Monster Truck Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF Sheet

Monster Truck: History & Fun Facts

From Farm Trucks to Arena Giants

The first trucks built specifically to crush cars in front of a crowd showed up in the late 1970s, when drivers in the American Midwest started bolting oversized farm and construction tires onto pickup frames. "Bigfoot," built in 1975 from a Ford F-250, is widely credited as the truck that turned car-crushing exhibitions into a stand-alone sport. Within a decade, dozens of similar trucks were touring fairgrounds and stadiums across the country.

Suspension, Tires, and Ground Clearance

A modern rally truck rides on tires that can stand five feet tall and weigh around 800 pounds each, mounted on custom axles borrowed from farm equipment and military trucks. Long-travel suspension arms let each wheel move independently over ramps and wrecked cars without the frame twisting, which is why the body sits so high above the tires in profile.

Why Rally Crowds Love the Jump

Jump distance became the sport's signature spectacle once promoters realized how far a truck with that much ground clearance and torque could launch off a dirt ramp. Competitions now score freestyle runs on air time, crash landings, and how cleanly a truck clears a row of parked vehicles, turning what started as a demolition stunt into a scored motorsport with its own circuit and champions.