Evolution of Cab-Over-Engine Trucks

American COE (Cab Over Engine) designs began to appear as a way to maximize loads and abide by individual U.S. state length regulations. By shortening the overall length of the truck cab the trailer size could be increased while staying within the overall length limit dictated by each state.

COE trucks would help play a vital role in America’s industrial growth. All the major truck manufacturers are featured along with the many models offered throughout the decades into the 1970s, as well as a brief look at the COE models offered through the 1980s to today.

Norm Mort began taking pictures of old vehicles parked at the side of the road before he was ten. At 12 years of age, Norm was the youngest member on the executive of the Antique and Classic Car Club of Canada, Toronto Chapter. In the 1960s he began accumulating photos and information on motoring. His personal vehicle collection has included everything from a 1922 D-Type Vauxhall and 1935 Morgan F2 to a 1966 Autobianchi van and 1962 Studebaker Station Wagon. A writer for magazines and newspapers such as World of Wheels, Sports Car Market, the Toronto Sun, Montreal Gazette, Old Autos, and numerous others in the field of transport for over 30-years, he has written more than 15 historic vehicle books in the Veloce series Those were the days ....