These video shows just how we have come down the track of working out the road train puzzle and adapting the configurations in many and varied ways to suit different operations. We begin with an ABB-quad smoothly parking up in the road train assembly area in Wubin, Western Australia.
We can see how well the trailers follow the prime mover and the effectiveness of this particular combination. Keeping the ‘A’ coupling at the front reduces the combination’s tendency to cut across at corners.
To begin with, the road train was a simple solution. We have a bunch of 40 foot trailers, all we needed to do was to make some tandem axle dollies and string them all together. At the time this was a simple and effective solution to the tyranny of distance in rural Australia.
The road trains were effective over long distances and could be broken up into semis for delivery on non-road train routes. This remains an effective method in tasks with plenty of space for custom built loading areas and when loading freight onto flat-top trailers.
Here is the traditional road train functioning as it should do, on rough and difficult outback roads, smashing through a river crossing with six decks of cattle. No mean feat and only attempted by seasoned operators.
Then in the nineties the B-double came along and gave the interstate hauliers an immediate bump in productivity. trucks with a GCM of 68 tonnes could get into the capital cities, giving operators more bang for their buck. Improved operational efficiency drove the development of these combinations to the point where the 26 metre B-double became the standard interstate truck on the Eastern Seaboard.
Of course, it didn’t stop there. The next step was to add another lead trailer and come up with a B-triple which could carry the same freight as two semis. The B-triple could get into places a double road train would struggle with, as is illustrated by this B-triple U-turn, with added difficulty caused by the use of tandem axle trailers.
The ubiquity of the B-double meant the obvious choice for a road train should involve coupling two B-doubles together. This created the BAB-quad, as illustrated in this video.
However, as evidenced by our first video, the ABB combination seems to be the most stable and effective, although more complicated to assemble.
We are about to embark on another period of change with the increasing use of A-double combinations, replacing B-doubles. If that becomes the standard combination, it looks like we might be going back to the traditional triple road train.
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