[PIC GALLERY] Trucks

[Rico]

Back when I was young and dashing..
Found this old photo of me back in 1988 as an army truck driver doing my national service in the SADF... taken on the South Africa/Namibia border (then still South west Africa) next to a rather weather-beaten SADF truck that nevertheless made the 4000km round trip from Pretoria to Grootfontein in northern Namibia and back without any problems or breakdowns... which wasn't bad going for army kit abused by conscript troopers

 

[PoorOldSpike]

Ha ha, lots of truckers in Britain use satnavs as a "driver's mate" and it's always sending them down narrow English lanes and getting them stuck like this poor guy-

 

[PoorOldSpike]

Not sure if this is USA or UK, he tried to u-turn because the bridge ahead was too low-

 

[Johnsy]

Ha ha, lots of truckers in Britain use satnavs as a "driver's mate" and it's always sending them down narrow English lanes and getting them stuck like this poor guy

That brings back memory's. I bought one of the first GPS units when they came out in about 2003. I was in Melbourne and it took me into the CBD(city, where trucks aren't allowed) in the first truck in this post. A motorcycle copper came and asked me what I was doing, I said I was lost, and he said "good luck with that" and rode off laughing. That taught me to always check where the GPS was taking me.

 

[Johnsy]

I saw them when we were driving from Alice Springs-Uluru-Darwin. I think some of them were B-doubles.

Do/did a lot accidents occur due to the very long driving hours ? In Europe the rules are very strict about the hours you are allowed to drive. Drivers can get hefty fines for driving to long. And those periods are WAY shorter then the ones in Australia !

You'd be surprised how little accidents there are involving trucks in OZ. The majority of them are the fault of the idiot car driver, about 85%. But most where the trucks at fault is fatigue related. The rule regarding driving hours has been toughed up in the last few years. Before that we had ways around the laws, and if you got caught you weren't filling out your 'book of lies' out right. We would have 2 books, or a mate's license number and put him down as having done 2 up driving. There were all sorts of ways to get around the driving hours. Now, however it's getting harder and the fines getting bigger. We can legally drive for 14 hours in every 24 hour period, and you can still fudge that to get about 16 hours driving. They have been using satellite tracking for the last 12 -18 months. Soon we'll have to do it all properly.

 

[Johnsy]

"Lorry stuck in mud" reads the caption, Britain and big rigs definitely don't mix well..

More memory's. I have been bogged in the last truck in the pictures I posted about 8 -10 times. We go on the property's(farms) to pickup grain or to drop of fertilizer, and can get bogged. I once had to stay overnight on a property for about 24 hours as it rained while I was there and I couldn't get out.

 

[Johnsy]

Hey Johnsy are there any women truckers in Oz?
This gal is in Alaska-

Yes, we have quite a few now. There weren't many 10 years ago, but I know about 8 that I talk too now. There must be a lot more.

 

[Hedgehog]

More memory's. I have been bogged in the last truck in the pictures I posted about 8 -10 times. We go on the property's(farms) to pickup grain or to drop of fertilizer, and can get bogged. I once had to stay overnight on a property for about 24 hours as it rained while I was there and I couldn't get out.

I never liked going to the Sand Quarries, dead cert for getting bogged there, only did that job for a short while........Best job's for me were John Dickinson 22 years, Scot meat 8 Years, Quarry for 4 years, 20 years Supermarket,s....Happy day's Except the day I turned one over. Sooner forget that ....LOL

 

[Johnsy]

I never liked going to the Sand Quarries, dead cert for getting bogged there, only did that job for a short while........Best job's for me were John Dickinson 22 years, Scot meat 8 Years, Quarry for 4 years, 20 years Supermarket,s....Happy day's Except the day I turned one over. Sooner forget that ....LOL

I've never put one over yet, touch wood(head). Ted, what is the size of the trucks and trailers over there? Do the trainer run on bogeys or tri's? On TV you only ever see bogey's. And what sort of weight do they get up to?

 

[Hedgehog]

I've never put one over yet, touch wood(head). Ted, what is the size of the trucks and trailers over there? Do the trainer run on bogeys or tri's? On TV you only ever see bogey's. And what sort of weight do they get up to?

