The Making of an American Truck | Exceptional Engineering | Free Documentary

a huge hood a huge engine a spacious cabin and a spacious sleeper the classic American

truck

in the late 1970s the Swedish manufacturer Volvo began producing

truck

s abroad specifically for the North American market a truck leaves the assembly line every 10 minutes a manufacturing scale that causes large quantities of material, anything that stops the assembly line threatens to delay production and should be avoided at all costs. The shock handler has broken down. Magnus can't fix it. We will start installing bunk beds behind. Customers can choose from more than 500 different colors for the cab and chassis, the truck is roadworthy just one day after leaving the production line, once it has passed all the tests on the in-house test track, more new trucks in one day than most drivers will drive in their entire life.

They are the most popular means of transporting goods in the US. 70% of cargo in North America is transported by road, a figure that continues to increase. More than 500,000 large trucks with that characteristic huge hood have left the Volvo factory since the end 1970s double in Virginia Home to the largest Volvo truck manufacturing plant in the world and one of the largest in the US 3,500 employees build trucks here for the North American market flagship vehicle is the VNL truck long haul comes in several models the smallest model has a relatively modest cabin the largest is the sleeper the VNL 860 which has room for two berths has a width of over six and a half feet the high roof model has an interior height of two and a half meters there is a choice of 11 liter, 13 liter and 15 liter engines its power varies from 375 to 565 horsepower depending on the application the maximum speed is almost 90 miles per hour the skeleton of each model is these beams of steel.

Building the chassis takes a few hours. Workers begin by securing the beams with more than 400 bolts. More than 60 different bolts are used in the manufacturing process and each one has a specific function. the largest is 13 centimeters long the basic structures are assembled at a rate of one every two minutes these are transported to the next workstation on a dolly on the way to each station in the plant the next station is where it is installed The truck's air suspension three compressors power what is called the air suspension chassis. The components that will be assembled in the next few hours must be delivered at the exact time and to the exact place.

Space in the factory is limited, so many of the parts are only available at the precise point they are needed, several hundred axles are delivered to the production line every day. Ensuring assembly runs smoothly is a huge logistical task. Keeping the conveyor belt moving and preventing production from stopping means that every component must be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Up to this point the chassis has been assembled upside down for convenience reasons. It now weighs approximately two tons and Half the truck is turned around the next step is the installation of what is called the fifth wheel, which makes it seem superfluous but in fact it is a vitally important component this is what we call a fifth wheel it is not actually a wheel but what it is is a locking mechanism for the trailer pin so that the truck can pull the trailer once it is in use these trucks will carry tons of cargo every day the fifth wheel attaches to the chassis with 32 extra strong screws, then The entire chassis is painted with a clear lacquer that makes it durable and resistant.

Ten minutes later, the frame is dry while the cabin is built elsewhere. In the factory, the side parts are first pre-assembled and then transported to a robot. that welds everything. They're putting those two pieces together so that when it comes out the other end of this line, the subassembly is ready to be transported. to the main line where they are going to begin the process of joining the bulkhead into the floor panel and then putting the side panels into place a bit like a house of cards. The side parts are now placed on the floor panel, one on top of the other.

On the right side and one on the left, a worker fixes the sheets with a spot welder, then the welding robots take over to ensure they are 100% safe by welding over 100 spots in the space of four minutes, once that the roof is in place, the cabin is complete. The process is completely automated. The cabin is then coated to prevent rust before the painting process can begin. Workers manually seal all corners and edges of the booth with silicone to prevent moisture from seeping through. Robots then apply the primer. All calves receive the same gray primer regardless. What color will be applied later Booths line up in the factory Kitchen painting Customers can choose a color from a palette of over 500 options There are over 100 different shades of white alone There is very little difference An actual color pigment is really what the customer wants, so some customers have a very specific color that identifies their brand identity, they mark it, that is the color that we choose and that they choose if you look at these two colors here, they are almost identical, but they are two codes of different paint for two different clients the paint does not come in a can but directly from the paint kitchen in hoses several hundred meters long every four minutes about seven liters of paint are pumped to the robots not a drop is wasted now push the paint to the robot and then from the robot we remove it through solve, come back to these lines and the solvent pushes all the paint back to the kitchen and we will reuse any paint that we can reuse and we also reuse a solvent.

