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I love it when people don't know the difference between the EU and Europe.

Important to note that those EU tons are metric tons. 44 metric tons is about 97,000 pounds, or 48.5 US tons. The whole video would have been a lot clearer if it stuck to consistent units. Coincidentally, a UK Imperial ton is much closer to a metric ton than a US ton.

As a german, I have to point out: There might be more powerfull engines available, but not many trucks have them. If you drive onto the A7 (Autobahn) at the "Kasseler Berge" (Kassel mountains) near Kassel, you often find trucks going no more than 30 kmh / ~18mph even though they are allowed to go 80 kmh / ~49mph by law. They crawl up the steep roads because they cant go any faster. Normal trucks, used for day-to-day transport outside the apline area are mostly equipped with engines with less than 500 hp because the bigger engines will consume more fuel without shortening the travel time to any significant degree.

Also another note, these high power engines aren't used in day-to-day transportation. The regular 40 ton trucks that transport goods usually have weaker engines at around 450~550 HP. The powerfull 750HP engines are only really used in heavy haulers that carry super heavy loads like construction parts that need special permits and sometimes even closed off roads

Being a Norwegian I think maybe the Swedish trucks are better equipped to the arctic weather and terrain up in Scandinavia and we usually buy more expensive trucks as well. I'm sure the cheap and less expensive trucks around the mediterrainean is well equipped for that terrain. We have troubles in Norway every years truck drivers from southern Europe underestimating the harsh arctic terrain and passing the border without chains in winter weather.

As others have pointed out, Scandinavia is the only part of Europe where those massive weights are common and not limited ton special oversized transports. A larger engine is usually more efficient and durable with extra heavy loads. The vast majority of European long distance trucks are specced in the 400-500hp range. Thats not to say American manfuacturers didn't have giant engines for special applications in the past. Stuff like the Detroit 12V-71, Mack E9 and Cummins KT

I used to work at a Volvo reman plant. Before shipping to the client we hooked up the engines to a dyno. Watching the mighty 16 litre going full speed under heavy load always gave me goosebumps

The comments here are worth reading for the variety of responses and opinions. The consensus seems to be that for most of the EU and most of NA the majority of trucks hauling the most common freight are in the 400-500 HP range, with bigger power in some places for bigger loads. Most of us folks here in NA have curious interest in trucking in the EU as it is quite different from our experience, and it seems the same from the folks in the EU. As a 40 year driver and retired small fleet owner I think most NA drivers would struggle to adapt to the EU ways ( lower speeds, less geographic area ) and I'm guessing a lot of EU drivers would like a spin in my 2000 Peterbilt 379 with the Cat 600 (hobby trucking now), easing across Montana, Alberta, Colorado, or Texas on a nice spring day or a cool fall evening. For us over here, it doesn't get much better than that, in this old skinner's opinion. To all on the road, no matter which continent you are traversing, drive safe and make it home in one piece.

He missed one, if not the major reason for European higher power, speed limits and limiters. When the 90kph (56mph) limiter was introduced this was the spark to much higher hp. In the US you can drive at 70 mph +/- depending on state on the flat, so if you loose speed on the hills the driver can soon make it back, in Europe the lower speed limits and limiters means you must try to maintain speed up hills, because you cannot recover the lost time on the flat.

American truck driver here. I own my truck and trailer. 2015 freightliner Detroit 15 liter set at 525hp/2050lbft (2780nm) and a 13 speed manual transmission. While many Yank owners will also customize their trucks to stand out, I like mine being a simple, clean, shiny black; and my trailer matches. For my European counterparts, I'd you get the chance to visit my country, come to an American truck show, go to the world's largest truck stop in Iowa, maybe rent a caravan and drive across our massive country. It's beautiful

