Originally Posted By: lpcmidst128
Most of those semi trucks such as Peterbilt have the engine in front. Once in a while I see the cab over type trucks like the Freightliner. The cab over type trucks seem rare and most of them are old (probably not newer than 1990s). They appear wider so I assume the inside of the cab has much more room (102" wide?).
Out of curiosity, are cab over trucks still made? Many of the trucks in Europe appear to be cab over type, of course I have not seen those here before.
The "conventional" is the Class-8 "over-the-road" configuration of choice in the US/Canadian market. Virtually every manufacturer offers multiple models. The current market leader is Freightliner LLC, which produces the Freightliner, Western Star and the recently discontinued Sterling brands. No manufacturer currently produces a Class-8 COE-type for "over-the-road" use in the US/Canadian market.
The COE-type is, however, the overwhelming favorite in the European market. The overall width of US/Canadian market tractors is 96", while European models are 2500mm (~98.4"). The introduction of the "flat floor", or "semi-flat floor" COE design made it easier to move about. Previous designs placed a massive engine hump right in the middle of the cab and left the seats squeezed into a small space on either side of the hump. This required one to climb over the engine hump to get from the seat to the bunk. The new designs meant the experience was much the same as that of being in a conventional cab. The primary difference being that the floor height was necessarily higher in the COE, in order to give enough room for the power-train.
Sleeper-cab lengths are much shorter in Europe due to overall length restrictions. For a good example of what a European sleeper-cab would look like, take a look at the Volvo VN420 tractor. The VN420 sleeper-cab is essentially the European COE "flat-top" configuration with a hood in front of it.
Cheers