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.

Bruce highway road trip

 A few days ago we made our first Australian road trip. From Brisbane to Airlie Beach on a total distance of more than 1200 kilometres if you include the deviations to other beach side locations like Hervey Bay or Emu Park. And that’s just the one direction total distance. The trip was very interesting through the most beautiful landscape of central Queensland. 

The basic route from Brisbane up north is through the (in)famous Bruce highway. When I first heard of Bruce highway I though of Bruce Almighty and in certain parts of the trip I wished that I had Bruce Nolan’s abilities to transform things around me.

The thing I wanted to transform the most was the road itself. Bruce highway, named after the former Queensland and federal politician Henry Adam Bruce who was the state Minister for Works when the highway was named after him, in the mid 1930s. And in some parts Bruce highway seems to have remained in 1930’s.

The first part of Bruce highway, from Brisbane to Noosa Heads is a dual carriageway and at that point is that the good news for motorists ends. That is the same point that the good news for Queensland wildlife ends as well. I haven’t seen so many dead animals, mainly kangaroos in the side of the road, ever before. It seems that the “respect for our wildlife” signs don’t do much help here. The highway is a regular deathtrap for so many wildlife animals and it is very strange that it lucks protective fencing especially at some parts that passes through the forest.

Unfortunately Bruce highway raises serious safety issues to drivers and the innovative fatigue – trivia signs don’t seem to help so much. They are really interesting and they provide some trivia knowledge about Queensland but they can’t be considered a safety measure.

 

On the contrary safety measure can be considered the median treatment on some parts of the highway on the road from Curra to Cooroy. 

 

Safety measures are also the overtaking lanes. Especially these were a lot of help when I had a B-double truck tailgating me at a speed of more than 100 km/h. 

 

The Bruce highway is used by up to 170,000 vehicles a day. While it is just 32% of the total length of Queensland highways it is accounting for the 51% of casualty crashes during 2003-2007 and 59% of deaths. These statistics are only second worst to the Pacific Highway that links Brisbane with Gold Cost. 

Queensland Government is working with Australian Government to upgrade Bruce Highway. Together they have developed Bruce Highway Upgrade Strategy, which identifies priority investments for the Bruce Highway. Over the next 20 years Bruce Highway will see 340 kilometres of highway duplication, bridge replacements, intersection upgrades and other safety improvements. 

I am afraid that in a state that railroad is not much developed, these upgrades are not enough and the level of service that Bruce highway provides will keep undermining growth in Queensland and will keep putting people and animals in great danger.