In the UK weight limits are largely based on the number of axles. They are from 3.5 - 7.5 tonnes and from there up to 18 tonnes with two axles. Rigid trucks with three axles can run up to 26 tonnes and with four can gross up to 32 tonnes. Artics (tractor trailers) can gross out at 44 tonnes with six axles. Then there are the STGO, or Special Types, General Orders trucks that, for instance, can carry loads of 100 tonnes or more. These might carry locomotives or similar. In Britain, historically, truck makers had much in common with their US cousins in as much as they used proprietary components by manufactures like Rolls Royce, Perkins, Gardner or Cummins. Kirkstall, Eaton and Turner used to make gearboxes and axles. On the continent most manufacturers were vertically integrated but of late, ZF have taken over much of the transmission market. Before we joined the EEC, or EU as it became there was relatively little trade between Britain and Europe but it was quite common for trucks to drive over the Alps from Germany to Italy or Italy to Spain so powerful engines and sleeper cabs were common as trips could last several days. In the UK owners preferred low revving engines that would last a million miles between rebuilds. The likes of Volvo and Scania introduced leasing to the market so vehicles would go back after 3 or 4 years and after 10 years would end up in Africa. In contrast, British trucks would quite often work for 20 years and then the engines, especially Gardners, would enjoy a second life as generators for traveling fairgrounds or powering Junks around the coats of China and Malaysia.

Some clarification... the max road legal weight limit in Sweden is 74 ton without dispensation with a max length of 25.25m and in Finland the max weight is 76 ton without dispensation with a max length of 34m (truck plush 2 full semi trailers). the 90 ton are only for iron ore and logging truck, are only allowed in Lapland and on certain roads. in Finland you have certain routes where you can drive Iron ore up to 104 ton and logging trucks up to 90 ton.

Great video. In Australia we get both American and Euro trucks. The best of both worlds!!

Meanwhile in Canada, we're using American trucks for much hillier terrain. The only flat-ish sections are from mid-Alberta, through Saskatchewan, to maybe halfway through Manitoba. Whereas everywhere else has numerous hills and mountains. Not to mention a lot of trucking companies in Canada pull super-B's (b-trains/b-doubles) over all this terrain. I wish we had more powerful engines. Would make running through the mountains so much easier.

The most interesting truck today is missing in this video. Sisu Polar hybrid. It has 1140 hp and 5000 nm with electric motor. That electronic system assist diesel engine to accelerations and took energy back in breaking, so that supercondensator can produce that power again. This saves so much fuel in hilly areas...

I disagree with saying power doesnt matter. The fact you have great low end torque just means you have high power at an efficient speed. power is power. torque is levers and gears.

The big HP engines are developed mainly for Sweden and Finland trucks. The Trucks here are much longer and heavier than the rest of Europe and US. But still, you really never need moore than 500 HP, but it can be better for fuel efficiency with a bigger engine sometimes.

The amount of torque an engine produces is not that important to its performance as long as the torque holds steady across the RPM band. The transmission can always trade engine RPM and wheel speed speed for wheel torque. If you have more power, the right gear will mean you have more wheel torque for the same speed.

One word to explain why: Terrain Europe has denser elevation changes and more extreme elevations because of it. Hence, you require more torque and power if you want to get anywhere, especially if you want to cross the Alps or Pyrenees.

One thing is digital tachograph used in EU. You're allowed to have 9 hours driving time and digital tachograph tells every minute you have been driving. In certain trips 750 HP engine is over 30 min faster per trip than 500 HP and that might make it possible to change driver drive two trips in day.

I had the fortunate tast of driving a Volvo FH750 and holy moly it can pull anything. It was a totally different beast to what I was used to.

I've seen a few road trains here in Australia pulling 4 trailers on private roads and big triples on public road. They seemed to be switching to the 700HP Scanias and Volvo. A few tippers also running 700HP but that's owner operators wanting the big engines for show lol.

Living in a hiller city that has semi trucks driving through, I can say that a extra couple of hundred horsepower would help out a lot when those trucks get stopped by traffic lights and take a full green light just to make it through the intersection.