The kitchen is where paint is mixed because the entire room is filled with highly flammable paints and thinners. It is specially protected against fires and explosions. Safety is the top priority, so electrical appliances are prohibited in the paint kitchen, including mobile phones. Only explosion-proof phones are prohibited. allowed Once the paint has been delivered to the robots, it is atomized into an aerosol by a rotating nozzle, the paint particles also receive a positive electrostatic charge and the cabin, a negative electrostatic charge, breaks up the paint particles and spins the paint particles on the product itself by doing so the transfer efficiency is improved less paint can be used it takes six to seven minutes to paint the booth depending on the assembly once dry the color tone is inspected with a measuring device spectral if the device finds an error all responsible people are automatically informed that it is red, this sends an alert signal to our quality engineers, a text bank is sent by email to your phone, they will immediately come down here and they'll check it and actually take the hand chip and hand put it in to make sure it's OK, Greensboro, North Carolina, home of the company's Technical Center and top secret development department.

No visitors are allowed here and cameras are strictly prohibited. Jason Spencer, director of product strategy for North America at Volvo Trucks, Driver Safety was one of his main considerations in planning the newest model, after conducting numerous crash tests, he and his colleagues came up with a design that ensures maximum Protection for truck drivers in the event of an accident. You are the first to arrive on the scene, for example, when you hit something that passes over you. In a truck like this, you have a lot of mass in front to absorb energy before the driver is hit, but it takes more than saving cabins and excellent crash test results to sell a truck.

Customers want more, they want convenience, the integrated king. The full size bed with adjustable headrest is one of the main selling points when I'm parked on a sloping surface that isn't level, you know, when you sleep in the trough above your head, you wake up with my headache, well, if they are able to do it. they tilt their bunks probably don't have to worry about where they park their trucks things like this or we really realize this is a home run nowadays Volvo is one of the largest truck manufacturers in the US, the VNL 860 is One of the best sellers has a high ceiling and an interior height of eight feet The bed measures more than six and a half feet wide and six and a half feet long Standard equipment includes a microwave, a refrigerator and a television, you can see how big I am and how much space I have in this bed there is so much that we even have our sleeping control panels.

You can control the air conditioning back here. I can turn the lights on and off. My temperature. I also have a refrigerator here and we actually have another bed. Up here I'll take it down and we even have a ladder that we can go down to get into that bag. We have lights here and we also charge reports. We have our airline style curtains up here, so it's easy to block. out of the sun if you want to sleep you have a TV you have a microwave for when you are resting if you want to cook while traveling the truck is designed to accommodate two drivers because truck routes in the US are very long for one vehicle to often share and both truckers need their own space.

The front of the truck is very different from a passenger car. If I stand up, you will notice that the chair will head and fall again. Look at the auto adjustment now when I sit down. back off, give it a minute, start adjusting it for my weight, it kind of gives me the height on the things I'm going to want instead of shifters. More than 90% of vehicles are equipped with a 12-speed automatic transmission complete with performance and economy buttons, but the most popular accessory for American truckers is probably the giant cup holder. Up to three one and a half liter cups can be stored here, enough coffee to make sure no trucker falls asleep, so we try to make everything as easy as possible for the driver, including a comfortable ride, you can position the steering wheel exactly where the position you want, two types of movement in and out, up and down, and if I push this halfway, I will get the neck tilt.

Hagerstown, Maryland, this is where the engines are. One manufactured unit weighs almost 2,500 pounds, about the weight of an average passenger car. Engines are traditionally painted green. Production begins with delivery of the engine blocks from Sweden. Most vehicles are equipped with a 13-liter diesel engine. We consider ourselves leaders in all. of our engines, which is why all our cars are measured in liters. Yes, the 13-liter engine is a six-cylinder diesel unit and produces between 420 and 540 horsepower, depending on configuration. An empty engine block alone weighs over 200 pounds. First the block is given a number then it begins its journey along the factory assembly line the cylinders are installed by robots while two different machines sand and drill the crankshafts we have to drill everything is based on time of the cycle the cycle time is much longer to drill the part than to mill the part that we can build in four minutes it takes us ten minutes to drill it the crankshaft is the heart of the engine it is refined with an induction hardening machine from Germany that He quickly heats it to 1200 degrees and then cools it with cold water.

