sashime76

Why do we call an 18 wheeler a "semi"? If a "semi" has 18 wheels, is there a "full" with 32 wheels? Have you ever wondered why it's named "semi"?

maleficent

It's called a semi, to the best of my knowledge, because it's a semi-truck - -it only has wheels in the rear - -and has to be pulled by a towing-device -

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shakran

and there is a full - the trailers with wheels on each end that's pulled behind the semi trailer in 2 trailer setups. They're also called pups.

Rodney

Actually, "semi" is short for semi-trailer truck. A truck that tows a semi-trailer which, as maleficent says, has only rear wheels and is supported by in front by the towing vehicle, known as the tractor. For more than you ever want to know:

http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Tractor_trailer

Destrox

Mele and Rodney got it down. Tho I've Heard some akward european ways of calling semi's / tractor-trailers things that just didnt make sense to me.

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Janey

We call them Tractor-trailors. I think calling them semi's is a largely american custom. Sometimes they're called big-rigs or 18 wheelers too, but the predominant phrase is tractor-trailor.

Rodney

Growing up in California in the '60s in an industrial area, tractor-trailer was the term I heard most often. But not lately.

HockeyGuy

Or just a Lorry.. or perhaps a big lorry :P as we say over here in the UK

Coronaboy72

I've always called them a semi or a rig, my dad has been driving for 30+ years and that's where I picked it up from, not aware why they called them a semi. Thanks for the info btw.

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~Coronaboy72~

Scorps

They are called Lead and Pup(They come woith 2 or 3 axles between them(the ones I load at work have 2 Axles....maybe thats why the trailers keep tipping)), or "B" Trains(they have 3 axles in between with the front trailer longer then the back(most of the time)) or even "A" Trains(Both trailers are thesame size, and mostly boxes.with just one axle between them).

sashime76

Cool, now I know why it's called "semi". Thanks guys.

Scorps

I like Tracter and Trailer or Big Rig

Mephisto2

It's actually a concantenation, or shortening, of the word semi-articulated.

Mr Mephisto

clavus

You ALL got it wrong. The phrase dates back to the Industrial Revolution and comes from the confectionary industry. Since refrigerated shipping was next to impossible, milk chocolate was transported in a liquid form. It was poured into gigantic barrels and shipped via rail. But cocoa powder (or SEMI-sweet chocolate) could be shipped in smaller quantities without fear of spoilage. It was typically shipped (along with other items) in early-model trucks. It was almost a given that any freight in a truck would include some cocoa powder, and people took to calling the trucks “Semi-sweets.” This was later shortened to…Nah. I’m just kidding. Go start an urban legend.

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Mephisto2

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Mr Mephisto

Scorps

First time I have seen someone quote themselves

mikec

this is similar to the paradoxical question of why do we drive on a parkway, and park in a driveway? hehehehe

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sashime76

Clavus, any article to back it up? I just want to get to the "real" fact of this.

rat

I think he made a point of showing it was a joke...

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clavus

sashime76 knew I was just kiddin'.

Hey, why do we say that our dog is "fixed" when we make part of him stop working?

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Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.