Up until 2018ish, 700+ HP tractors were quite common among the companies hauling sand, aggregate, blacktop, etc in my area, mostly because emissions compliance was not enforced, and tuned and deleted exhaust aftertreatment was overlooked, but not anymore.

The last reason may not be accurate,Americans also like to customize their trucks and hold truck exhibitions.

I think it would have be good to have the same units for torque. So: - 1550 Lb.Ft = 2100 N.m and 1750 Lb.Ft = 2370 N.m (2'01") - 3700N.m = 2730 Lb.Ft (0'16")

There's a bridge collapsed here in Indonesia 2 decades ago in Indonesia. Upon an investigation, the police found out that one of the trucks had a total weight of 200 tons! Yes, Japanese trucks in Indonesia can even pull 200 tons easily while the regulation for the axle load is bassically limited to 14.2 tons per axle.

as an ex driver, the reasons are exactly as i expected from my experience and watching vids from Europe. when i drove truck they were sometimes underpowered for the job i was doing but you make do with what you have

I can safely say that most EU trucks are 500 HP too. I've worked in hauling company and entire fleet were ~500 HP trucks. A guy I know who worked in Girteka(largest EU haulier with over 9000 trucks!) are also operating mostly 500 HP trucks. There're some special trucks for special loads that need those 700+ HP but they are not that common in wider EU.

The majority of European trucks these days have a 13L engine and are in the power class of 500hp and below. There are a small number of more powerful ones for special purposes or for show, but over 700hp and above is really very rare. The weights are higher in the Nordic countries than in other European countries, especially in Finland 68 - 76t (132200 - 167500 lbs) HCT combinations. The lengths of the combinations are more than 34m (113ft), two semi-trailers, 11 - 12 axles, but even then the power is generally only 460 - 540hp, rarely even 600hp.

The Mack-Scania relationship was established in 1950, when Mack Trucks collaborated with Scania (then known as Scania-Vabis) to produce and sell the Mack C-50 municipal transit bus in Europe. Mack and Scania then worked together on V8 development. It’s no coincidence the Mack and Scania V-8 engines share displacements. After five years of development, the Mack END(T)864 (1962-1972) entered limited production at Hagerstown in 1962 (Production might have started sooner, but the transfer of engine production from the old Plainfield, New Jersey plant to the modern new Hagerstown, Maryland facility in 1961 did not go smoothly). Using Mack-supplied END(T)864 V-8 engine blocks, Scania began development of its own version in 1962 with running prototypes in 1964. However, the production version of the Scania DS14 V-8 was based on the improved Mack ENDT865/866. Mack introduced the 14.2 liter ENDT865 in 1969, the same year Scania introduced the 14.2 liter DS14. Scania utilized individual cylinder heads on their version (favored in Europe at the time), while Mack used a two-cylinder head design (four heads total). To better achieve economy of scale for Mack and reduce investment costs for Scania, it made perfect sense for Mack to produce V-8 engine blocks for both companies. The only negative was for Scania having to convert English measurements to metric. Scania produced the DS14 up to year 2000. With the introduction of Euro-3 emissions, Scania introduced the 15.6 liter DC16 V-8. The 16.4-liter Mack E-9 is based on a revision of the 14.2-liter ENDT865/866 engine block. The current Scania Euro-6 DC16 V-8, in 520, 580 and 730 horsepower ratings, has a 16.4 liter displacement, identical to the Mack E9. (Mack Trucks jumped from 14.2 liters to 16.4. Scania moved incrementally with the block from 14.2 to 15.6 to 16.4) Scania’s current 16.4 liter version of the Mack/Scania block, rated up to 730 horsepower at Euro-6 (the rough equivalent of EPA2010), utilizes a compacted graphite iron (CGI)* engine block. In meeting Euro-6 (the Euro equivalent to EPA2010), CGI allowed Scania to raise cylinder combustion pressures from 165 bar on the earlier 15.6-liter V8 to 200 bar on the new 16.4-liter engine. Also, Scania XPI** (extra-high pressure injection) now takes injection pressures up to 2,400bar, and they have developed multiple variations for its injection profiles based on an HCCI (homogenous charge compression ignition). Volvo Group terminated Mack E9 V-8 engine production at Hagerstown in 2003. Mack Trucks had planned to re-launch the E9 V-8 in 2003 with Bosch electronic unit pump (EUP) injection. Revisions allowed it to meet the latest EPA standards while delivering superb power and fuel economy. However, Mack engineering was snubbed by Volvo Group. Volvo cancelled the pedigreed Mack E9 in favor of the upcoming Volvo D16 (rebadged as MP10). Had Volvo Group continued production of the Mack E9 V-8 engine, refined with oncoming new technologies including an extra-high pressure common rail fuel injection system and compacted graphite iron (CGI) engine block, the Mack brand would still have a legendary halo product. Source: bigmacktrucks.com Com

