Long Combination Vehicle

Long combination vehicles are combinations of multiple Trailers on tractor trucks as compared to standard 5 axle semi trailer-trucks with one trailer. Combinations of LCVs are:

40 foot container turnpike double - 148,000 lbs GVWR
Rocky Mountain 40' 20' - 134,000 lbs GVWR
20 foot container double - 120,000 lbs GVWR
20 ft container straight truck w/ 20ft container trailer - 120,000 lbs GVWR
20 foot container straight truck with 28.5' foot pup trailer

LCVs are useful because they usually carry extra freight in terms of square and cubic feet capacity as well as weight capacity because of the extra axels it spreads out the weight across a longer area. They're also more efficient based on Ton-mileage.

In the US certain states allow certain combinations on certain routes within their states. In the western US LCVs are allowed on many Interstates and highways and the only LCV allowed nationwide are STAA doubles.

States that allow long combination vehicles

MAP-21 transportation bill

Future combinations are under study and consideration to be allowed on the National Network. These new standards will be released in November 2014.

Container transport

Load bearing of container stacking is at the 40 foot couplings.

ISO containers come in 5 standard sizes 20's, 40's, 45's, 48's, and 53 footers. They can all stack on one another because all the connections and load bearing is at the 40 foot coupling, except for the 20's they can't be stacked on top of longer containers, but longer containers can be stacked on two 20's placed end to end.

Container Ships

Container ships only take 20's, 40's and also 45's above deck. 90% of the containers on container ships are 40 footers.

Trains

Intermodal container trains in America come in 2 varieties foreign and domestic container trains.

*Domestic

Domestic intermodal trains Carry 53 footers plus Trailer-on-flatcar and they travel throughout North America

*Foreign

Foreign intermodal trains carry 20's, 40's, and 45's to and from Container ports to import or export intercontinentally.

Container Carriers

Americas largest container carriers JB Hunt, Schneider National, and Swift don't own a single 40', 45', or 20' foot container making intercontinental shipping through them impossible. All the 40' shipping container companies are foreign like Maersk, MSC, or CMA CGM or they are container leasing companies in America like Textainer or Triton and none of these carriers network out American exports well. Intercontinental container shipping is Full container load shipping and that's in contrast to less than trailer load shipping.

See also

References