Why America Abandoned Cab-Over Trucks.
The reason why Europe and America once favored the same flat-front cabs and have since taken different roads is largely down to legislation, specifically laws concerning overall vehicle length. Following a rule change in the late 1970s, American trucks only had to conform to the maximum length stipulation for the trailer, not the entire vehicle, and truck manufacturers and trucking companies began to switch to the bigger long-nosed cabs, which allowed drivers to have more sleeping space in the cab, a lower overall cab height, and less noise and vibration.