American Reacts to The BEST Australian Road Trains Ever Produced

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[@omaopa6923]

Having driven around Australia a lot it can be scary overtaking road trains but they will always let you know when it’s safe to overtake them,I have such respect for them

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

Yep, done a lot of driving in the bush in QLD mainly. CH40 and a polite call goes a bloody long way. Just avoid "Raj".

[@MrGeneralScar]

yeah most truckies if you dont happen to have a 2-way radio (city folk), in Australia if you are following a truck and they enter a straight and he flashes his right indicator a bit it is typically a sign that he is advising you its safe to begin to overtake. At least over here in WA most of the grain road trains will do that.

[@darrensamuels1511]

Most tuck drivers are good being an Australian and living in Queensland I have worked up north a lot driving my Ute fully loaded with with my boiler making and rigging tools and I have only come across a few dick heads but most of the truck drivers are really helpful. 🇦🇺👨‍🏭

[@haydenwood8211]

@@MrGeneralScar this is true and the nicer ones also slow down a bit since most suvs/utes top out at 150 ish kmh which sometimes just isn't fast enough to overtake a 4 to 8 trailer long road train

[@karencarroll8888]

' ...very cool, you..

[@nathan2483]

Kenworth is made by Paccar in Australia under license. The factory is in Bayswater Victoria. They use the Bayswater factory to manufacture Kenworth’s for all of Asia, including Japan. They manufacture around 18 trucks per day and every truck that is manufactured by Kenworth Australia is a blank canvas custom for whatever the buyer needs.

[@stephenhunter70]

Paccar owns Kenworth outright.

[@paulheywood2116]

I use to make the chassis rails for a engineering company who did them for paccar kenworth bloody huge things they are

[@WarmasterDeath]

yep, opposite the woolies, bloody great factory, looks nice to drive past, should see the poeple streamin out around knockoff times, plenty of people workin in there!

[@tysonford9334]

I actually work the afternoon shift at kenworth trucks in Bayswater, 4pm till 12:30am. We’re currently making 22 trucks a day over 2 shifts, august we pumped out over 500 trucks for the month to customers

[@jordanferrazza8700]

>They use the Bayswater factory to manufacture Kenworth’s for all of Asia, including Japan Probably explains why they are so resilliant despite being just a "truck company" "in Australia"

[@DmacDomage]

I had two mates who did a motorcycle trip through the Northern Territory. At dusk, heaps of kangaroo would start moving about. After dodging a few roos with near misses, one of my mates got the bright idea of sitting right behind a roadtrain to act as a giant bullbar. Half an hour later they decided that was a very bad idea. Instead of live kangaroo bounding in front of them, they had dead kangaroo being spat at them from under the back of the roadtrain. 😂

[@Grant80]

It’s not the dead skippy it’s the fact the driver can’t see you. If he slows down you’re toast

[@GreyDingo]

I rode behind a truckie at night for a hundred K's or so. Every time he saw a mob of roos he let me know by flicking his indicator either right or left. He didn't hit any either, lol. Good Truckies are brilliant.

[@3pipper]

Learned to not ride my bike on trips at night in remote areas, followed a road train one evening in the NT and run off the road after a tire 🛞 on the road train disintegrated and I copped chunks of debris spitting over me one on the knee the hand and the helmet in the matter of seconds taught me a valuable lesson…

[@DmacDomage]

@@GreyDingo What a good bloke. I'd like to think that there's an affinity between Truckers and Bikers. We both have to put up with break checking cars at times. Something that road pilots and motorcyclists rarely do.

[@Grant80]

@@GreyDingo the old breed of truckies are all but gone now. Many new ones are now like cowboys.

[@michealwyllie9763]

I'm a retired trucky in Australia first drove a truck at the age of 16 now 70 years old have seen a great advances in the trucking industry. In the early years life as a truck driver was a bloody hard and lonely life. I have done most of what you have shown there. One thing I can say is every day was different and adventures and sometimes fun

[@mrdavidurquhart]

That is a very real and succinct description of what it was like for you. You have a lot to share.