My 2006 Western Star with a Series 60 Detroit came with 435hp. We plugged in the laptop and it was simply selecting the 550hp option from one of the menus.

Both Volvo and Scania are from Sweden, the only country allowing a maximum weight of 90 tons. Sweden doesn't really have mountains, but they have a big lumber and wood industry in forests on hills. And what type of cargo weighs 90 tons: lumber. Here in The Netherlands, the weight limit is 50 tons, whereas most other mainland European countries allow 40 or 45 tons. The Scania V8 is loved here in NL, because of its sheer power but mostly because of the unique sound it produces.

I am truck driver in EU and I have to say that in Europe, 90% of the trucks are a maximum of 550hp. As a mather of fact, i never worked on a truck more powerfull than 460hp, wich is the "sweet spot" in the (power-fuel consumphtion). The most powerfull trucks 770hp are used in havy loads, over 40tons, or in Scandinavia, for the 25m trucks. So, in Europe more powerfull trucks are made, but not used!

Torque and power (horsepower) are of course intertwined, not completely separate metrics that can be "adjusted" individually. For example, you calculate power from torque with this formula: Nm * rpm / 9550 = kW (multiply by 1.36 to get HP). If your peak torque is 2800Nm at 1700rpm, the engine puts out 678HP.

In Baltics 500hp straight6 is the most popular engine options. Mostly we have Scanias and Volvos because they are built to our climate.

With reference to your EU weights, its most common to Run at 40tons in the majority of Europe and 44 in the UK, the higher Gross weights are less common and usually come under special restrictions for abnormal loads or like in Scandi countries with timber haulage

Finland also has the longest trucks of EU with the maximum lenght of 34 meters, we dont mess around. We sometimes use 650HP volvos to deliver groceries.

Your statement about power and torque is wrong. The reason companies choose bigger torque is related to the ability of this engines to produce more power with lower revs. This translates in longevity.

Very interesting. I'm from Europe and I thought for most of the arguments it would be the other way round... The huge majority of overland trucks in the EU is rated for 40t and has between 420 and 480 HP. Those very powerful trucks with 500+HP are really rare. They are usually for special purpose as extra heavy hauling (eg log hauling) or owner operated trucks for prestige and nice -to-have. And the general speed limit for trucks is 80km/h so they do not mix very well with cars anyways. Also the railroad system is very good developed in Europe and many loads are transported by rail (not as many as there should be). Owner operated trucks are not common and big companies only buy what they need.

The customization in Europe is less extensive as suggested in the video, owner-operator is something very scarce in Europe compared to the U.S.

In Australia, 42 tonnes. But 90 or 120 with permits

In Ireland high power trucks are a status symbol you will see many Scania 700+ bhp trucks in fleets

Stating that you need torque and not horse powers if quite misleading. Yes, you need torque at the wheels. But physics doesn't care if your engine produces high torque at low rpm or low torque at high rpm. Just have a appropriate gearbox and shift in the right way, both can translate to the same torque at given speed at the wheels.