This makes the surface even harder and more resistant. This is the result. The crankshaft will convert the movement of the pistons into rotational movement with the help of the so-called connecting rods by rotating the pistons. wheels is installed on the engine block the following components to be The valves are fitted, greased manually before inserting them for four cylinders, a total of 24, the cylinder head is fitted with the help of a crane, the engine block is now complete and transported to the next station by what is called Ag. V an automated guided vehicle that is basically a self-propelled robot stops at each workstation in the factory waiting in place until the parts have been assembled before continuing there is a guide wire on the floor the guide wire is a way to communicate with the HV there is a sensor on the bottom V and it holds a wire and follows it all the way.

The only time the UV edge stops is if you are in front of it, there is a safety laser that will stop the Mackley water or there are things. on the ground called RFID tag where the motor stops for each station so that we can do the appropriate work on it, it is made so that it can be manipulated, you will see if it moves and rotates and that is again if that is the position for the operators We will be able to build properly at each station, in approximately three hours the engine will start for the first time, but before that it is necessary to assemble other400 accessories with the use of special tools like this electric star wrench that opens with the push of a button.

In the past, the few line accessories had to be tightened by hands. Power tool saves 70 seconds per adjustment. The bolt is secured with one press of the button and a second press releases the grip, so a normal pistol cannot be used. This is because there's a line that goes in there, so when I squeeze it, as you can see, I can't get it out because that space, as you can see, is over here. I can't get the line out, so this gun. is used, it has a double trigger figurehead bear for you to hit again. I can pull it in and out.

There is a specific torque for each screw on the motor. That's why employees use digital torque wrenches. These record exactly which screw on which engine has been tightened when and how precisely all this information is sent to the central computer via Wi-Fi: workers first tighten the bolts and nuts with a conventional fast-turning cordless screwdriver and then with a torque wrench the AGV only starts once the green lights come on. If a part is missing, the motor remains at the station. This six-fold torque wrench is used for the crankshaft damper. Tighten the six screws to the correct torque in the correct order.

This ensures that the shock lies completely flat against the engine block in position. 13 liter crank damper, we have six fasteners, it is a two stage torque, so instead of doing 12 strokes with a manual torque you do 2 2 cycles with this multi spindle torque activated in the next step the motor is equipped with 4 oil filters three large and one smaller the engine will hold up to 36 liters of oil the oil only needs to be replaced every fifty four thousand miles the job of the filters is to keep the engines lubricated to do this they filter out the oil particles burned along with dirt and dust from metal abrasions then comes the inspection at seven separate stations the workers check hands whether all the parts have been installed correctly the motors are about to start the yellow agb work is done from now on forward the units will be transported on a conveyor belt the engines now enter the factory test area before testing begins the engines are filled with oil and other liquids as we fill it we are turning the crank it spins at about three rpm there while the we fill is spinning and pushing the oil into the cavities where we need it to be filled, it took sixty seconds my first test You can start a worker connects pipes, cables, sensors and exhaust pipes to the new diesel.

This is done on a turntable while that happens, another motor is tested on the other side of the turntable in parallel and then the positions are changed. The engine that has been tested is advanced replaced by the next one on the dyno I love this job I wouldn't like it Nelson, I don't think it will keep you busy but it's great to do and it's a challenge every day trying to stay at the same pace , I really enjoyed each new engine running on the dyno for four minutes, there is no time for it to warm up, that's why it is called a cold test during each shift, at least one engine is selected at random and removed from assembly. line this motor is hot tested for 22 minutes at each rpm range if everything works next stop is the paint kitchen all motors are painted green all parts that should not be painted are taped together robots They spray the engines with paint, cabins with a large amount of rust preventative that goes with it and also on the customer side, they really like to see that green engine every time they open the hood, once the paint is dry, the workers remove the protective covers now, the 13 liter V6 series.

The six-cylinder diesel engine is ready for transport to New River Valley, it weighs more than a ton, depending on the production week it is intended for, it will now be stored for a few days in the warehouse or go directly to the shipping dock where they will be loaded onto a trailer on Monday morning. The early shift at the New River Valley plant is beginning. More than 300 truckloads of parts must be unloaded per day. This is done on approximately 120 loading ramps around the plant. Only parts that are temporarily stored can be loaded. They are sent to the high-rise warehouse.