[@billychapman7688]

as a fellow Australian i thank you for you services as truck drivers truly go unnoticed in this country

[@erniethegiantchicken1027]

Yes your right Kenworth trucks are an American brand but are made in Australia so are Mack trucks and Volvo

[@DrewanJennibgs-Davey]

Volvo trucks are made in Sweden but brought here then upgraded to Australian conditions

[@sodrav]

It’s more “assembly” rather than “manufacture”.

[@sodrav]

@@herctwenty11 the only one “spewing” on here is you bud. Straight from the internet: “Mack products are produced in Lower Macungie, Pennsylvania, and Salem, Virginia, with all powertrain products produced in its Hagerstown, Maryland plant. Mack also maintains additional assembly plants in Pennsylvania, Australia, and Venezuela”. Before you go on the attack I suggest you get yourself a high school dictionary and understand the difference between ‘manufacture’ and ‘assembly’.

[@matsv201]

Mack and Volvo are pretty much the same trucks nowadays. Well at least mechanically. Also a lot of the swiches and gauges are volvo, its mostly the trim and boddy and chassie that is special. Volvo make (most) engines, Transmission, and other parts in a central location then ship them out to different manufacturing unit where they build the same parts into different chassis and bodies. Volvo, Renault and Mack is made all in the same volvo production unit n Brisbane in Australia . They have one manufacturing unit in pretty much every continent if not several. In USA they have one for Volvo and one for Mack in Europe they have one for Volvo and one for Renault. Volvo produce pretty much all of there trucks on the local market.

[@paulmccourt6185]

​@@sodravI'm going to listen to the bloke who "built" them and not the internet warrior, what do you "manufacture" in your parents basement?

[@77gravity]

G'day mates, Australia here. As a frequent driver in the Aussie Outback, here's some info. Remember that Australia is the size of the continental USA, with 1/12th the population, and most of that is around the edges. The Centre is big, dry, and EMPTY. Fuel is often 600km (375 miles) apart, maybe more, so you have to plan ahead, and carry extra fuel, and spare water for a WEEK in case of breakdown - and if that happens, DO NOT LEAVE THE VEHICLE. This is a place that can kill you in a day if you do the wrong things. Many of the roads are dirt - often well graded, but not always. The paved roads often have a single strip of tarmac, unmarked, about 5 metres (16 feet) wide, but with wide shoulders. When you see an oncoming truck, be it a road train or just a B-double or semi (tractor/trailer in Freedomville) it is best to pull well off to the side, and STOP, giving the whole road to the truck, so they can stay on the tarmac. They will usually flash lights or honk to show their appreciation. Sensible outback drivers will always have a UHF radio on the road channel (40) so we can talk to the trucks, and get advice about when it is clear and safe to overtake.

[@jongroom2954]

Having these trucks barreling towards you on the highway....,You give them room.

[@darrenbooker8144]

I've had 3 trailers swinging in front of me, just south of narribri, cause he hit the 10' verge of the shoulder, I was 50 Mt into the grassland, didn't break.... Did the right thing and powered on

[@neilspencer1072]

AS a Northern Territorian of Aus who travels the Stuart highway regularly we pass at least 10 Road trains going the same direction between Darwin and NT SA boarder and it is lucky the Northern Territory has a 130 kph speed limit on the major highways whilst road trains are limited to 100 kph. Still stand in awe of the drivers who manage to avoid the idiots whose risks outweigh the benefit

[@rowan3289]

Yes the 509 is a Australian made and designed in Australia for Australian terrain The cab is seperate from the sleeper because of our rough outback roads if it was all one piece like the 909 they would crack and pretty much fall apart And we have the T series over here the T400-T401-T404-T408-T409-T410-T600-T601-T604-T608-T609-T610-T900-T904-T908-T909 and also the W models the SAR’s so many to mention The C series C500-C501-C508-C509 The sleeper is seperate from the cab

[@kennethmcdonald93]

G'day Ian, Mack trucks are manufactured in Australia In Queensland, In partnership with Volvo !

