Road Trains !

There is a certain inevitability about the news that " Road Trains " are to be allowed to use the Hume Highway once the Holbrook by-pass is complete - and the Hume is a divided four lane highway all the way between Sydney and Melbourne.

Back in November, 2005 the law was changed to allow what became known as " B-Doubles " to use the nation's road system.   This was a 26 metre freighter consisting of a prime mover towing two semi-trailer bodies,   There were many restrictions imposed to ensure road safety, but over a short period of time the economics of B-Doubles saw this system expand and now the majority of road freight consists of this configuration.

We are about to experience an upgrade to a 35 metre " B-Triple ", consisting of a prime mover towing three semi trailer bodies.   This is already legally used in the Northern Territory - with the exception that there these " Road Trains " can extend to four semi trailer bodies behind that prime mover - and they are not restricted to divided, multi-lane highways.

The trucking industry is appealing for Road Trains to also use the Pacific highway, but this is being opposed.  What is not being said is the situation that will occur when these road trains reach the entrance to both Sydney and Melbourne.   Their freight needs to get to a destination within that city - and logically the road trains will seek to be allowed to move within the confines of the city highway system.    We already see B-Doubles delivering freight to our supermarkets.    Get ready to see that morph into " B-Triples " once this juggernaut becomes the norm.

Statistics show that heavy trucks figure disproportionally in road accidents causing death.  One of the most frequent complaints about road trains from drivers in the Northern Territory is the incredible amount of water they throw up when driving in rain.   They are almost impossible to pass when encountered on ordinary two-lane roads - and inevitably that is where they will eventually end up if this plan goes ahead.

It seems that we are caught in the coils of an economic dilemma.    There is constant pressure to keep the cost of living low by improving low cost freight capacity and that means bigger and longer trucks.    At the same time, an expanding Australian population is flooding our road system with more new cars each year - and the money to build a bigger and better road system is diverted to other priorities.   A mere trickle finds it's way for this purpose.

Whatever restrictions that are applied - or promised during the " selling " of this proposal - are unlikely to prevail for very long.    Wherever you encounter a B-Double on our roads today, expect that to be a B-Triple road train within a short period of months after the legislation becomes law.