All other loads, such as tires, are installed immediately, including Hagerstown forklift engines. They are taken directly from the loading ramp to the assembly station. I have operators unloading wheels and tires, engines and transmissions on both sides and then setting them up. they in order sequence for the line, you pick up the next one, that's the next truck going down the line, there is a sequence from Hagerstown, then we sequence them here at the dock to go to the law, meanwhile the small parts are They are delivered in standardized wooden boxes and taken to the high-rise warehouse.

The plant needs around 750,000 cable ties every day, so they are stored in bulk here. Logistics specialists distribute them in small quantities to the respective assembly stations. The warehouse hive consists of nine five-story shelves, seven of them are loaded and unloaded by robots, two by humans. A team of twenty warehouse workers constantly checks which part is where it should go and how long it will take to reach its destination, then generates the which we call a ticket, this is a receiving label The zip label is what we call them internally, this tells us that the parts are received now with the quantity and where they are going 58, so they will take them and place them on the conveyor when Come in, there is a curtain on the conveyor that the reader will read. our zip tag and it will tell you where to take it in an open cell down here, this basically has 10,000 142 cells, so there is no way anyone can memorize where every package is in there, every loading and unloading procedure recorded on the computer main for human-operated cranes are mainly responsible for bulky goods larger boxes that robot cranes cannot carry the crane operator transports the goods from the ground to a

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cell unloads them, scans them and saves a ticket and the location then it returns to the warehouse for another box and starts the procedure again when material is needed in production the high shelf warehouse automatically sends it through these conveyor belts more than 1400 of these boxes leave here during your shift they contain everything from From radios to window motors and headlights, the warehouses were stocked at the same rate as they were emptied so that the shelves were always full.

We had five transporters per shift who did nothing more than take pieces from the end of this conveyor and took them to the point of use where they were stored. They consume the parts on the line. There are a little more than 15,000 different part numbers that go under the truck that moves us a little more than 850 thousand different parts per day to the line to be consumed, but there is always a screw or something missing here and there, that is where the so-called heat is produced. Parts runners come in like Mike, feel the emergency calls from the various stations, and then look for the missing parts.

Each piece, no matter how small, is crucial to the production process that they would mythologize and that would close the line and prevent the truck from continuing to be manufactured. he has to know exactly where each piece is stored. He often has only a few minutes to locate her before the production suffers a serious problem. This is where the boards are installed. The mobile lifting platform means that women can also work at the station. Women represent about 25 percent. However, some jobs in the factory workforce are done exclusively by men, such as installing windshields. First the rubber is stretched along the windshield and cleaned with lubricant, then a rope is inserted into the rubber while the cord is pulled out from the inside, a technician places the screen on the rubber is cleaned and the job is done next step is to place the seats it is vital that each seed is placed in the correct place there are 24 possible variations such as the motors the seats are placed on the conveyor belt in the order the door panels, speakers, side windows and the window lifter, then the cab moves along the main assembly line at a speed of three and a half feet per minute, passing through 56 different work stations as it is assembled piece by piece, including the steering wheel. and storage compartments workers install a total of 750 to 900 parts in the cabin the large refrigerator is a particular highlight this is a refrigerator installed in the unit you can see that it has a lot of storage space inside the unit for the driver is really very good for the drivers who take it during road trips.

Meanwhile, the power supply has also been installed. An employee now checks each switch. Everything works perfectly, but a stressful situation is brewing at the next station where the bunk beds are installed. Crane. It is defective, the bunks have to go on the trucks but the robot is on strike and can only be repaired when all the circuits are off. Minutes go by, the men look for a solution, a bunk weighs 130 pounds and there are not enough workers at the station to assemble it by hand, the bunk handler has broken down and they are waiting for maintenance to fix it, so they will try to fix it, if the maintenance can't fix it, we'll start installing the bunk beds by hand, we'll just bring in an extra operator to help me put those bunk beds in my hand, it's hard work but they do the job, it's still just a temporary fix and the technician still hasn't can make the crane work, finally the error has been found. a bent safety bar now the equipment can return to normal the crane lifts the bunk to the perfect position where it can be secured more than 160 forklifts and transport vehicles are in operation every day in the factory stop signs are operated They manually ensure that people can move around the plant safely They have a lot of vehicular activity inside the plant They have virtual stop signs where, if there is going to be a crossing point between the lines, you literally press a button and a stop sign appears virtual and remains off for 30 seconds to give the engine or transmission time to cross to this point, the Hagerstown plants' motors are now transported to the assembly line along the roof using cable hoists.