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

Great info

[@Mate-My-Day]

​@@kennethmcdonald93 Mack trucks Volvo Engine inside

[@Dingo4732]

U forget to mention the t650 t658 t659 t950

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

@@Dingo4732 what’s the difference between the those and the T908s etc ?

[@icepick1822]

11:23 in the video, there is a misconception. The truck in that clip is not transporting coal; it's carting Manganese ore from the Woodie Woodie mine and delivering it to Port Hedland for export. I worked at Qube and even drove that truck, PM354. Qube has a few variants, but you will likely see Quads and Super Quads now. Quads are configured as BBAB and Super Quads BBBB Depending on the configuration and materials used to construct the trailers, Volvo Super Quads equipped with twin-steer super-singles and 'tri-axle-drive' have a total Gross Weight of 199t and a Nett weight of around 145t that I have seen with Bruce rock trailers and reach a total length of 60 meters. I also drove a Scania twin-steering 'tri-axle-drive' 730r with quad-axle trailers, Grossing 214t, It was a nice truck, but the gearbox isn't designed for that kind of weight at HWY speeds. In my experience, having driven various 'top-tier' prime movers, Volvo trucks stand out to be vastly superior. They offer exceptional comfort, reliable air-conditioning (yes), and robust durability.

[@danielkohler828]

Your right, the Mack’s and kenworths in Australia are designed and built here in Australia

[@kelvingrebert7315]

'Outback Truckers' is a fascinating series with the 1st season back in 2012, transporting community supplies, cattle, houses, electricity switchrooms, farm machinery, yachts, etc in various weather conditions. if you get a chance to watch, some of it will blow your socks off

[@klausm.9284]

You mean the TV Show where every Truck has at least 3 staged breakdowns each Episode?😂

[@lowrider075]

You mean the Outback Clown Show.....an embarrassment to most road train drivers. Some blokes were/are ok, but the idiot producers need drama...

[@kevo6190]

When I worked as a Truck detailer, a Peterbilt was a super rare machine to see. Every time we got one we would all get a selfie with it looking all shiny and pretty. So Respect USA from Straya 🤘

[@mtuz8356]

Been working at a distribution warehouse for about 8 years I see 10 to 20 trucks everyday and never seen a Peterbilt

[@kevo6190]

@@mtuz8356 I've only ever seen 3! And one was pulling out of a truck stop a few hundred ks away at Tamworth. Still got my selfie 😂. I detailed 2 though and the drivers watched us like Hawks.

[@kadmow]

@@adambartlett3483 - If PACCAR wanted to - they would just build Pete''s in Melb (Most likely no margin exists over here for 2 different brands in the same space) - Kenworth does the job of "Premium" US truck for Australia - just Torque the bolts, threadlocker and lockwire if needed - on highway vs offhighway, totally different beast, even Macks and Kenworths get shaken to pieces on bush roads (Volvo and Scania do ok, some off highway users swear by them in the West - horses for courses, bling for the muppets.).. hmmm...

[@Mechanic.Pete41]

When they say "manufactured" in America what they really mean is a bare essential kit was made in America and sent to Australia, where they are assembled and modified for Australia's ADR ( I used to work at Volvo & Mack in Queensland, a "truck" would just be a big wooden create containing the bare chassis and possibly the cab depending on model )

[@stephenhunter70]

As far as I'm aware KW tried it and went back to locally manufactured

[@davidcruse6589]

The dirt is normally red due to the iron content and it stains everything never get it out of vechiles Same with our pink lakes they are very high in salt and a specific bacteria grows in it only if salty enough why not all pink Apparently their OK to swim in we have them in out areas of Adelaide as well and we also mine salt here as well Cheers mate 🦘🇦🇺👍

[@yourmumloves]

I’m a bit annoyed they didn’t go more into detail about the dual power train. They are an awsume rig. A company I worked for used to run 5 trailers with the third having its own engine and auto trans. You con see the coolers up on the frame. Between both engines I remember it been over 1100 hp. I only loaded not drove but when I knew one was due you could get out of the cab and feel them coming up the valley long before it arrived.

