I still remember back to when I was 3-4 with my mother as we drove between mining towns and sheep farms following my Dad and encountering these massive road trains. Mom used to pull off the roads when we saw them in the distance and we would watch them roar past. That's about 47 years ago now but I still remember the excitement of seeing them.
yeah. as a kid drove the stuart highway adelaide to coober pedy about a dozen times in 1976-7. overtaking trucks you an't even see how long they were cos of dust... you just floored it and kept on the road by looking left at the truck. You trusted the truckie to both give a safe signal to pass (one blink of the right indicator) and to steer for you, knowing you are literally driving blind until you clear the power train. Oh, yeah, on corrugated roads with a healthy measure of pea gravel and puddles of bulldust hiding ruts 2 feet deep. Oh, yeah,again, with scrub bulls chasing the car (short wheel base land cruiser carrying 200litres of drinking water(just in case... and there was a case in the long creek floods in 77)) and bloody roos and dead roos with eagles on the carcass, and at night where the road hypnotises the driver and the passenger is on the deadly serious task of watching for kangaroos... What a time and what a place. We gave directions to visitors... drive north out of adelaide, turn right at port augusta, turn right at kingoonya and we're the first house on the right. It was about 1100km and noone ever got lost.
Yes it's an unwritten rule you get right off the road for them, stop if you need to. Occasionally you hear complaints about these things not moving over for their little 4 door sedan. Eyeroll - Karens are an endangered species out there.
@@flowerpower8722 I remember Three Ways to Camooweal had a one lane road. Nearly a 500k stretch, back in the day. Three Ways is called that because at that point, one road heads to SA, opposite NT & the other road to QLD.
Man, l get goosebumps every time l see a ROADTRAIN, these guys are the lifeblood of Australia. Thank you to the drivers of these big riggs and the staff at these road houses that keep the drivers rested and refreshed.
I am very proudly a road train driver in Australia 🇦🇺 ...we Australians we do take a lot pride in what we do and most do it because we love what we do ! I drive Road trains , I ride a Arlen Ness/Screamin Eagle 🦅 Harley-Davidson and play Rock’n’Roll that’s I love to do that’s what I do best , all the best from Australia 🇦🇺
Leandro Machado and we are all proud of you guys for doing such a great job, it also makes people feel safe, knowing that one of you would eventually turn up should a driver round in to trouble.
@Bubba's Broadside I’ve got 550 HP in my Mack but comparing that they’ve been running those road trains for many decades I reckon even much less than 500 since the 70’s it wasn’t that powerful just much strengthening on rear end , transmission and chassis I reckon but yes motor is important too but I reckon they did well with much less , all the best my friend
To see that the work of many generations paying off like this is great. So many towns are now being taken care of much better. Kinda like Alaska. But on a much grander scale. Real truckers doing a great job. Thank for the video.
GO to Europe instead, once you've seen one dead roo, you've seen a thousand, same with gumtrees, the outback is not for most, i get way into the bush far from even dirt roads in my land rover, i like it , most would not
I like seeing the Road Trains on those Red dirt roads, it brings back memories of when I was a Kid in N.Z looking at a picture in a truck book of a Aussie Road Train in the Outback.
What memories! I'm 70 now. When I was 17, my brother and two friends and I hitchhiked from the Three Ways Roadhouse (seen in the video) in the back of a refrigerated truck trailor. The refrigerator wasn't on but it was pitch dark. A total of 18 hitch hikers got on there but one of them went nuts as the truck was starting to pull away. He was banging on the walls with claustraphobia. Luckily for all of us, the driver heard him and stopped and let him out. The rest of us went on. My little group got out at Mt. Isa, Queensland. That was the first leg in our journey from the Northern Territory to back to our home in Sydney. Lots of adventure along the way. BTW, I'm American. My family moved to Oz when I was 16. Moved back to USA when I was 29. Lots of fond memories of Australia.
You got to live out a dream that many people in the US will sadly never experience, Love to hear it and hope you still have a few adventures left mate. Much love from the red land down under!
Greetings from America. Those road trains look awesome. I'd love to see the look on a DOT Man's face over here. With a rig like at pulling up in the chicken house He'd plum shit his self. LOL keep them things rolling they sure look good.
Sleep Ezy Tonight - Sleep Music The roads and highways that these guys drive are long and lonely. You can go quite awhile with out seeing another vehilce.
