Why are modern lorry cabs so big? Apart from the obvious I can’t see any reason. All the motors I drove in the 70s were tiny compared to today’s.I drove an 1/2 cab for a month n never caused me any trouble. I’ve driven others never crossed the engine hump. The only time I ventured near the passenger seat was to clean or get the jack out. Is it just a fashion thing?
I have often wondered why all users seem to end up with these “home from homes”, even tipper trailers are pulled by them!
What is the extra weight being dragged around compared to a day cab? I have never looked it up. Day cabs (but even those are quite large) are still around as I see quite a few fuel companies using them. Perhaps they are easier to sell on, but in that case is the premium worth the extra initial cost and cost of moving that extra weight around for years?
Interesting question. Any answers?
Yep it’s all about resale value or in the case of my firm the 18t and 26t just end up getting flogged to death on pallet work
And yes I can’t see point of a sleeper cab on a truck that’s purely doing day work 
I’ve even seen sleepers on dray work
Hi the reason day cabs have sleepers is years ago trampers went up the road in day cabs sleeping across the seats that all stopped when the government said cabs must have bunks ,and you usually find sleeper cabs are cheaper than day cabs I drive a 26 tonner have 1 night out a week my cab works out cheaper than our 18 tonne day cabs that’s why hauliers use sleeper cabs cheers John,this Volvo was the day cab I drove when I started this is my 26 tonner I drive now
Well in the early 70s, I Had a day cab Foden, & I got the offer of some distance work which meant being away overnight, So I made a fold down bunk out of plywood with a thick roll of foam to kip on & it did me very well, I did transfer it into later wagons, & Then in 1986 I bought a Seddon Aki with a sleeper cab,Wow it was allready to kip in and a lot more room of course, The good old long gone days, Regards Larry.
And now there’s the V8 Scania S730 Next Generation !!.. 
GS OVERLAND:
And now there’s the V8 Scania S730 Next Generation !!..
WOW What a treat for the young & upcomming drivers, They will not want to get up when the alarm clock rings, Regards Larry.
This is how day cabs used as sleepers years ago a board across the seats with foam as Larry said earlier cheers John
smallcoal:
Hi the reason day cabs have sleepers is years ago trampers went up the road in day cabs sleeping across the seats that all stopped when the government said cabs must have bunks ,and you usually find sleeper cabs are cheaper than day cabs I drive a 26 tonner have 1 night out a week my cab works out cheaper than our 18 tonne day cabs that’s why hauliers use sleeper cabs cheers John,this Volvo was the day cab I drove when I started this is my 26 tonner I drive now
Your firm is still a cheap skate getting you the small cab 
you want the cab size my Actros has got 
smallcoal:
This is how day cabs used as sleepers years ago a board across the seats with foam as Larry said earlier cheers John
I had one of those for a while, I took the passenger seat out, got a board across, and had some very comfortable nights. Only downside was having to assemble your bed every night
With the exception of the higher roofs which arrived not much later with things like the DAF Spacecab,Volvo Globetrotter and MAN Roadhaus,a proper sleeper even in the 1970’s wasn’t much different to now as full width meant the same then and increased overall truck lengths have mostly gone on the trailer length not cab length.As for general use I always preferred the extra space of a decent sleeper cab regardless of whether I needed it for nights out or not.While you never know if you’re going to get stranded away from base for long periods or run out of hours so it’s also good to have it as a back up in that regard.In addition to the resale issue.
Well gents I can see all your views sort of make sense, sleepers of course but I still don’t understand why so big.
When I had the 1/2cab next to no blind spots n ergo Reiver bout as good as it gets. My mate drives the usual ones nowadays n says looses all manner of motors through poor vision. If you’re on local work why the massive cab?
Blue line had these merc day cabs tramping all week they took the passenger seat out put a board with foam fitted in them my mate had one for a while . Ps I had to use joints as I don’t have a blt pic 
When i was at christian salvesen northampton ,i had a driver try to convince me that the law required him to have a sleeper cab tractor unit for his days work as his delivery points were over an hour and a half from base.he was delivering to abingdon , about 5 or 6 drops and a collection. He didn’t get far on that tack, didn’t get a sleeper either.
On the other hand the LF daf rigids with the short sleeper were a boon for the drivers on c+d, due to the amount of stuff they had to cart around, haz kit, spill kit, the big early pda/mobile phone, wet weather gear.
Tony
It was only during the last driver shortage around 2000 that the truly big cabs started to appear in big fleets, before then most just ran normal sleepers. Back then it was plain old haulage and nights out were more common than they are now in the logistic provider world, so a sleeper was a basic necessity. Add to that the fact that the standard cab offered by most manufacturers was a sleeper, it wasn’t really a choice. A day cab was a special order in most cases.
My first few lorries were day cabs and I used to night out in them, it wasn’t a big deal really, with a bit of ingenuity you could make up a decent bed and set of curtains, after a day roping and sheeting trailers and trying to get up hills with less than 200hp, sleep wasn’t hard to come by, especially with a decent meal and maybe a swift half inside you.
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blue estate:
smallcoal:
Hi the reason day cabs have sleepers is years ago trampers went up the road in day cabs sleeping across the seats that all stopped when the government said cabs must have bunks ,and you usually find sleeper cabs are cheaper than day cabs I drive a 26 tonner have 1 night doout a week my cab works out cheaper than our 18 tonne day cabs that’s why hauliers use sleeper cabs cheers John,this Volvo was the day cab I drove when I started this is my 26 tonner I drive nowYour firm is still a cheap skate getting you the small cab
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Our trucks are all leased they only do multi drop day work and our arctics do multi drop in the day and trunk in the night that’s why we only have basic cabs
Carryfast:
With the exception of the higher roofs which arrived not much later with things like the DAF Spacecab,Volvo Globetrotter and MAN Roadhaus,a proper sleeper even in the 1970’s wasn’t much different to now as full width meant the same then.
That maybe applies to a DAF 2800 or a Sed Atki as they were a wide cab, but you get into say, a Volvo 88, a 111 Scania, a Merc 2033 and they are a lot narrower and seem tiny in comparison to today’s cabs.
It all comes back to that elusive law that a driver could not sleep in a cab if his head was within six feet of the steering wheel or bottom step
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smallcoal:
Hi the reason day cabs have sleepers is years ago trampers went up the road in day cabs sleeping across the seats that all stopped when the government said cabs must have bunks ,and you usually find sleeper cabs are cheaper than day cabs I drive a 26 tonner have 1 night out a week my cab works out cheaper than our 18 tonne day cabs that’s why hauliers use sleeper cabs cheers John,this Volvo was the day cab I drove when I started this is my 26 tonner I drive now
John,
I think your Volvo ended its days at Oldbury depot,
pete smith:
smallcoal:
Hi the reason day cabs have sleepers is years ago trampers went up the road in day cabs sleeping across the seats that all stopped when the government said cabs must have bunks ,and you usually find sleeper cabs are cheaper than day cabs I drive a 26 tonner have 1 night out a week my cab works out cheaper than our 18 tonne day cabs that’s why hauliers use sleeper cabs cheers John,this Volvo was the day cab I drove when I started this is my 26 tonner I drive nowJohn,
I think your Volvo ended its days at Oldbury depot,
hi pete my volvo got sold i told them the clutch was slipping they told me to drive it i blew the gear box to pieces they towed it to oldbury put a second hand box in then sent it to a auction in Sheffield a farmer bought it the twin to it was the oldbury truck cheers John