[@stevegraham3817]

Weipa?

[@yourmumloves]

Mount Isa.QLD. Running between George Fisher and black star about 20 km. I back loaded fill for underground.

[@Dingo4732]

U had bulkhauls 7 trailer powertrain

[@dlwdlw2962]

My wife and drive a Kenworth K200 Road Train from the assembly yard in Gatton Queensland to the assembly yard in Northam Western Australia. We are a 2up team and we drive about 9,000km per week. 51 hours one way.

[@kevkoala]

Kenworths, Macks, Peterbuilts, ect are built here in Australia for Australian conditions and would be a totally different beast to their American counterparts.

[@andymills2985]

They have massive Kenworth/paccar factories everywhere over here

[@Hobokowyhasiokosno]

They don’t build peterbilts in Australia. They are imported and converted to rhd, it costs around $70k to do so.

[@dallasfrost1996]

Correct, except for Peterbilt.

[@kevkoala]

@@dallasfrost1996 Thought Paccar Bayswater built Peterbilts alongside Kenworths but I could've been wrong about that.

[@Mechknight73]

The Centurion tyre carrier: they were built to eliminate the need to move them with over size permits. It saves a huge amount of time and money, and apparently Centurion themselves came up with the idea. The tyres on board would be for something like a CAT 793. To give you some idea of how big they are, 1. You need to go up a full flight of stairs to get into the cab and 2. They could run over an F-100 as if it were a beer can. The dump trucks on mine sites are often autonomous. To warn people around it, they usually have flashing strobes. For Rio Tinto, that's green strobes. It's safe because it's a controlled environment, the company decides who get to go on the haul road and when. The Mineral Resources autonomous trucks, to the best of my knowledge, there's only two mines they'd likely to be testing, Windarling and Koolyanobbing, iron ore mines out the back of Southern Cross. They have long straight roads between the two mines, and the distance is something like 100 km (not sure of the exact distance. It's been a while since I've been out there)

[@keithad6485]

Outback Truckers, have great respect for them. Drove a Hiab crane tray truck in the WA goldfields eleven years ago. Flat tyres a regular on the unsealed roads, and where a bitumen road was a novelty. Shifting mine machinery from one mine to another. Found out the hard way that dust can clog the air breather on the fuel tanks, causing cavitation and loss of power due to starving for fuel! solution was to put a rubber hose from the breather with a petrol fuel filter at the intake end of the hose to filter the incoming air. works well. Blackfella came into the cattle station one day. Had a flat tyre, had a spare, but no tools, got the crane truck out and lifted the front of his car with the crane to change the tyre! Only in the Outback!

[@jennymark7403]

There is a TV show called outback truckers mostly based on road train haulers

[@lowsonpearse]

Ive lived in the outback and driven long haul myself.. if you come up behind a road train and he sees you, which most of the time he will, if he sees there is enough room and is all clear for you, he will usually give you the all clear to overtake by flashing his 'right turn' indicator once..

[@Southern_Pacific]

Hey Ian.. the KW C50- series (50H for short as there are different variants) is Aussie designed and built at Kenworth’s Bayswater plant in Melbourne Australia.. Mack is owned by Volvo and affectionately known as Molvo’s by us truckies as they are available with Volvo drivetrain and assembled in Wacol, Brisbane, Australia.. My old depot (Scott’s of Mt Gambier) was next door and we stored new trucks for them.. Dave

[@spiderbrandt4066]

I drove for K & S , Owned by Scott's , that was in the 80s , it's a small world , Ian love your channel

[@Southern_Pacific]

@@spiderbrandt4066 Yes mate, Alan Scott owned K & S freighters or “kids & sooks” as they were affectionately known..😉 When Alan died his daughter Zena and her husband John got K & S.. His son Ray got Scott’s Transport Industries including Scott’s of Mt Gambier, Ascot’s, NTFS, Chemtrans, Scott’s Petroleum and a bunch of other smaller companies owned by Alan.. 10 years ago Zena and John started purchasing some of these companies from Ray and they are all now under K & S ownership including Scott’s with Rays passing away from cancer in 2019.. Dave