That's true, they run on some lonely highways. But they don't muck around out there and you don't want to be beside them in something that lacks grunt.. (If for no other reason than avoiding windscreen damage lol)
I drove a 2008 Isuzu Giga 550hp 18 speed hauling a road train from Canberra to Darwin non stop back n forth, she wasnt the most powerful truck but man she was reliable doing 9000kms a week she double shifted with two drivers in the cab at a time she worked hard, from new she worked that run for 4 and a 1/2 years. It wasnt until 250,000kms were the engine broke in and really started to lug from 1200rpm thru to 1650rpm. At around 1450rpm was were she liked to work and hold. We put 2.2 million kms on her at 85 tonnes. Yes the American and European trucks would overtake us but shed get them back when they would break down ahead and wed come lugging past. In the time I drove that truck she never failed, 2.2 millions kms at 85 tonnes without an engine, gearbox or diff was amazing. We had a core of good drivers who looked after it. That was back in 2008 to 2013, to my surprise in 2019 I was driving thru waggawagga and there she was hauling towards me still working!! She must've clocked over 4 millions kms that truck now, after 2.2 million the engine was still healthy she would burn only about 2 litres of oil between her 20,000km B services at that point, of all the trucks I've driven to this day she was my favourite not because of the look or power but because on Friday nights she always got me home on time for dinner and to see my family and spend Saturday with them.
I think the Giga and Hino bigger prime movers are well built and given a good driver and servicing can be quite good economical choices, there are a lot of ill educated knockers around but like you I have an Isuzu heavy rigid with a 15 speed R/Ranger with 1.2 million on the clock on the farm and its still going strong, There was a time when Australians laughed at Toyota's and drove thirsty underpowered axle breaking Landrovers !
There is a lot less rail carrying freight now. Reason is the rail was run by governments at state level, supplying good service, but politicians too close to a handful of trucking companies. Trucks got the business Rail used to drop the freight and a truck would take them to wherever after that. Good system ruined.
Trains still do it better they can move much more freight a load and Trains are more sufficient than trucks remember the railway has been the backbone of transport since the early 1800s
@@nztrucker1542 They cannot negotiate NZ roads....so probably good they are straight and long. They are not allowed anywhere near the cities here....only b doubles are and even then they are restricted to b double routes.
I'm a Canadian driver and the closest thing I've pulled to an Aussie road train was Stretched flat floor Tycrops. 27 metre long combo so nothing on Aussie trucks. Absolutely beautiful seeing these things, makes you wonder what the chicken lights look like at night.
When we were driving back to base from Carnarvon and getting close to Exmouth, WA, the pavement was one vehicle wide. It belonged to the road train. Americans stationed at NavComSta Harold E. Holt loved Australia and the people. US Navy 1984 - 1986.
3 года назад
We love U people to brother and thankyou for your service mate.
I was USN stationed at Harold E. Holt, 78-79, HFT site. Met my now Australian bride there in Exmouth. We went back in 2019, drove up from Perth. Watching these rigs pass us on the roads was just amazing. And FYI, the base is still there but very inactive. Can't go on the pier, the Pot Shot is still there and the local markets are well stocked. It was a very relaxing trip, nine days worth.
What I'd give to be out there and driving, some of my best times have been spent on the highway, seeing new sights, taking the same routes here in the USA, I always see something new, something I missed on the last trip through. I've subbed, left a thumbs up, and a tap on the bell. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
Greetings to you buddy, Respect to your truckies who also drive these absolute beasts of metal! Saludos a usted amigo, Respeto a sus camioneros que también conducen estas bestias absolutas.
Overtaking the mining road trains on the Strzelecki Track is far from fun, sitting in the dust trail. A call to the truckie on channel 40 and wait for his ok. Navigate by watching the trailers until you clear him. Never forget to thank them and wish them a safe trip.
to all the people saying 'what about rail?' you need to understand how vast Australia is. to service every small town by rail is not financially viable.
from what i heard road trains are actually fairly fuel and cost efficient for the load they carry. (you only have to pay 1 driver and 1 huge diesel engine is more efficient than 2 small ones) - however, the roads in usa/europe would not allow for such long vehicles so they have to use multiple lorrys. Railway might still be common in the states but in europe most loads are afaik carried by ships and lorrys.
Depends were in europe, Germany runs alot of freighttrains for shipping containers, from rotterdam ,Bremen or Hamburg the Rhiene river near the mozel on bothbanks have dubble tracks en every 2 minuts there is a train en 2 out of 3 is freight and all the riverbarges with containers.
No. Often the truck runs what we call a 2 up crew; one drives while the other sleeps, running 5 hour shifts. Some runs do go solo, but usually it's two up, especially if it's time critical.
when those rigs pass you doing 120km and you are doing 130km the wind shock nearly blows you off the road. i learnt pretty quick to pull off the road and near stop to let them pass .
