The fire engines were initially used in the mid-nineteenth century and were compliance before the introduction of fire trucks. By the end of century, they changed from automobile version or horse-drawn to hand water pumps mounted at the rear. The first engine was used in the year 1850 by Cincinnati Fire Department. They actually represented large shift methods of fire fighting including bucket lines. Most of these engine models are found in urban cities and as they are in limited demands, the trucks manufactured from 1900 to 1960 were very limited to distinctive designs from local producers. There were not only fire trucks, but also some competitive departments in local areas. Because of expensive paint color, most of the manufacturer began painting their trucks red and black.
Fire trucks became more popular in the market by the turn of century as lots of towns switched from volunteer to professional departments. The cities filled with crowd needed advanced technology with excellent water pumps. Till late 1920s, fire departments decided to use fire powered engines and the Cincinnati, Ahrens-Fox Manufacturing Company became very popular for replacing fire horse-drawn engines with these trucks. The main manufacturer of these fire trucks is Mack Trucks who started in the year 1911 and has gained a good reputation in the market till today. In 1960s, there was some fire diesels trucks manufactured which were the modernized trucks with enclosed cabs for crew.
Tow trucks are basically a vehicle which is used for transporting motor vehicles from one place to another. These services are mostly offered by emergency road service operator. The first tow truck was invented by Ernest Holmes in the year 1916 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was initially a garage worker; an improved design which resulted him to produce wreckers. There are lots of different kinds of tow equipments such as boom that are fitted with most of the trucks. These trucks are most of the times operated by private firms except for toll roads and major highways. Those organizations who are involved in operating huge fleet of vehicles often own one of these trucks and school bus companies.
There are lots of government departments who use two trucks such as departments of public works, fire departments, transportation authorities and police departments. There is a tow truck act in one of the Australian states called New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Tow trucks have been in the market for a very long time and most of the times they are used for hauling cars and automobiles. These trucks are designed as long iron bar with hitch on one end and dual wheels on other end. Gottlieb Daimler was the first automobile manufacturer who produced and launched this tow truck in 1890s. There are other manufacturers in the market who are involved in producing these trucks such as Ford, International, White, Chevrolet, Dodge, Jeep, Federal, Diamond T, GMC, Nash and Studebaker. These trucks are quite ubiquitous on highways which are often not noticed while passing. Overall they are quite beneficial in towing vehicles.