Dog-nose trucks set to return?

The Centre is working on new regulations that may soon bring back the “dog nose” design for trucks and heavy vehicles — a structural change that could improve road safety and logistics efficiency. The “dog nose” refers to a truck design in which the engine and hood protrude in front of the driver’s cabin — a common sight until the late 1990s. This seemingly small change could be crucial to improving visibility and reaction time on highways.

The alteration gives drivers that extra bit of space and time to see ahead and respond better, according to road safety experts. Automobile safety experts say both flat-fronted and dog-nosed configurations have their own advantages. In high-speed scenarios, the extra space provided by the nose would give better reaction time for the drivers, but flat-fronted trucks offer better visibility, which might be more advantageous in non-high-speed conditions, and particularly keeping in mind pedestrian safety.