Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Thanks for looking flathead27ford.

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Great set and very interesting.

Road Trains. Look at all the lights, the huge bumper cages, the screens on the bumper cages and so many trailers. How many trailers are they allowed? I imagine they cannot just drive around objects so easily so seeing problems way ahead would be paramount hence all the lights. Stopping distances must be great but these road trains run on sections of highway that probably aren't traveled by many and are straight shots. How fast do they travel on open road? Some desert America roads people get up to 90 mph.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

G'day Kaib795. You can't have enough headlights when driving on outback roads at night. The worst hazards are kangaroos and wandering cattle, sheep and emus. Many of the outback roads are not fenced thus animals are free to wander where ever they please and you are correct that it is not a wise move to suddenly wrench the steering wheel to the right or left to avoid something on the road when you are pulling three or four trailers with a total weight of 100 tonnes or more and traveling at 90 - 100 kph (50 - 60 mph). The "bumper cages" that you noted are referred to as bull-bars and are fitted for a very good reason - to protect the front of the vehicle as far as is possible when it is unable to avoid collision with a bull weighing 1,000 kg or more. The maximum number of trailers for road trains on public roads is four, (see my photos above). I would certainly not say that the main outback highways (road train routes), that connect the Australian mainland capital cities and regional centres "aren't traveled by many" (your words), nor are they all "straight" or flat for that matter so road train drivers mix with all other traffic on the road which includes, cars, buses, caravans, mobile homes, motor bikes, push bikes, smaller trucks and other road trains and contend with the same road conditions as other road users. Thanks for looking.

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Thanks for writing back as everything I mentioned were questions to what it's like there and you answered them all. Bull cages, I'll try and remember that and you aren't going that fast down the road. I would think with that many trailers behind you, going over 60 would make it impossible to stop and certainly a collision at lower speeds will save your truck. When you encounter a road obstacle I guess the safest way is to drive through it as all that weight would make it hard to stop. A trucker over there has to be on his toes and ready.

pacman Loc: Toowoomba, Qld, Australia.

Great shots and equally great answers Thorny. We have B Doubles around Toowoomba outskirts (population 120,000), with one designated route through the city east-west.

Then we have the Toowoomba Range to traverse travelling to or from Brisbane, about 20 km in length with gradients as high as 10.5%. Occasionally a large piece of mining equipment is shipped from the Port of Brisbane to a mining site in western Queensland. Transport requires a combination of one or two trailers with 2 or 3 prime movers (tractors), utilising the pull and push method.

I will enquire if there are any photos available from the local newspaper and post here if successful.

Well done Thorny.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Thank you for your comments pacman. I was down your way recently when we drove from Longreach to Casino (in Northern NSW) and back. I don't envy you negotiating the heavy traffic on the Pacific or Bruce Highways.

Flyerace Loc: Mt Pleasant, WI

I saw some of these while in your neighborhood. Got a kick out of watching these “road trains” pulling out of Alice Springs for parts far, far away.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

troutbum Loc: north central pennsylvania

That's some real trains on rubber. The state of New York allows double 53 footer's on their thruway.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Thanks for looking troutbum. Roadtrains here (in Australia), are limited to a maximum overall length of 53.5 metres (175.5 US feet.

troutbum Loc: north central pennsylvania

I retired from trucking a couple years ago, that is 100 feet longer than I was with my equipment. That's a long way back to the last pair of mud flaps hi hi.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Not to mention a few more tyres on the road too.

troutbum Loc: north central pennsylvania

What I see is a huge amount of $$$$$$'S spent.

James56 Loc: Nashville, Tennessee

Enjoyed your set. These are some pretty amazing truck/trains. I also enjoy photographing trucks as I travel about the U.S. While we don't have the impressive length of these, we instead have trucks in quantity. It's common to encounter thousands of trucks on just a short journey. As a retired truck engineer, I really enjoyed these. Thanks for sharing.

Thorny Devil Loc: Alice Springs, Central Australia

Pleased you enjoyed the photos. Thanks for looking James56.