:''This article is about road trains that carry freight. For trackless trains that carry passengers see
trackless train, for other trains see
train (disambiguation).
Most road trains transport [[cattle on the long gravel "beef roads" of the isolated interior. This is an exception: it travels from the port city of
Darwin to the tourist centre of Alice Springs.]]
A
road train is a
truck design used in remote areas of
Australia to move bulky loads efficiently.
A
road train consists of a relatively conventional
truck chassis,
cab and
engine unit, but instead of pulling a single
trailer the road train pulls a succession of them, typically three but sometimes a
dozen or more, providing massive carrying capacity.
Road trains are unwieldy, and pulling and manoeuvering them safely is only possible because of the lack of traffic on Australia's outback roads, and the terrain's flatness. The multiple trailers are detached and connected individually to multiple trucks when the road train gets close to populated areas.
Another tanker road train.
Road trains are used for transporting all manner of materials, with
livestock transport the most common. The cost-effective transport they have made possible has played a significant part in the economic development of these remote areas.
Overtaking a road train can be quite difficult (and on Australia's many dirt roads often impossible). Patience, assistance from the driver, and large amounts of clear road are required. Many road train drivers assist by blinking their right-hand turn indicators a couple of times to indicate that the road ahead is clear. It is common for passing motorists to flash both turn indicators to say "thanks" after a successful passing manoeuvre.
In 1999 the town of
Merredin, Western Australia made it into the
Guinness Book of Records, with a successful attempt on the record for the worlds longest road train. The record was created when 45 trailers weighing 603
tonnes and measuring 610
metres were pulled by a
Kenworth truck for 8 km.
In 2003, the record was surpassed near
Mungindi, New South Wales, by a road train consisting of 87 trailers and a single prime mover (measuring 1235
metres in length).
Category:Road transport Category:Transport in Australia
de:Road Train
es:Tren de carretera