with Pallfinger cranes. It's a good general purpose truck.
View attachment 684959
And this smaller 5.5 ton one:
This one can get registered at light duty and can be driven by anyone with a B category drivers license (can drive all vehicles up to 7700 lbs gross weight), but gets capped at 7700 lbs. Or can be registered as commercial and get a 5.5 ton gross weight capacity but needs C category drivers license (can drive trucks without trailers).
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We’ve got a completely different set of rules to play by. For 1 we can’t even buy tractors built to go down the road. 2 there’s no separate license for tractors. If you’re a farmer you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you want to take an 18 wheeler load it to 100,000 with beans and then put an 18 year old field hand in it you’re good to go. For everyone else you’ll need a CDL. There’s endorsements involved for trailers, double trailers, multiple passengers, air brakes but for this discussion non of that matters. There’s really only 2 licenses. Everyone’s that’s good to 26,000 pounds and a CDL. There’s vehicle inspections in some states mostly where there’s heavy rust involved but there’s not in my state.