In the states it’s quite common to repower a truck with older engines to get around emissions restrictions, it’s quite common to see trucks that are 20 years old with brand new 700+hp power plants like the C-15/16/18, K19 etc for applications that make it cost effective. Even brand new trucks are often available without an engine for the end user to put whatever powerplant they prefer in it.

If you want to find the drivers that care the most about how their trucks look and making them stand out, not to mention by far the most proud, you just have to find a Peterbuilt driver in the US. He'll be the guy at a truckstop wearing a Petertbuilt hat, Peterbuilt shirt, Wrangler jeans, Peterbuilt belt buckle, Peterbuilt socks, and Peterbuilt boots. He will always have a Peterbuilt wallet and drink from an insulated mug with the Peterbuilt label on it. If you ask about his truck, he will then take you on a hour long tour of every single tiny item he has changed or added...all of which will have a Peterbuilt label on it. Needless to say, no driver anywhere has more pride in their ride than those who drive Peterbuilt.

In Denmark and other countries, 82 ft, 60 ton "road-trains" have been allowed. Denmark is currently testing 105 ft, 80 ton "road-trains". These articulated semi's have to follow assigned roads, and are not allowed on small roads or in towns and cities.

The first major mistake was made less than a minute in. Torque is NOT the only thing to care about. Horsepower is the product of torque and RPM. Torque is FORCE, while horsepower is WORK. It is horsepower that allows you to maintain speed up a steep grade.

Europe is years ahead of USA/,Canada.

Greetings from an german truck driver. The typical hp for an 40ton truck in europe is about 430 to 500hp. more is not needet and just expensive, and cost money all the time, cause a bigger engine is heavier and burns more fuel cause of more internal loss. You can also drive an 40ton truck with less than 200hp, its just slower. And over 400hp the average speed is not going higher. I had on the road from munich to barcelona an average speed of 88-89km/h with an 90kmh limited truck with an weight of 30tons (ok, i let it run downhill :) )

Some corrections: Both rail network length road network length and furthest drivable distances are comparible in both the EU and USA and the EU does use freight rail a lot when practical. It's just that we in the EU have quite a bit more trucks than the US, 6 million vs 4 million and some are bound to be required to have more power.

Most of the Central Europe Trucks have 430 - 540? HP, 2300-2700Nm, so in real life, the difference in the "standard semi trucks", where the driver is at home just for the weekend, is not so big. Reason: Fuel efficency... So there is clearly to accentuate: they have "up to " 770 HP. You don't see them every day in Germany f.e.

The distance From London to Rome is about 1200 Miles. The distance between between LA and New York is about 2800 miles. With one mountain range with a max of 11,000 ft between it and New York and another through Appellations that maxes at 5000 ft. You get used to trucks doing 20-30 MPH going up and down those ranges. But in states where 75 MPH is allowed. They do it. Some trucks are speed limited by the owner to 62 MPH. Most of the highway is 65 MPH.

In my country, trucks with 500 HP are used to carry loads of more than 60 tonnes, usually Scania or Volvo, but there are also those using Hino, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Nissan which only have 300-400 HP and are forced to carry 60 tonnes

Wow! How things have changed! I have been retired for 15 years, but I am still amazed at the amount of change. International trucks (i.e., Navistar for the last few decades) were hardly even mentioned. As well as the engines. Ever hear of the CXT(?) pickup truck? Thank you for your efforts. May you and yours stay well and prosper.

Heavy loads are more common on rail in the US and they do allow double stack on some freight lines, they don't allow this in europe. In Europe about 20% of goods are moved by rail and in the US it is about 40% by rail. The length of the freight train is limited and they aren't as automated as in the US. They have to coupled by hand. This takes many minutes each time.

