YouTubers buy three cheap semi trucks for around $10,000 each and put them through extreme challenges to see which is best

These YouTubers bought three cheap semi trucks and put them through a series of extreme tests.

There was one clear winner and one clear loser.

No argument there.

But there’s something else about this challenge we need to mention.

There’s massive caveat here

YouTubers do this all the time but what’s interesting is that this particular challenge would come with a few legal challenges, depending on where you are.

Not everyone can buy a semi truck, and not everyone can drive it.

Many countries strictly regulate or outright ban the private ownership of certain vehicles, including semi trucks.

And virtually all countries require a specific license, unless you’re driving one on private property.

But the team behind the Goonzsquad YouTube channel evidently didn’t have those problems and so they bought three cheap trucks to test them.

With these challenges, there’s always a winner and always a loser, but most times it’s neck and neck.

On this occasion, it wasn’t even close.

Especially when it came to the loser.

Because one of these trucks was significantly worse than the other two.

One of these semi trucks was apparently bad at everything

The Goonzquad team embarked on what they called a ‘Cheap Semi Truck Challenge’ by testing three hugely popular semi trucks: a Freightliner, a Peterbilt, and an International.

The idea was simple: buy a truck for less than $10,000 and put them through a series of grueling tests to find a winner.

There were five main challenges: tug-of-war, drifting, field race, high-speed drifting and trailer backing.

In terms of performance and maneuverability, the Freightliner emerged as the winner.

It wasn’t the most powerful truck here – that title went to the Peterbilt – but it was just a little easier to drive and therefore faster in real-world terms.

However, when it came to just about everything else the Peterbilt just appeared to be better.

When it doubt, they always went for the Peterbilt.

It was so much better than the other two, in fact, that they’re going to keep it and restore it.

“The Pete came out on top with the challenges. We’re definitely going to restore the motor,” one of the guys said.

As for the International, well, it came stone dead last.

Where have we seen this before?

We’re sure we’re not breaking the news here when we point out that the vast majority of these YouTube challenges were in some way invented or pioneered by Top Gear.

Including this one.

A long, long time ago, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond brought three second-hand semi trucks in what they called the Cheap Lorry Challenge.

James May bought a Scania P94D, one of the most popular trucks in Europe at the time, Richard Hammond bought an ERF EC11, and Jeremy Clarkson chose a Renault Magnum.

And yes we were today years old when we learned that Renault also made semi trucks.

Years later, they brought three more trucks, this time they weren’t semis, and drove across Myanmar, but that’s a different story.