As a refresher, the truck refers to the metal bars that sit under your longboard, holding the wheels and connecting them to your board deck.
If you are serious about longboarding or just want to learn everything that you can, then there are a few important things to learn about trucks.

Parts of a Longboard Truck

One of the first things to know is the various parts you will find on a longboard truck.
Axle – This holds the longboard bearings and wheels. They come in 10 mm or 8 mm.
Baseplate – This is the mounting plate for bottom truck mounting. It locks the truck to the longboard’s deck. You can choose from multiple angles, each of which changes the board’s turning geometry.
Bushings – These are small urethane grommets that create resistance when you turn the truck and center the hanger. There are two on the top and two on the bottom of the board.
Hanger – This is the part responsible for turning. It is suspended on the baseplate with a pivot cup and bushings, a configuration that lets it rotate.
Kingpin – These are the largest bolts on the trucks. They hold the washers and bushings in place, tightly on the hanger.
Mounting Holes – These are holes in the truck’s baseplate. This is where you place the hardware that mounts your baseplate onto the deck.
Pivot Cup – This is a small round bushing where the hanger rotates. The pivot cut also controls the hanger turn’s feel to some extent.

Longboard Truck Size

When choosing the size of your longboard truck, try to keep it close to your deck’s width. The best-case scenario is if they have the same width, but you should at least try to keep them within a quarter-inch of each other.

Drop-through Longboard Trucks

It is common to have questions about drop-through trucks. After all, drop-through decks attach in a very different way from other decks. Most people picture a top-mounted board when they imagine a longboard. This means that the truck gets mounted right under the board.
With a drop-through longboard deck, you mount the truck through the deck instead of under it. To make this easy to do, drop-through decks feature a strategically cut hole. They also tend to have large cutouts for your wheels so you don’t have to worry about wheel bite.

You Can Use the Same Truck

The good news is that if you have a drop-through longboard deck, you can still use a standard longboard truck. This type of deck should theoretically work with any truck. That being said, it is best to always make sure to choose a longboard truck that is a proper RKP instead of a “street style” one.

How to Mount Your Truck

If you want to mount a longboard truck on a drop-through deck, start by undoing the kingpin nut. Then, take off the top bushing and the hanger. Now, you can mount the baseplate on top of your drop-through hole and put the hanger, bushing, and nut back into place.

Electric Longboard Trucks

The other unique type of longboard trucks you may have questions about are those for electric longboards. Luckily, electric trucks are essentially identical to those for regular longboards.
Reverse kingpin trucks (RKPs) are the most popular option. They are nice and stable even at higher speeds and give you a nice linear curve.
You can also choose a double kingpin truck (DKP). It has a more fluid response and is great for carving. You can also remove part of it to make it a TKP (traditional kingpin) truck. Speaking of TKPs, these are the originals. They are much less common for electric longboards, but you can find them.
You will also come across some more specialized trucks that were specifically designed for electric longboards. Those are more common when off-roading.

Choosing a Longboard Truck

The best truck for you depends on your specific needs. There are nine major truck qualities that determine how the longboard feels. The good news is that you can modify these later if you change your mind after buying your longboard.
They include:

• Axle width
• Baseplate angle
• Bushing seat
• Construction (cast, precision, or forged)
• Kingpin placement
• Hanger width
• Mounting pattern
• Pivot point
• Rake
• Ride height

Longboard trucks are among the most important longboard parts, and with all the information above, you should be able to make sure you have the ideal truck for your longboard, and don’t forget, whichever truck you choose, don’t skip on safety and pick the right longboard protective gear that will keep you safe.