Troublesome Trucks

The Troublesome Trucks (called Cars, originally Foolish Freight Cars, in the US narration) are nicknamed so because they can be very troublesome and love to play tricks on the engines.

The Great Snow Storm of Sodor
Once some Troublesome Trucks caused 'Arry and Bert to crash why they were delivering a coal train.

Personalities
Every wise engine knows trucks cannot be trusted. Trucks could be considered the rebels and the troublemakers of all rolling stock on the railway, as most of them love to cause mischief and trouble and show no remorse for whatever they do unless they are told off by their engine. If an engine is having a bad day, makes a mistake, or is easily played upon, the trucks begin their wild antics of singing, name calling, holding back, shoving, bumping, giggling and so on. They will play tricks on an engine based on how they treat them. They are known to be the cause of many accidents and some of them are a form of revenge due to mistreatment and they are not known for their common sense; they will carry out their plans to pay back an engine even if they result in derailing, damaging or destroying themselves.

Trucks can also be described as territorial; when they get used to certain engines pulling them, another engine in the yard to take them may cause confusion or anger for the trucks. In the second season episode, Percy's Predicament for example, Toby and Percy switched jobs, making Toby's trucks furious and causing Percy to crash. In the third season episode, Oliver Owns Up, the trucks refused for Oliver to take them and demanded Duck, Donald or Douglas instead.

To the trucks, one engine is as good as another, as on one occasion they took their anger out on Thomas when they could not get back at James for bumping them.

Trucks are also shown to be somewhat manipulative and can take advantage of other engines that do not know much about them. This was shown when they tricked Bill and Ben by telling them where to put them when they said they wanted to help, only to end up causing delays when the trucks ended up all over the sidings in messy situations, making the twins late to fetch Gordon's coaches.

The only engines the trucks are known not to play tricks on are Edward, Stepney, Salty and Hiro. These engines have their ways of necessary sternness and knowledge of how to properly discipline them when they misbehave and only bump them when they deserve it. Salty's way of handling trucks is singing musical tunes for them to sing along, so as to keep their minds off of misbehaving. They are also afraid of Donald and Douglas after Douglas crushed the Spiteful Brake Van to pieces and Oliver since he pulled a privately owned truck called S.C. Ruffey apart. Although they were all accidents, the trucks were never told that and since these incidents, they always keep in mind never to play tricks on those engines.

There have, however, been some cases where the trucks and engines are on the same side, such as when Diesel was given a third chance on Sodor, but the trucks tricked him into misbehaving and getting sent away again. They also asked Percy to help move them from an ill-mannered and obnoxious barge named Bulstrode, only to end up in his hull and damage him, resulting in him being sent to a beach.

During the thirteenth and sixteenth seasons, they behaved unusually well but were easily annoyed. From King of the Railway onwards, they have regained their old personalities, misbehaving and causing accidents.

In Big World! Big Adventures!, some trucks in other countries were shown to act very differently than the ones on Sodor, some being very polite and even trying to help the engines instead of causing trouble.

Each other
The Troublesome Trucks work as a team to de-rail engines. They work together perfectly and almost never get in argument.

Most engines
The Troublesome Trucks love to cause trouble to engines.

Appearances

 * Secrets of the Stolen Crown (cameo)
 * The Great Snow Storm of Sodor