[@spiderbrandt4066]

@@Southern_Pacific Wow I didn't know that , thank you Mate

[@lesliedavis2185]

I used to live jsut round the corner in Bayswater

[@Southern_Pacific]

@@lesliedavis2185 That’s awesome Leslie, I lived in Ferny Creek when I was very young.. just behind you in the Mount Dandenong’s.. Dave

[@user-ft8wr6le8d]

Howdyyawl from the land down under. Bloodoath, we've got alot of big toys in the land of OZ. Gotta remember, the operation pf these trucks is all done by one driver. Alot of wheels, alot of responsibility. Gotta give them alota respect😊

[@ianmoone2359]

Talking about that haulpak truck tyres trailer. “How much do haul truck tires cost? between $38,000 and $50,000 each OTR tires are used for mining vehicles such as haul trucks, wheel loaders, backhoes, graders, and trenchers. These new tires cost between $38,000 and $50,000 each, depending on multiple factors including oil prices and the cyclical nature of the industry.” What’s the value of the load on that trailer? 🤷‍♂️😳😳😂

[@neilrichardson5072]

A lot of autonomous trucks are follow-me. Driver in first road train then two follow-me road trains. Used on closed roads to public. Some of truck makers import models a, b & c while building and exporting models x, y and z, thus matching imports and exports to keep shipping cost down.

[@reniexabbu7993]

For the last few years the truckers like to decorate their trucks with lights and it like they all decided to be lit up like various Christmas trees, it’s quite an effect to when driving after dark

[@andrefischer5025]

Can’t wait to see that autonomous tire change 😂

[@daveamies5031]

I've seen those tyre's on a standard flat tray trailer, they don't stack them 2 tyres horizontal 1 forward 1 aft on the trailer and they need a wide load permit and escort vehicles, so that speciality trailer that lets them haul 4 tyres per trailer is probably a big time/money saver. I live near the Brisbane port so I see fully loaded B doubles all the time, but when we have visitors from overseas they are always amazed by them.

[@melissamcgrath68]

ALL Kenworths are manufactured at the plant in Bayswater Victoria. My husband used to make the wire harnesses for them.

[@JimmInOz]

West Australian truck driver here. The autonomous trucks are so far only used on private mining haul roads. Steered by people behind a computer screen from perth. Think one guy can operate several of them. Private mining roads can be hundreds of kms long

[@sparraAus]

My old man, ive taken over the business now. Ran a kenworth k104 B double, cummins signature gen 2. 660hp. His was rated to 56 tonne. Never did a single trip ( Adelaide to Melbourne and back) under 105 tonnes. 1.3million km ( 807782.55 miles) on 1 engine, same box and diff gears. Never used a drop of oil In 30 years he did 6.4 million km. I have the log books to prove it. Which btw is 159.700561 times around the equator. He worked hard for us kids.

[@paulkrueger260]

IVE ALWAYS LOVED SCANIA ever since i was a kid !

[@stephenhunter70]

Not only is Kenworth made in Australia their plant is in Bayswater Victoria.

[@Ghastly10]

You should see these trucks when hauling mining machines, sometimes they will hook up multiple prime movers, with have two at the front and one or two at the back. And yeah we have a good mix of long nose, and cab over trucks here is Oz. If you get a chance watch a tv series called Outback Truckers, you get to see some interesting things in that show. 😊 The one big issue with AI trucks, is when a tire blows or something goes wrong mechanically, having to wait for someone to drive out too fix it.

[@AsherWolfson]

3:50 the narrator of that video; "Pilahbra"... it's Pilbara, pronounced "pill-burra"! Didn't even read copy properly. I'm just glad you didn't say it too.

[@paullees5705]

"A I" generated voice, that's why it continually gets the pronunciation wrong.

[@paulhicks3595]

Kenworth trucks are made in Bayswater, a suburb of Melbourne.

