B doubles

Author
Discussion

Ivan stewart

Original Poster:

2,792 posts

43 months

Wednesday 29th September 2021
quotequote all
I believe Denby tried to get these trialled in the U.K. a few years ago , wouldn’t it be a good way to ease the driver shortage and benefit the environment ?
It wouldn’t work for all trucking operations obviously
But it would be perfect for trunking using pre approved routes Two 40ft trailers , containers ,pallets or tanks ??


Smint

1,984 posts

42 months

Wednesday 29th September 2021
quotequote all
I seem to recall another midlands company trialling doubles back in the day, late 70's early 80's?, not 2 x 40 footers, i think they used 2 x single axle or possibly 2 x 4-in-line trailers behind a B series ERF with a 240 Gardner engine.

Not much of our road network could cope with 2 x 40 footers even some of the motorway junctions and roundabouts would be tight enough.

Ivan stewart

Original Poster:

2,792 posts

43 months

Wednesday 29th September 2021
quotequote all
I don’t think the length would be a problem with regards to negotiation of roundabouts as you have a fifth wheel on the front trailer so in affect it’s like a second truck following the first one , it works really well in NZ and North America the Key would be pre planned routes and good drivers , and a license system like Australia where you have to do so long with one trailer before you can get your multiple combination license.

agent006

12,058 posts

271 months

Thursday 30th September 2021
quotequote all
I think the greater problem would be that most loading areas, even in the larger RDCs, are based around the standard size trailer. Especially so for deliveries to supermarkets, where they're often sized down to within a foot or two of being impossible to get in and out of.

Ivan stewart

Original Poster:

2,792 posts

43 months

Friday 1st October 2021
quotequote all
agent006 said:
I think the greater problem would be that most loading areas, even in the larger RDCs, are based around the standard size trailer. Especially so for deliveries to supermarkets, where they're often sized down to within a foot or two of being impossible to get in and out of.
Yes but there a plenty of places that load and park trailers for pick up ,you could drop the second trailer tip or load the first one then swap them over?
that and once other operators were seeing a massive cost saving it wouldn’t be long before longer trucks would be accommodated.

Smint

1,984 posts

42 months

Friday 1st October 2021
quotequote all
Be honest now, out of all the drivers you know and work with, how many would you entrust such a vehicle to?

Our road network simply can't cope...ever driven an old semi trailer car transporter with peak, you remember them? when you turned the corner the trailer peak went out anything up to 15ft or more especially if you had a car with a long rear overhang reversed on the peak, very few drivers could cope with one of those let alone a vehicle some 90ft long with 2 pivot points, you'd end up with a second man and more DVSA regulations than you could shake a stick at possibly involving escort when off motorway standard roads, wouldn't make a bean out of it by the time you'd paid the right wage to attract the right calibre.

Stussy

2,065 posts

71 months

Friday 1st October 2021
quotequote all
I’d love to drive one, having driven A frame wagon and drags, the twin pivot points when reversing doesn’t bother me at all, if anything I enjoyed the challenge

Ivan stewart

Original Poster:

2,792 posts

43 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
Smint said:
Be honest now, out of all the drivers you know and work with, how many would you entrust such a vehicle to?

Our road network simply can't cope...ever driven an old semi trailer car transporter with peak, you remember them? when you turned the corner the trailer peak went out anything up to 15ft or more especially if you had a car with a long rear overhang reversed on the peak, very few drivers could cope with one of those let alone a vehicle some 90ft long with 2 pivot points, you'd end up with a second man and more DVSA regulations than you could shake a stick at possibly involving escort when off motorway standard roads, wouldn't make a bean out of it by the time you'd paid the right wage to attract the right calibre.
I can think of quite a few , driving is a passion and they take it very seriously, I would say most people who have been on Hay and straw with a wagon and drag or low loader work would piss it !!and like stussy said enjoy the challenge , It would also take bored drivers up a level and it would give a proper excuse to have a V8 Scania or a FH 16 Volvo !!!





DavePanda

6,704 posts

241 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
Ivan stewart said:
I believe Denby tried to get these trialled in the U.K. a few years ago , wouldn’t it be a good way to ease the driver shortage and benefit the environment ?
It wouldn’t work for all trucking operations obviously
But it would be perfect for trunking using pre approved routes Two 40ft trailers , containers ,pallets or tanks ??
The Denby set up was ridiculous, it was more of an ego thing for Denby than anything. There is already a tried and tested system in Scandinavia which would work perfectly well in the UK without the design and testing required by a set up like Denbys. The Scandinavians run higher weights but that doesn't mean the UK would be compelled to.




s p a c e m a n

11,000 posts

155 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
Yeah I can't see why we don't do wagon and drag with a 40ft on an A frame. Could keep the weights the same but would just allow more capacity for rdc trunk runs and stuff.