Each engine is reserved for a specific truck. After fitting, workers carefully insert the 13-litre engine units. Once installed, a huge coolant radiator is placed. Forklifts transport four tires simultaneously from the delivery docks to the assembly line. Employees then assemble them with the help of small lifting cranes. Four tires per axle are installed on the rear axles, this way the truck can distribute the weight of the trailer between several tires. The wheel nuts are secured with a cordless screwdriver so that they are functionally tight. Five nuts at a time, which again is designed. to ensure we have the proper quality checks in place for that unit before it moves on to the next location.

Now the cabin also leaves the ground and continues its journey through the air before being placed on the chassis. Workers install the air suspension, which provides additional information. suspension for the cabin the chassis is now prepared for the so-called wedding this is what the men at the factory call the process of joining the chassis and the cabin it only takes a few minutes to transform the two main components into a real truck this chassis That is behind this, three hours ago there were just two steel frames being put together between that time and then people coated the chassis, put the axles on, put the tires on and now, if you're getting ready to have the cockpit deck, the aluminum tank still needs to be installed.

They weigh only a few kilograms and can be easily assembled by hand depending on the configuration The tanks hold up to 300 gallons of diesel The cab is on its way The magic moment is approaching Workers carefully lower the cab and secure it to the chassis , all plugs and connections must be connected the crane releases the cabin and returns to pick up the next every four minutes a new cabin is placed and installed every four minutes a new truck is completed then comes the hood but the trucks are defined characteristic The trucks Americans are famous for their distinctive engine hoods.

European trucks do not have one, there are several reasons for this, on the one hand it is a matter of tradition, but in Europe there is also a maximum length for trucks in the USA that still The classic American adage applies: bigger is better.Before the hood closes, the workers always knock four times. That's why they knock on the hood four times because they want to make sure that there is no body inside the hood working, they give it to their colleagues and they realize that they are there. Getting ready to close the hood once the radiator grill is in place, the truck is complete, the final step involves playing the latest version of the software on the system and the vehicle is ready to go.

Now it is heading for a technical inspection. The trucks are lined up in threes. lanes a driver prepares them for a lap on the internal test track Mike Maloney, 44, is one of the test drivers. He was a truck driver for more than two decades. He started working here four years ago and now tests between 15 and 18 trucks a day, he guarantees their quality with his distinctive sticker as proof that I am the one driving it, then we check the pink sheet to make sure we are all good to drive and what's wrong with him and he really has abs. it's been signed so it's good to drive and then we just walk around and make sure they're both marked so they're also secured so they're tight just make sure all the trucks are secure.

I look at that truck like it's mine. that truck and I know what the man wants when he buys it. I have to make sure it's perfect for him. It's perfect if we can get it. The microphone first checks the mounted components. Everything has to open and close perfectly. Everything has to have proper control.

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space and nothing can be released each truck has to pass the visual inspection before we can drive it will go up we will have to finish the other worksheet so when we go to the track inside we could test so that everything works as it should every button, every switch, each indicator light, you have to fill out an official worksheet, the test track is part of the factory facility, another test driver is already doing laps, they know him as ZZ Top because of his beard gas, his Driving technique is legendary, no one.

You can complete the circuit faster than him. Yes, there is a strict speed limit on North American highways. Mike drives over that limit quite often. I can drive more new trucks in a day than most drivers will drive in a lifetime. I want to get to that. at a certain speed right now, I'll check and make sure there are no vibrations. I want to make sure the engine brake works, which can be felt when I'm cornering. I want to make sure the anti-roll valve is going to work and it will shut down the engine if I roll over too much.

A test drive involves four laps covering about six miles. When it passes, the truck gets its seal of approval and is ready to hit the road and head out. Several hundred trucks are shipped daily to your buyer from the factory in Europe. Long-haul trucks are often shipped or transported on trailers because distances in the U.S. are so great that manufacturers invent a different system: One truck takes up to three others and delivers them to customers Workers assemble a coupling orange color on the trailer coupling the so-called fifth wheel and they attach a truck to it the crane reverses and puts on simple rear lights that are easily connected by cables what at first glance seems quite provisional is extremely effective and saves costs after the delivery of the last truck the driver does not have to return to the factory in a truck with the trailer empty as I can see that the trucks are stacked and then after delivering the last tractor, which is the one that transported the others, the drivers will take a plane to fly back to the New River Valley and then they will be assigned the next truck, so it will deliver somewhere a the days. 14 drivers packed their bags, got behind the wheel and headed to customers.