Hi there..... Could you please do a video on various drive axles, differential rear ratio selection, and an explanation of engine downspeeding. Thank- you.

I remember a commercial for about 25 years ago. A couple from USA is visiting Netherlands. Every time after seeing some places, like a bridge or a sailboat, the Americans said: "much bigger in USA!". Well, when it was time for having a lunch, they got a nice and good filled hamburger of another mark then McDonald's or Burger King. After eating the lunch, the American couple said:"The dish,..............much bigger in USA".

I work for transport company and we are operating across EU. We use MAN trucks with 346 and 368 kW engines. That is 460/490 hp. I think that most powerfull engines are use mostly in Scandinavia, because ofdriving conditions there.

I'm from Ireland and I wish we had the USA style with the huge sleeper cab because ours are tiny with no space but the bull nose cab whould be hard to drive here because of how tight our road's are and pulling out from somewhere with so much sticking out in front whould be a nightmare

You said that torque is the amount of work that engine can make but it is exactly definition of the power. :)

there i never "not a reason to" otherwis this video sums it up pretty great! Good job!

Note: as an Australian who owns a Freightliner Century with a Cummins isx rated to 550hp 2050ft/lbs torque and rated to pull 140T road trains. And doing so quite comfortably I am not sure the answer here is satisfactory.

The point with different weights seems to be totally off to me. Since every state of the us has got its own special rules too for within state transports, with much heavyer allowed total weights with a lot of axles and double trailers and all kinds of stuff like that. Michigan as far as i know allows 67t total with their 11 axle combinations for example.

Here in New Zealand there are a lot of Japanese trucks, Many do 500 HP, but they don't have the torque of the Europeans or American. There could be a video for that. Many trucks operate on High Productivity permits and max at 50 tonne, are longer with lots of axles and tyres because of the 'Road User Charges' road tax system, the older types are shorter and operate to 44 tonne. For many, big power is needed on our mostly hilly country.

As a Canadian and one who lives up north, there is only one engine we trust and thats a cummings

The Bigger engined lorries/trucks are mainly used for Static Caravans/Mobile Homes, oversized loads (like wind turbine blades and huge gas pipe sections or concrete foundations for towers) & where a big turbo diesel engine helps with fuel efficiency. Quite a few firms use DAF and Iveco over Volvo and Scania, but I know a few who do European-UK driving who only buy Volvo and Scania trucks so they have the ability to task drivers to different jobs and be more flexible. When I buy my own tractor unit, it is likely to be a Volvo FH unit in Globetrotter trim level. Nice interior is good as you are living in the truck for 5-7 days at a time too! I feel some of the American trucks are better in this department with bigger inverters and more space in the cab though.

Its the same with coaches in Europe We have one with 520 horsepower. Its limited at 62 mph. It pulls like crazy uphill, uts fun to drive and feel the power and hear that big turbo spool up

The last part about customization feels like a mix up. I know that from the US where drivers tend to own their trucks and partially even live in them for long hauling contracts. But here in germany I've rarely EVER seen any truck that actually "stood out".

WHAT ! We in Australia get the same engines from the same manufacturers PLUS the additional models they produce ! the Mack MP8 is a Volvo d13 , the Mack MP10 is a volvo D16

hah, quite random but at 3:53 you see an engine getting transported over my workplace. that long blue tube/air sucker you see behind the engine is above my head right now.

This really didn't explain the reason for the power differences. It's fairly common in the US to weigh over 80,000 lbs, especially when pulling doubles, so I'm not seeing the justification of 150 more horsepower.