Stussy

2,065 posts

71 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
The DHL one is more what some call a Scandinavian road train, so it’s a dolly with trailer rather than 5th wheel on the front trailer chassis.

I have a 6’ long radio control Tamiya FH16 the same configuration as the DHL one, it’s great fun to reverse!

Running up and down motorways with one would be perfect, do like the Australian road trains, and have an area to drop the trailers then go into built up areas shorter

Edited by Stussy on Saturday 2nd October 14:46

Ivan stewart

Original Poster:

2,792 posts

43 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
DavePanda said:
The Denby set up was ridiculous, it was more of an ego thing for Denby than anything. There is already a tried and tested system in Scandinavia which would work perfectly well in the UK without the design and testing required by a set up like Denbys. The Scandinavians run higher weights but that doesn't mean the UK would be compelled to.



Why ?? It is literally the most common multi trailer configuration in Australia NZ and Canada after simple single semi trailer ,
B double Mostly used for pallets , fridge, tanks etc. Wagon and drag , livestock , timber , construction , waste etc .

Edited by Ivan stewart on Saturday 2nd October 15:34

DavePanda

6,704 posts

241 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
Ivan stewart said:
Why ?? It is literally the most common multi trailer configuration in Australia NZ and Canada after simple single semi trailer ,
B double Mostly used for pallets , fridge, tanks etc. Wagon and drag , livestock , timber , construction , waste etc .

Edited by Ivan stewart on Saturday 2nd October 15:34
Are those places in Europe? Nope

The Scandinavian version is designed for European roads, not motorways, single carriageways etc of which there is many.

They may be common but they're no bigger than current UK trucks. NZ A & B-Trains are a maximum of 20m, A Wagon & Drag in Europe is 18.75m, Canada is a bit longer.

Scandinavian set ups can be up to 34m in Finland but are routinely 25m.

It's pointless designing or modifying one system when there is one already in use designed for our kind of roads.

bigwheel

1,625 posts

221 months

Saturday 2nd October 2021
quotequote all
How about capacity for 50' ISO containers, as seen in the USA?
5' overhang at front and back of the 40' pins.

LukeDM

467 posts

130 months

Thursday 14th October 2021
quotequote all
Smint said:
I seem to recall another midlands company trialling doubles back in the day, late 70's early 80's?, not 2 x 40 footers, i think they used 2 x single axle or possibly 2 x 4-in-line trailers behind a B series ERF with a 240 Gardner engine.

Not much of our road network could cope with 2 x 40 footers even some of the motorway junctions and roundabouts would be tight enough.
Stan Robinson of Stafford?






fttm

3,865 posts

142 months

Thursday 14th October 2021
quotequote all
^^^This is termed "TURNPIKE" in Canada , 2x53'trailers hooked together by a dolly . Commonly used by the van freight guys across the prairies , personally find them a pain blocking up fuel islands traffic lights etc , Used in the UK the depots would have to be right on a motorway link otherwise it'd be chaotic .

Smint

1,984 posts

42 months

Friday 15th October 2021
quotequote all
No, it wasn't Stan Robinsons, further back in time than that, both trailers were flat beds with roped and sheeted loads, both probably 30 footers or thereabouts.
The company ran the trial for some time, night trunking, no idea why it stopped.

grumpy52

5,717 posts

173 months

Friday 15th October 2021
quotequote all
Ivan stewart said:
agent006 said:
I think the greater problem would be that most loading areas, even in the larger RDCs, are based around the standard size trailer. Especially so for deliveries to supermarkets, where they're often sized down to within a foot or two of being impossible to get in and out of.
Yes but there a plenty of places that load and park trailers for pick up ,you could drop the second trailer tip or load the first one then swap them over?
that and once other operators were seeing a massive cost saving it wouldn’t be long before longer trucks would be accommodated.
Given the time taken to turn around a normal trailer at most RDCs doubling that would take up at least a drivers shift without any driving time .
Lots of problems within the industry are being heaped on the shortage of drivers,this is a cover up of the poorly performing RDCs ,wharehouses and container terminals .

Stussy

2,065 posts

71 months

Friday 15th October 2021
quotequote all
An area straight off the motorway network would allow for trailers to be dropped, and then run into the RDC singularly.
Similarly, it would allow trampers to drop/swap trailers for local collection/delivery, then join up both again for the long distance sections.
This is how the Australian road trains deal with town access

944 Man

1,814 posts

139 months

Friday 29th October 2021
quotequote all
This will introduce a new hierarchy...

Imbecile agencies have already started referring to 'HGV driver' and 'Class 2 driver', as though only people with Category C+E entitlement are proper drivers, and people with Category C entitlements are somehow inferior.