These three new tractors will be in Canada. tomorrow our trucks are actually built for the North American market, which is Canada, the United States and Mexico, so these drivers leave here functionally and they can drive 3,000 miles away or maybe 150 miles away from above, the plants Welcome Center looks like a gigantic company logo today we are visited by a very special guest Chuck Wilson and his wife may look like average tourists, but Chuck is probably the plant's most famous customer in the last 35 years, he probably bought more trucks here than any other client when we sold a company that had about 750, so over the years, with all the turnover, it is several thousand, about six thousand trucks with the company's characteristic colors, green and red, have been delivered to Wilson Trucking since 1982, almost every factory worker in the New River Valley has worked on a truck for Chuck Wilson. today chuck's first truck is on display at the alberene welcome center f7 built in 1982 that was my last day with wilson trucking yeah yeah instead of buying a truck i bought a truck for $1 it's also the first Volvo truck made in the USA.

Chuck sold it back to the company for a token $1 coin, the first American production Volvo Wilson Trucking Corporation, September 1982. Yes, you can see how it held up. This is the original. A few years ago we were trying to restore the truck. I have repainted the frame and such, but it is in very good condition from past to future. This is a veera a driverless autonomous tractor. The manufacturer's engineers are already testing the first prototypes. A concept is radical. There is no driver's cabin. The motor is fully electric chambers. The sensors are installed around the tractor. The beer is wirelessly connected to a control center that monitors location, battery charge and other parameters.

The vehicle is designed for use in closed areas such as ports and logistics centers, but many more trucks will be built at the Virginia plant first. Veera conquers the roads The long distances that have to be traveled have prompted many truckers in the US to give up their homes and live in their vehicles all year round as a canonical bet. Zeldin, his truck is well known throughout the country and has been nicknamed Kermit. For obvious reasons a couple loves long trips and that makes them popular with transport companies with remote clients, in addition to the double bed in the back, the apartment has a microwave and two refrigerators and behind the passenger seat There's even room for Stacey the dog.

The couple has lived on the road for the past six years. I feel proud when I drive. somewhere in security looks at that name and says there you can and I can say yes, I'm Ken, this is Carmen John and Miriam Brown in what is probably the largest truck on the roads of North America. They have invested a lot of time and money into their customization. truck is basically a motor home with a trailer we wanted to travel we wanted to spend all our time together yes and it definitely fits perfectly for both of us we planned to do it for a year here we are 14 years later until now As I know we are the only VL style Volvo in North America that It uses a 20,000 pound steer axle and 425 steer tires.

You will notice that we have rgn ramps for a removable gooseneck trailer, as you can see the rear parts are all custom, there is our ladder to access the top where We keep our surfboards and other things. A two-bedroom house with 500 horsepower. Here we are, inside a big screen TV that comes out with one arm for viewing anywhere you want our couch to fold. in an extra bed, this is the dinette, it slides out so when it's open we have a lot more living space here and Mozzie has it a little bit under with all his toys down here, one of my favorite features of the truck is our washing machine and all-in-one dryer that comes to the kitchen.

I have my double sink and my two burner electric stove, which is awesome. After our first year in trucking, we realized that if we were going to stay in it, we needed to find a way to be more active and make better dietary choices, yes, and we wanted to stay in it, we loved trekking. and trucking, so this was the only way to do it for us every year, we say, well, we still like it, it's still a good good way to live life, so we make a good team, yeah, a hood huge, a huge engine, a spacious cabin and a spacious sleeper, the classic American truck. 3,500 people work in the huge factory in New River Valley, Virginia, a new truck leaves. assembly line every five to ten minutes more than 300 trucks deliver materials and components every day demand is enormous Only 750,000 cable ties are used daily customers can choose from more than 500 different colors for the cab and chassis, only 12 hours to build a new truck with about 2,800 individual parts the final inspection is carried out on the internal test track each truck has to pass the endurance test for four rounds before delivery in the last decades more than 500,000 trucks have rolled out of the factory in Virginia and thundered on the roads of Canada, Mexico and the United States extra-large trucks made in the USA.