I think they missed the boat here. For the heavy logging trucks in Canada, they are often spec'd with 565 horsepower rather than 605, even though they are carrying much more that 80,000 lbs over steep hills. The high horsepower is less durable for demanding situations. Australia probably has the biggest weights, but they also don't go as high on the horsepower curve. The Kenworth hauling 500 tons has a 19 liter engine that only puts out 600 horsepower (It also has another engine in one of the trailers.) Here, not only do you have the heavy weight but also 50C heat. Volvo is also used in Australia. I bet they probably don't _usually_ use the 750hp for the most demanding loads but something rated lower. But then why do Europeans use higher horsepower? I think the want higher acceleration to mix with cars better on the smaller roads (as opposed to the huge flat interstates in the US). I know Scania did a test a ways back that concluded it was safer if the trucks cold move with traffic better.

80k is not the "limit", it is just what can be hauled without a permit.

First thing you said about torque vs horse power is completely wrong.. torque x rpm = power, high torque indicates that an engine has a lot of power at low rpm which is best for efficiency and longevity of an engine.

Interesting to note the quick passing mention of the shortage of truck drivers in Europe - this is not helped by various factors, most notably the slashing of driver pay (or rather undercutting wages in western Europe by using drivers from eastern Europe). Drivers find that the hassle is not worth it and some choose other jobs. In the UK we also have a dreadful driver licensing bureaucracy that basically went on holiday during the events of 2020+ and has never caught up with its workload since then, so many potential new drivers are kept out of the marketplace simply because they cannot get licensed in the first place.

it's a bit mis-leading to show the torque of one set of engines in lb-ft and other in nm, both charts should've used same units for easier comparison

Interesting stuff you guys, hearing different perspectives from around the world 🌎

Everything I know about trucking I learned in American Truck Simulator / Euro Truck Simulator. Gotta get those big badass engines pronto.

In the uk yes there is a shortage of drivers (has been for years) it’s mainly down to very long hours relatively low pay poor and expensive roadside facilities And an expectation of employers to get the job done whatever also if you get caught by the police/ doing anything wrong you WILL GET a large fine and points on your licence

The truck driving limit is 90km/h (56mph) limited here in Europe. You need the power on the hill to climb . Otherwise with low power you can’t climb the hill and you lost very fast speed. The power ist only for the hill! Cause of the speed limit!

Trucks with too small engines are often a "problem" in Norway, because the small engines combined with a lot of steep hills and tunnels often causes problems and extremely slow going trucks upp hill. Trucks with bad tires, lack of chains, not optimal drive axle and lack of experience in winter conditions are also causing a huge mess on the Norwegian roads each winter.

I love how they use v shaped engines for cars but not for trucks, in italy its the opposite

In the 1970s after the fuel shortage many US trucking companies thought that, like a car, a small engine would be more fuel efficient than a big one so that is what they bought. (like in the 200 to 300hp range) But the owner opperaters continued to get bigger engines (especially Catepillar) and demonstrated that a big engine that was not pushed very hard got better real world fuel mileage than a little engine that you had to flail the crap out of to get anywhere. But before engines had less HP and did not worry too much about fuel cost, is was cheaper than gasoline. Detroit even used two stroke engines. the N71-238 hp, the 8V-71-318 and the rare 12v-71. The 12V -71 it only got about 2.8 miles per gallon. They are still popular in marine use bacaues it is better in two shaft boats to have the engines turn in opposite directions and being two stroke they can be set up to trun/run backwards quite easily. The did not have valves but ports in the sides of the cylinders and the intake air carme from the crankcase so there was a blower (supercharger) to pressurize the crankcase.. A two stroke engine can be lighter and have more horsepower than a four stroke, basically 2/3 the horsepower twice as often than a four stroke. But they have less torque per horsepower and are not a fuel efficient and polute more, and tend to have a narrow power band that requires more shifting to stay were the power was. Catepillar's foundatin desigh was a focus on more torque at lower RPM than the other engine makers which today is the feature of truckm and some car, engines today. But with the increassing focus on airpolution and computer controlled electric fuel injection system they decided it was not work their time as their main focus was on large construction equipemnt. Many engine makers got into financial difficulty designing an engine that would meet the standards and still work. (they made some dogs in the process)

The USA version of PACCAR MX13 is rated at 510 HP not 540 HP as shown in video. Thanks for the video.

