Heavy vehicle transport. More than a kid's dream.

When I was a kid I wanted to be a truck driver when I grew up. But no just any truck driver. I wanted to drive these huge American cab type semi trailers that I saw in the movies and looked so impressive. 

I used to imagine driving across USA in such a truck enjoying the Route 66 scenery. I didn't care too much for the European type Cab Over Engine (flat nose) truck or for routes through German Autobahns and urban traffic. 

Source: Dave Johnson from Arroyo Grande, Ca., U.S.

Back then, the only thing I knew about Australian trucks were the road trains operating in the outback and I couldn't  imagine that one day I would be working with the heavy vehicle industry here. Australia is in fact one of the leading countries in heavy and long vehicles. Multi combination trucks operating not only in the Australian desert but also in the major cities connecting very important nodes and achieving great results in terms of freight transport and overall productivity.

Apart from the regular semi trailer (19 m long with a mass limit of 42.5 t) that can move freely in almost every road in Australia without the need for a special permit, there is a range of longer, heavier vehicles with far greater carrying capacity. B-doubles (B-trains) are up to 25 m long vehicles with a mass limit of up to 68 t operating for more than 25 years in Australia.

Source: VicRoads

B-double - Port of Brisbane

B-doubles have many positive aspects. They are highly efficient vehicles that reduce total lane occupation and  accident exposure. They contribute to reduced heavy vehicle exhaust and noise emissions by performing the same freight task with fewer trucks. B-doubles can carry 160% of the payload of semitrailers so two B-doubles carry the payload of three semitrailers, reducing the number of trips and traffic volume required to move the same amount of freight.  This results in less road wear and reduced congestion, and increased efficiency savings for industries, communities and the economy.  B-doubles also have less impact per tonne of payload carried, saving 32% of the road wear costs that would be associated with semitrailers performing the same freight task.  They have better safety and handling performance, confirmed by accident statistics which show they are under-represented in heavy vehicle crashes and they generate less air and noise pollution.

But there are also bigger vehicles traveling mainly in Australian highways and industrial streets. These vehicles that exceed 25 m of length operate under the Performance Based Standards (PBS) Scheme, that provides heavy vehicle industry additional opportunities to innovate. This results in improved productivity for a given freight task, safer performance and the least possible effects on roads and bridges. The scheme focuses on how well the vehicle behaves on the road, rather than how big and heavy (length and mass) it is, through a set of safety and infrastructure protection standards. 

The main types of PBS vehicles are super B-doubles that are up to 30 m long and with a total mass of up to 108 t

Port of Brisbane

... and the A-double, a very basic multiple combination with two semitrailers linked by a converter dolly between the two trailers. A-doubles are up to 30 m long. 

Port of Brisbane

The following image shows the difference between these two types of train configuration.

Source

For many years I wan an advocate of rail freight transport.and I still believe that for trunk routes it is more environmental friendly and sustainable. But road freight transport is a more flexible alternative that can present an innovative solution especially in the last mile problem. If the drivers are properly trained and educated the perception of general public towards these vehicles might change.