The World's Biggest Truck

Liebherr and Caterpillar produce the largest trucks in the world, which are used for mining. Liebherr's T-282 has a 3,650-horsepower diesel engine that powers two electric motors located in the rear axles. They weigh 224 tons and measure 47 1/2 feet long with a wheelbase of 21 1/2 feet. What the mining industry calls ''haul'' trucks cost about $3 million, and only about 75 of them are purchased in a year's time.

These trucks are strictly off-road (they'd probably break the concrete on a freeway!) The trucks use electric retarding for breaks and also have an emergency break like a car has — except that it's a lot bigger! Frequent maintenance is really important, as they can overheat very easily.

"The combination of Liebherr's load management philosophy for the design of the mainframe, axle box, and dump cylinder attachments coupled with the new technologies of drivetrain systems are what make producing over 300-ton trucks such as the T-282 a reality," said Francis Bartley, Liebherr's engineering manager for research and development, as reported in Diesel Progress.



Bartley was quoted in New Scientist magazine as saying that driving the truck is like driving a house, but the controls are similar to driving an automatic shift car.

For the Liebherr model, Detroit Diesel MTU and Cummins built the engine, and Siemens designed the drive system and electrical systems. The tires were developed by Michelin and Bridgestone, according to New Scientist.

The biggest truck in the world requires this gigantic crane to serve it (see photo). This CAT lives at the Kennecott Copper Mine near Salt Lake City, UT.

Some other mines that purchase these trucks include coal mines in Wyoming and Australia, copper mines in Chile, iron extraction sites in South Africa, and gold mines in Nevada.