Was in the World Solar Challenge a few times and to qualify solar cars were stability tested on Hidden Valley Raceway's drag strip against an A triple coming from the opposite direction.
Going around a roundabout in one of these, and you notice the trailer in front of you is doing exactly the same speed as you! Then you realize it's you're third trailer!
In all my 73 years I have never seen a setup like this. From Toronto Canada we do not have these types of trucks. Fascinating to see. I’m sure it would scare any driver on our roads if they saw one.
The B train or B double as we call it here in Australia was a Canadian invention, we just kept adding more trailers, A tri drive quad double can have as many as 110 wheels.
Seeing these just makes me want to get out there in my small car and share the outback highways with them. Done that a couple of times before and never once had an issue with them.
@@dougtilley5977 Thanks for all the long hours and years putting food on our shelves. Congrats on hitting 79, Wishing you a healthy many more years to come mate. My Grandad Noel Williams was a road train driver till he passed a few years back at 60, Huge respect for you guys thanks to him and his love of the road, Really opened my eyes to the work you do for us and the huge trips you take.
@@dougtilley5977, I'll be 75 on June 19th and I'm thinking about getting back behind the wheel if nothing else but part time, no family to be tethered to and tired of watching the television and monitoring my PC.
@@BobbyTucker Go for it mate, but don't cop any fines these days, not like back in the 80's and 90's $$$$$$$$$$$$$ now, mate I turned 80 last year and resumed pilot/escort work, had to get out there on the highways.
There is. It involves a lot of uncoupling, moving one trailer, moving another trailer, coupling up, moving another trailer, coupling it up etc etc. A lot of time and work, usually in the baking sun. Very much to be avoided. Can you imagine the response a car driver gets when they ask "can you just back up a few feet?".
The articulation and trailer steering principles go right back to the luggage carts used in Victorian railway stations. It's a brilliantly simple mechanical linkage.
Some real pro drivers unlike many steering wheel holders driving for big companies here in the US. A lot of the drivers here (I’m not saying all) can barely handle 1 trailer. Look how careful these drivers are!
Notice a few of the spare tyre trays are empty under the trailers. Already had some blowouts and dropped them off in various places to be fixed then pick up on the way back. 62+ tyres to deal with! You Americans should check out the 5 & 6 cattle trailers in the interior. Bloody amazing! 😳
@@colinl9018 I don't doubt it if you have the skill but man the streets of downtown Chicago are like 12 inches wider per lane than a damn 4 wheeler mate. Now if you could just corner clip the edges of the buildings then you would have it made
There is nothing quite like passing a three trailer road train on the way to or from Darwin when he/she is moving at 90+ kms / hour and you are on the speed limit of 130Km/hr or a bit above it on the wrong side of the road and hoping there are no dips in the road which could hide a car coming towards you at 120-140 kmd/hr. Really makes your day. Scariest thing on the road is watching a 120 tonne road train doing their normal 90 kms/hr and passing a car and caravan doing 75/80 kms hour in a130km/hr speed zone. Great time to sit back a watch for everything to go pair shaped
You are right. They can take over a kilometre to stop. This is why when you are driving on these roads you have to be extra careful. There are stories and actual evidence of small cars broken down that did not get off the highway and road trains just can't stop in time. Nothing is ever left only the skid marks.
@@ilovefabricandflowers8543 damn I would say road flares but crap a Kilo is a long way to walk to set a flare but I guess it's flat enough if you had a bright enough emergency light you could warn them. It's not always possible to get your car some place safe. Carry lots of really bright beacon flashers when you drive through the outback I guess
Wide wide road,able to accomodate wide and oversize trailers,so with the road weight capacity to the extreme,amazing.hope this serves a better info in our country
Torque is the same as the motor in a truck pulling 1 trailer. A truck pulling 1 trailer with a 620hp Cummins has the same torque as a truck pulling 3 trailers with a 620hp Cummins.
I know they'd be in a/c, but a lot of these drivers are driving in primarily, two weather patterns, the dry season & the wet season - heat that is beyond comprehension (OZ had to add new colors to their heat depth chart re temperatures approx 5yrs ago). I went to the Outback for a few months & I have never ever experienced such hot weather as I experienced there
3:50 i'm guessing the opposite indicators was to tell the cattle train leaving behind him that he's going to pull over and let him thru once on the road. Thats some heavy hole casing, drill pipe and all sorts. Maybe already had a word with him. True leviathans of the road. Nice vid of some incredible and very cool rigs.
