Road train

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A tanker road train
A tanker road train
Three road trains, Western Australia
Three road trains, Western Australia
This article is about road trains used to carry freight, usually in remote areas
For road trains used to carry tourists and other passengers over short distances, see trackless train.

A road train is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Australia, the United States, and Western Canada to move bulky loads efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples", "Turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain doubles" are commonly used for longer combination vehicles (LCVs).[1] The space in the name is usually omitted.[citation needed] A road train consists of a relatively conventional prime mover, but instead of pulling one trailer or semi-trailer, the road train pulls two or more of them.

Contents

[edit] History

Australian Kurt Johansson is recognised as the inventor of the road-train[2], after transporting stud bulls 200 miles to an outback property he was asked by a Ted Dickson why he couldn't build a truck to carry 100 head of cattle instead of the original load of 20. Provided with a couple thousand pounds to develop the vehicle, 2 years later the first road train was born, to Kurt's great satisfaction having been ridiculed for even attempting such an audacious undertaking[3].

[edit] Use in Australia

Australia has the largest and heaviest road-legal vehicles in the world, with some configurations topping out at close to 200 tonnes. The majority are between 80 and 120 tonnes. Two-trailer road trains, or "doubles" are allowed in most parts of Australia, with the exception of some urban areas. Three trailer road trains (triples) operate in western New South Wales, western Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with the last three states also allowing AB-Quads (3.5 trailers). Darwin, NT, is the only capital city in the world that will allow triples and quads to within 1 km of the central business district.

Road trains can be unwieldy, and driving and maneuvering them safely without unduly obstructing traffic is only possible because of the sparse traffic and extremely flat and straight terrain through the Australian outback. Strict regulations also apply regarding licensing and driving experience. The multiple dog-trailers are unhooked, the dollys removed and then connected individually to multiple trucks at "assembly" yards when the road train gets close to populated areas.

Road trains are used for transporting all manner of materials, with livestock, fuel, mineral ores and general freight the most common. Their cost-effective transport has played a significant part in the economic development of remote areas, with some communities totally reliant on a regular service.

Triple-stacked trailers (with a small truck as well) being unloaded at Timber Creek.
Triple-stacked trailers (with a small truck as well) being unloaded at Timber Creek.

Overtaking a road train can be quite difficult. Patience, assistance from the driver, and large amounts of clear road are required. Many road train drivers help by blinking their right-turn indicators a couple of times to indicate that the road ahead is clear.

When the flat-top trailers of a road train need to be transported empty, it is common practice to stack them. This is commonly referred to as "doubled-up" or "doubling-up". Sometimes, if many trailers are required to be moved at the one time, they will be tripled stacked, or "tripled-up", as shown in the photo.

In the United States, trucks on public roads are limited to three trailers (in some states only two), and the term "road train" is not commonly used. Triples are used for long-distance less-than-truckload freight hauling (in which case the trailers are shorter than a typical single-unit trailer) or resource (such as ore or aggregate) hauling in the interior west. Triples are typically marked with "LONG LOAD" banners both front and rear.

In Finland and Sweden, trucks with trailers are allowed to be 25.25 m (82.8 ft) long, in opposite to the rest of the European Union where they can be only 18.5 m (60.7 ft) long. As always in Europe, this is the total length, and there is no specific maximum cargo length. Therefore the owner want to make the cab as short as possible. The trucks have a flat front, a high floor about 1.2 m (3.9 ft) above ground, and the engine underneath.

[edit] Use in Canada

In Canada, road trains are more commonly referred to as Longer Combination Vehicles (LCVs), as Extended Length Vehicles (ELVs), or Energy Efficient Motor Vehicles (EEMVs).

Four types of LCV are permitted; turnpike doubles, triples, rocky mountain doubles, and queen city triples.

Turnpike doubles consist of a tractor unit pulling a semi-trailer (up to 53 feet long). An A-type or C-type convertor is connected to the rear of the trailer, and carries a second trailer. Alternatively, the lead trailer may have a hideaway fifth wheel, which enables direct coupling of the second trailer without a convertor. The total permissible length is 38 metres.

Triples may be up to 35 metres in length when using A or C convertors, or 38 metres in B-train configuration.

Rocky mountain doubles are limited to 31 metres in overall length, but have the advantage of being legal on two-lane, undivided roads. A, B and C-train variants are used. Other LCVs may only be used on divided highways.

Queen city triples consist of a tractor unit pulling one semi-trailer up to 53 feet long and two shorter "pup" trailers up to 32 feet long. Queen city triples are only permitted between the cities of Saskatoon and Regina Saskatchewan. These are the longest combinations allowed in Canada on public highways.

[edit] Western Canada

British Columbia restricts LCV operation to the Coquihalla toll road between Kamloops and Vancouver.