It's completely silly to say torque matters when horsepower is a reflection of torque in context and gearing can make any torque from any horsepower

You can never have enough power when you are carting stuff,We had 2 tractors and the 150hp one you had to drop a fear from top to get up the hill,the smaller machine that was screwed up from 165 to over 200 could go up with a full load and never had to lift. Makes the job faster.

As an American driver in California I would have loved to see one of these 700+hp engines in a peterbilt or kenworth, with a manual transmission, that could meet California emissions, that would be awesome, but it'll never happen because of politics, government etc. But I guess it's okay to Dream...lol 😆

Horse power is work being done. So to say power doesn’t matter is a huge mistake. I’d argue that power is just as important as torque is.

I have my Cummins ISX 15 turned up to 625 HP and 2300Ft Pounds torque. It does just fine and still gets over 6 mpg at 70-75 mph.

I have a 2008 Pete 379. It has a Cummins ISX-15 that is set at 599 BHP. Because it has 2 DPF filters, the turbo is boosting at 30 PSI, which is producing 750 BHP at the flywheel. But, it is putting 599 BHP on the ground after pushing past those filters and then through the drive train.

Having been a truck driver in the UK for 20 years the best truck engine is definitely scania its low revving high torque engine and its opticruise gearbox which never misses a gear others like the daf seems underpowered the Mercedes and man gearboxes are woeful never driven a Renault but haven't heard good things the next best is the volvo which has a good engine and decent gearbox but not quite as responsive as the scania the main issue seems to be companies specifying lower power engines in the belief that it will reduce fuel consumption this isn't the case as a smaller engine has to work harder more or most of the time especially if its hauling 44 tones the scania can hold its high gears for longer sometimes dropping to 800 rpm before changing and it does this within about a second so helping to maintain momentum

The reason is obvious. These high horse power engines can be run efficiently in Europe for 2 reasons only. Firstly 56mph limiters, secondly computer controlled Automated manual transmission. You remove those two factors and these trucks used in Northern American unsupervised driver conditions and they are 25% less fuel efficient. The European set up keeps these engines working in the rev range that makes them on par with lesser power outputs.

I loved going over Monteagle in a 10spd kenworth. Fun as hell. Wiggle wagon got a Lil loose coming down every now and then.

Not all truck engines in the US 600hp...I drove a Mack with an old Maxidyne V8 that had been worked over to put out well over 700 hp. It was a 4 axle Superliner with 3 sticks, and it was dedicated to haul our Grove RT35 crane. With the crane on the lowboy trailer, gross weight was 120K. Even at that weight, it would pull hills better than some freight haulers. Other drivers were always suprised when I would pass them going up a hill. Fun times

Torque is not the more important figure, HP is. You could have a gasoline engine with 700 HP making 1000 ft/lbs of torque at twice the engine speed hooked to a 2 to 1 speed reducer, and it'll preform the same way.

Both Volvo and Scania are Swedish. So, the biggest reason Europe has more powerful trucks is that Sweden is a part of Europe. Among the reasons mentioned in the video driver appreciating more power might be the most relevant. The bigger US market tends to prioritize minuscule cost reductions higher than most of Europe. About torque, probably the most misunderstood concept among motor "experts", you can get any wheel torque you want from any engine you want, it's all about gear ratio. With the right gear ratio it would be possible for one person to pedal a 100 ton truck. It wouldn't be possible to reach any relevant speed, because a human can not produce enough *power* for that. Torque can be increased practically infinitely with gear ratio, power is the limiting factor.

One thing that really bugged me in the video was that when you do comparisons, please stick to the same units of measurements in all of them

Many truckers routinely pull over 80k, but with just a different permit. In addition, we have high mountain passes. Your reason being “simply not needed” is not true.