Big Trucks, Big Adventures: Fun Freight Facts!
Have you ever wondered how your favorite cereal gets to the grocery store or how a new bike makes its way to the toy store? Freight is all around us! Trucks help move the things we use every day from where they're made to where they're needed.
Amazing Freight Facts
That's One Big Trailer
A single freight trailer can be about 53 feet long – nearly as long as a bowling lane. It has enough space for more than 3,000 shoeboxes. Imagine trying to stack all of those!
Around The World...Three Times!
A truck driver can travel enough miles in one year to circle the Earth more than three times. That's a lot of road trips!
Freight Moves While You Sleep
While you're tucked into bed, truck drivers are busy moving everything from food and clothing to building supplies and crayons across the country.
Fun Facts About Estes
It All Started With One Truck
W.W. Estes started Estes in 1931 with just one used truck in Chase City, Virginia. Today, Estes has thousands of trucks traveling across North America.
That's One Unusual Driver's Seat!
W.W. Estes' first truck was missing its driver's seat and windshield. He used a shipping crate for a seat and curtains in place of the windshield to get the truck on the road!
Special Delivery: One Can Of Paint!
One of W.W. Estes' first deliveries was a single can of paint. His price for picking it up and delivering it? Just 25 cents!
Estes Once Delivered An ELEPHANT!
In 1961, Estes helped transport an Indian elephant named Ambika from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Now that's some jumbo-sized freight!
How Long Is 425 Miles Of Trailers?
If you lined up every Estes trailer end to end, the line would stretch about 425 miles. That's about 7,500 football fields lined up end to end or 94,000 giraffes lying nose to tail!
From Portland to Portland!
Estes trucks can be found from Portland, Maine, all the way to Portland, Oregon and every state in between.
Truck Trivia
Those Are Some Big Wheels!
A tractor-trailer usually has 18 wheels. Their tires can weigh around 100 pounds and many are around 3 ½ feet tall!
Sleep Tight, Truck Driver
Some trucks have beds inside. Long-haul tractors may have a sleeping area behind the driver’s seat with a bed and storage – like a tiny bedroom on wheels.
Big Truck, Big Engine
A semi-truck engine can weigh more than 2,000 pounds. That’s about the weight of a small car!
One Mighty Million Miles
Tractor-trailers can travel over one million miles during the trucks’ lifetime.
Big Trucks Go Electric, Too
Did you know there are electric semi-trucks? Their batteries can be charged in about 30 minutes and they can drive 600 miles on a full charge.
