Australia created bizarre 'cab-under' trucks to bypass strict laws and maximise deck space and they look utterly surreal

To get around strict laws, Australia created bizarre ‘cab-under’ trucks to maximize deck space.

These trucks look utterly surreal, and we can only imagine what it felt like to drive in one of them.

The Land Down Under is famous for its massive road trains, but a ton of transport regulations and urban environments that were scarce on space pushed people into innovating their trucks.

As a result, the world was gifted these odd but memorable ‘cab-under’ trucks.

How ‘cab-under’ trucks first became a thing

Technically, the first ‘cab-under’ trucks weren’t created in Australia.

But as you’ll see, this is a story with a lot of nuance.

Ever since cargo trucks have been on the road, people have been thinking up ways to maximize the loads they’re carrying.

After all, increasing efficiency is good for the bottom line, right?

The first effort appears to have come from the US Air Force itself, with its Minuteman Missile carrier in 1963.

However, that truck came with a substantial gap between the cabin and the cargo.

It would be John Baker in Australia that would take the concept and take it to a whole new level.

Historic Vehicles has credited him with revolutionizing the Australian car-carrying industry, by creating the ‘tag-a-long’ trailer.

This extended the car frame over the truck’s cab, allowing for seven cars to be towed rather than just six.

But that was just the beginning of his innovations.

Next would be what he called a ‘UFO’ – aka ‘Under Floor Operated’.

This was a shortened Leyland Leopard bus chassis, with a fully-forward cabin.

With the UFO, loading eight cars on would only take a matter of minutes.

It won’t surprise you to learn that this truck captured the attention of a lot of people around Sydney, and Baker would later be inducted into the Road Transport Hall of Fame.

Bet you didn’t know that was a thing, but now you do.

Who else was working on cab-under trucks in Australia?

Hino Australia was also working hard on its own Cab-Under Container Hauler in a bid to overcome Sydney’s tight urban streets and strict length laws.

In this case, the Hino’s cab would sit inches from the ground.

It was capable of carrying a full-sized ocean shipping container without a trailer.

Despite being handy, it was super rare and was likened to a ‘claustrophobic submarine’.

A blue version of the truck was operated by All Hours Towing, but is more likely to be seen at charity events these days.

There have been others who have worked on cab-under trucks

Manfred Steinwinter was another man with an eye towards mixing things up in the cargo truck world.

That’s where the Steinwinter Supercargo 20.40 comes into the picture, looking more like a supercar than a truck.

However, a mix of European legislation and an unpleasant driving experience proved to be its undoing.

It was last seen in 2002, during the filming of an episode of Power Rangers Time Force.

Trucks are constantly in a state of evolution

Trucking is a big industry, with approximately 3.5 million people in the US working as professional truck drivers.

But there’s constantly changes in this long-standing industry.

Driverless trucks are constantly being discussed, thanks to companies like Aurora, which has five self-driving rigs running between Dallas and Houston.