- By
- Parker Barry
Did you know …
The biggest dump truck in the world is a Belaz 75710. This huge truck is “as long as two double decker buses parked end-to-end, six times as powerful as today’s Formula 1 racing cars and weighs more than a fully loaded Airbus A380 passenger plane,” according to the BBC.
- There’s a heavy equipment “playground” in Las Vegas called Dig This! where teens and and adults can try their hand at operating real construction equipment.
- Monster trucks started as simple pickup trucks. They’re specifically defined as “an extremely large pickup truck, typically with greatly oversized tires.”
- Tonka trucks were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2001. Founded in 1947, Tonka has 30 kinds of toy trucks, including diggers, cranes, dump trucks, jeeps, semis, wreckers, fire trucks and more.
Field trips: Go see real trucks
- The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, Alletown, PA
- The National Construction Equipment Museum, Bowling Green, OH
- Pacific NW Truck Museum, Brooks, OR
- International Monster Truck Museum and Hall of Fame, Auburn, IN
- John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum, Waterloo, IA
- The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum, Walcott Iowa. (There’s a fun FAQ list for kids’ questions about big rigs and the trucking industry.)