Size of truck's are limited to 32/38 tonnes, until they strenghen some of the Bridge, then it will go up to 44 tonnes, catering for the Europe, yes nearly all are bogey now, before that they were the A frame on drag's, perhaps you might not have used the earlier coupling, Automatic coupling with the lever in the cab,that goes back some years, lazy days, but that wouldn't work on the heavy boy's ....

 

[Bert Blitzkrieg]

Size of truck's are limited to 32/38 tonnes, until they strenghen some of the Bridge, then it will go up to 44 tonnes, catering for the Europe, yes nearly all are bogey now, before that they were the A frame on drag's, perhaps you might not have used the earlier coupling, Automatic coupling with the lever in the cab,that goes back some years, lazy days, but that wouldn't work on the heavy boy's ....

In the Netherlands tests are going on with longer trucks (2 longer trucks can carry as much as three standard ones but use less energy, according to our ministry of transport). These longer trucks are limited to a total length of 25,25meters and a weight of 60 tons. For some pictures and to learn Dutch: http://www.vng.nl/Documenten/Extranet/Mobiliteit/VW_LZW1.pdf

Besides these tests, maximum length is 18,75 meters and maximum weight 50 tons.

I believe the trucks in (parts of) Sweden can be much longer. A bit like the B doubles you drive.

 

[Johnsy]

In the Netherlands tests are going on with longer trucks (2 longer trucks can carry as much as three standard ones but use less energy, according to our ministry of transport). These longer trucks are limited to a total length of 25,25meters and a weight of 60 tons. For some pictures and to learn Dutch: http://www.vng.nl/Documenten/Extranet/Mobiliteit/VW_LZW1.pdf

Besides these tests, maximum length is 18,75 meters and maximum weight 50 tons.

I believe the trucks in (parts of) Sweden can be much longer. A bit like the B doubles you drive.

With the truck at 18,75 meters and maximum weight 50 tons, how many axles does the trailer have 2 or 3?
I went onto that site, there are some interesting combination's there. Combination A is what we would call a 'stag', combination B is a 'B-double', combination's C & D are 'truck and dogs', and combination E looks like a lot of work

 

[Bert Blitzkrieg]

With the truck at 18,75 meters and maximum weight 50 tons, how many axles does the trailer have 2 or 3?

Trailers usually has 3 axles with single, high tyres (higher then the double tyres they used to have in the past). The truck usually has 2 axles (including the front axle).

 

[Johnsy]

Trailers usually has 3 axles with single, high tyres (higher then the double tyres they used to have in the past). The truck usually has 2 axles (including the front axle).

So are you saying that the prime mover only has one drive(back) axle and one steer(front) axle?

 

[Bert Blitzkrieg]

So are you saying that the prime mover only has one drive(back) axle and one steer(front) axle?

Yes, that is mostly the case.

Trucks which are used to haul heavy stuff (like concrete, asphalt etc) have a different configuration. They usually have two drive (back) axles. I saw one this morning of which the trailer even had four axles (two were pulled up, because the trailer was almost empty). On these kind of trailers (as on the three axles ones) some of the axles can steer.

 

[Johnsy]

Yes, that is mostly the case.

Trucks which are used to haul heavy stuff (like concrete, asphalt etc) have a different configuration. They usually have two drive (back) axles. I saw one this morning of which the trailer even had four axles (two were pulled up, because the trailer was almost empty). On these kind of trailers (as on the three axles ones) some of the axles can steer.

If they were a gross weight of 50t and had only one drive axle, that is putting to much strain on the drive. They would have to be having heaps of break downs.

 

[Bert Blitzkrieg]

Some typical Dutch and European (mainland anyway) configurations:

and not so typical ones:

(Mammoet (www.mammoet.com) is a Dutch company with subsidiaries all over the world, which specializes in heavy and/or special transports).

 

[Johnsy]

Some typical Dutch and European (mainland anyway) configurations:

Bert, these truck pictured, how heavy are they allowed go to? If they go over about 40t, then, in my opinion they are putting way to much weight over the drive axle.

 

[PoorOldSpike]

This was captioned 'Volvo road train, Australia'

 

[PoorOldSpike]

Rusiia