Alberta allows LCV operation on most major highways. The Queen Elizabeth II highway between Calgary and Edmonton carries the majority of turnpike doubles and triples. Theoretically, these vehicles could be used on Highway 16 as far west as Hinton AB and Highway 43 as far north as Valleyview AB, but are rarely used on these routes. LCV operation north and west of Edmonton is limited to rocky mountain doubles, since the road is undivided north of Valleyview. The destination of most rocky mountain doubles is Yellowknife in the North West Territories.

The North West Territories allows LVCs of up to 31 metres in length. These vehicles are restricted to specific destinations in Hay River and Yellowknife. LCVs do not operate north of Yellowknife.

Saskatchewan restricts LCVs to divided highways, but appears to allow them to use undivided sections of those highways.

[edit] Licencing of LCV drivers

(Information restricted to Alberta and NWT.) Prospective LCV drivers must have held a licence for legal length articulated vehicles for two years (five years in the North West Territories.). They may have no more than two moving offences recorded within three years and may not have any vehicle-related criminal code violations. They are required to pass a PDIC (professional driver improvement course) every four years. They are required to pull an LCV at least once a year in order to keep their LCV licence.

[edit] Trailer arrangements

[edit] B-double

B-double truck on the Sturt Highway
B-double truck on the Sturt Highway

A B-double (B-Train) consists of a prime mover towing a specialised trailer that has a fifth-wheel mounted on the rear towing another semi-trailer, resulting in two articulation points.

[edit] C-train

A C-train is a semi-trailer attached to a fifth-wheel on a C-dolly. The C-dolly is connected to the tractor or another trailer in front of it with two draw-bars, thus eliminating the drawbar connection as an articulation point. One of the axles on a C-dolly is self-steerable to prevent tire scrubbing.

[edit] Dog-trailer (Pup trailer)

A dog-trailer (also called a pup) is a trailer that has a convertor dolly hooked in front of it, with a single A-frame drawbar that fits in the ringfeder on the rear of the trailer in front, giving the whole unit 3-5 articulation points and very little roll stiffness.

[edit] Rules and Regulations

Road train overview. Letters do not reflect the here mentioned types, although B is a B-double.
Road train overview. Letters do not reflect the here mentioned types, although B is a B-double.

[edit] Signage

Australian road trains have signs front and back in large black letters on a yellow background reading "ROAD TRAIN".

[edit] Combination Lengths

  • B-Double- 26 m max. ( 27.5 m in Western Australia )
  • B-Triple- 33.5 m max.
  • Double road train- 36.5 m max.
  • Triple and AB-Quad road trains- 53.5 m max.

[edit] Operating Weights

Operational weights are based on axle group masses, as follows:

  • Single axle- 6.0t (metric)
  • Tandem axle grouping- 16.5t
  • Tri axle grouping- 20.0t

Therefore, a B-Double would weigh 62.5 t (6 + 16.5 + 20 + 20). A double road train would have an operational weight (without concessions) of 79 t (6 + 16.5 + 20 + 16.5 + 20). A triple is 79 t + 36.5 (16.5 + 20), giving an all up weight of 115.5 t. Quads weigh in at 135.5t(extra 20t). Concessional weight additions (1 - 2.5 t per group) can see a quad end up weighing 149t. If a tri-drive prime mover is utilised, along with tri-axle dollys, weights can reach nearly 170t.

[edit] Speed Limits

The Australian national heavy vehicle speed limit is 100 km/h, excepting:

  • NSW, Queensland and South Australia, where the speed limit for any road train is 90 km/h.

In western Canada, LCVs are restricted to 100 km/h, or the posted speed limit. Trucks of legal length (<25 metres) may travel at the posted speed limit.

[edit] World's longest road trains

Northern Territory AB-Quad tanker road train. Trailer arrangement is B-double In towing two tri-axle dog-trailers
Northern Territory AB-Quad tanker road train. Trailer arrangement is B-double In towing two tri-axle dog-trailers

1999 the town of Merredin, Western Australia made it into the Guinness Book of Records, when Marleys Transport made a successful attempt on the record for the world's longest road train. The record was created when 45 trailers, driven by Greg Marley, weighing 603 metric tons and measuring 610 metres were pulled by a Kenworth truck for 8 km.

In 2003, the record was surpassed near Mungindi, New South Wales, by a road train consisting of 87 trailers and a single prime mover (measuring 1235 metres in length).

The next record was 1,442 metres, set by a driver in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in a Kenworth owned by Doug Gould.

In 2006, a truck with 112 semi-trailers (at a length of 1,474.3 metres) claimed a new record at Clifton, Queensland.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ States that Allow Longer Combination Vehicles
  2. ^ View From The North - Episode Four: Roads North
  3. ^ BBC World, Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld, Australian episode

[edit] External links