SIC 3713 Truck and Bus Bodies

Encyclopedia of American Industries | 2005 | Copyright

SIC 3713
TRUCK AND BUS BODIES

This industry is comprised of establishments primarily involved in the manufacture of truck and bus bodies. Some establishments also provide complete vehicles by assembling the bodies they make onto purchased chassis. Establishments engaged in the manufacture of vehicle chassis are classified in SIC 3711: Motor Vehicles and Passenger Car Bodies. Establishments primarily engaged in the manufacture of truck trailers and demountable cargo containers are classified in SIC 3715: Truck Trailers.

Other related motor vehicle classifications include establishments primarily engaged in the assembly of motor homes on purchased chassis (SIC 3716: Motor Homes), stamped body parts for trucks and buses (SIC 3465: Automotive Stampings), cabs for agricultural tractors (SIC 3523: Farm Machinery and Equipment), cabs for industrial tractors (SIC 3537: Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailers, and Stackers), and cabs for off-highway construction tractors (SIC 3531: Construction Machinery and Equipment).

NAICS Code(s)

336211 (Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing)

Industry Snapshot

Truck sales tend to be volatile because they are subject to cyclical changes in the overall economy. During the recessive economy of the early 2000s, trucking companies postponed new purchases to waylay costs and shore up demand. As the economy recovers, the heavy truck industry is expected to increase production rates as older fleets are replaced. New emissions standards, with a deadline of full compliance by 2007, will also provide incentive for trucking companies to update their fleets. In 2001 the industry's value of shipments totaled $10.5 billion.

Established guidelines in the United States categorized on-road trucks and buses into one of eight classes according to their gross vehicle weight. As a group, Classes 1 through 3 were referred to as light duty trucks; Classes 4 through 7 were referred to as medium duty trucks; and Class 8 vehicles were referred to as heavy duty trucks. Light duty trucks included personal pickups, minivans, and sport-utility vehicles. Class 1 vehicles were those weighing up to 6,000 pounds; Class 2 vehicles weighed between 6,001 and 10,000 pounds; and Class 3 vehicles weighed between 10,001 and 14,000 pounds.

Medium duty trucks included service or local delivery vehicles, some types of construction vehicles, school buses, and refuse collection vehicles. Class 4 vehicles weighed between 14,001 and 16,000 pounds; Class 5 vehicles weighed between 16,001 and 19,500 pounds; Class 6 vehicles weighed between 19,501 and 26,000 pounds; and Class 7 vehicles weighed between 26,001 and 33,000 pounds. (Purchasers of medium duty trucks tended to be small to medium sized businesses.) Heavy duty trucks, listed as Class 8, were the largest type of on-road vehicle sold in the United States. Class 8 vehicles weighed more than 33,000 pounds and were primarily purchased by large industrial manufacturers and interstate fleet operators.

Organization and Structure

Trucks and buses were made up of three primary parts—the chassis, the body, and the engine. The chassis contained the wheels, axles, and fuel tank, as well as all the structural elements necessary to provide support to the body and engine. Manufacturers often used one single chassis style with many different body types.

Truck and bus body makers provided a variety of body styles to meet different hauling requirements. Van bodies were used to transport enclosed cargo, and types of vans varied. For example, refrigerated vans were air tight, while livestock vans featured vents to allow for air flow. Tank bodies were used to transport liquids. Hoppers were a special type of tank used to carry chemicals, salt, wheat, and cement. Flat bed truck bodies were designed to carry large, heavy loads such as machinery, steel beams, and telephone poles.

Other factors also distinguished different types of trucks. "Straight" or "rigid" trucks were mounted on a single chassis, with their cab and load areas forming one unit. "Semi" or "tractor trailer" trucks were mounted on two chassis, with their cab and load areas forming two separate units. The units were attached with a device located behind the cab on the tractor called a "fifth wheel."

Straight trucks, semi-trucks, and buses were available in two basic configurations termed "conventional" and "cab-over." In conventional designs, the vehicle's engine was located under a traditional hood in front of the driver cab. In cab-over designs, the driver cab was mounted directly over the engine. The cab-over design permitted manufacturers to make shorter cabs. In areas where total vehicle length was limited by law, cab-over tractors permitted drivers to pull longer cargo trailers.

Another type of truck designation, based on numerical references, was used to describe how many wheels a...

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