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

BTW there’s a firm making trailers for these semis in Oz with rear steering triple boggies, in which as well as each rear triple bogie steering, each seperate wheel in those boggies individually steers as well. It makes manoeuvring in yards much tighter meaning less point turns required. A big difference when it comes to towing multiple trailers.

[@lancer1993]

Over the last month I've driven across Australia (not for the first time) covering over 11000km and passed loads of trucks of all sizes. Passing isn't that hard most of the time, especially in the west where the roads are more open with long straits.

[@user-do9rg2cu7k]

These are the best Trucks in the world and some of the best Operators in the world. I live with them. Come and experience the roads in this country. You won't leave 🇦🇺👍🏻🍻

[@DaveWhoa]

5:45 we *need* those tires on Monster Trucks

[@gerrycooper56]

The triples were I think 53 metres long and caused accidents because overseas visitors couldn’t judge the distance for overtaking.

[@RyanGreenYoHeyHeyHeyItsRyan]

Unfortunately its not just tourists that cant overtake road trains. Not a day will go by where i dont have someone doing something stupid to get around me or another truck coming my way.

[@gerrycooper56]

@@RyanGreenYoHeyHeyHeyItsRyan we lived in Katherine and Pine Creek when there was no speed limit and the majority of deaths around our area was tourists coming down from Darwin.

[@lowrider075]

NO.....the triples didn't cause accidents.....the IDIOTS who can't drive caused the accidents

[@jessanna4138]

​@@gerrycooper56I was just about to comment, seeing the road trains in Darwin and Katherine was so cool. But scary being near them when moving. Then I find your message 😊 I loved Katherine ❤

[@patriciarose6371]

I used to go with my late husband to keep him company. The Aussie outback trucker is a race apart, Nicknamed bush mechanics because they break down in the most uninhabitable roads on earth, ,they cant phone for roadside aervice , its down to them.Usually shod in rubber flip flops , filthy ,covered with red outback dust,They change the huge tyres, use ingenuity to solve problems, the are invariably cheerful and put getting their freght to waiting clients before anything else. They are life line for outback farmers, bringing feed in time of droughts and fuel to keep farm machinery running.They are 'characters ',usually looking on the bright side and wirh great senses of humour .They are unsung heros of keeping the outback fumctioning . Not forgetting their 4 legged companions who travel with them ! The good old faithful dogs peering out of windscreens , a two way love affair between truckie and his best mate, his dog !

[@AJ-kv1po]

Largest load I saw was not actually a road train but a premade steel structure heading for a coal mine, took up the full width of the road with special dollys. Was hauled by two massive prime movers connected in line by a steel bar. Was travelling at about fast walking speed. The most impressive sight and sound was the quad magnetite and copper concentrate road trains coming in and out of Ernest Henry Mine in the quiet night time, lights running full length either side 🔥

[@iansmith6728]

You should've seen them shifting the autoclaves for Murrin Murrin. That required 7 prime movers.

[@user-pz8uh7xj8b]

Some Macks are Built in aussie

[@matsv201]

"Mack".. you think of the Volvo?

[@damiangreen2903]

I drive a Volvo FH16 XXL. It’s a road train built in Australia for Australia. I normally haul two trailers between Sydney & Brisbane

[@melcastles8027]

I love your enthusiasm. You make watching things I seen before exciting again.

[@malcolmweller8256]

I’m an old truck driver and yes American trucks were imported into Australia, but the import tax was 80% so they carried on the name and imported parts at a cost of 8% hence building the trucks in Australia made them more affordable, European trucks are now more powerful and cost effective with real comfort.

[@martinwebb1681]

Yep, European trucks have far more modern and comfortable interiors, the US trucks are so old fashioned looking inside the cabs.

[@rustymotor]

There is a video you must check out by Road train Adventures called “This is how you use a ‘stiff bar”, a spectacular convoy of Road Trains crossing a sandy river crossing , I have travelled throughout the Outback all my life and never have seen such a sight, well worth a look at!

[@charleswettenhall8269]

The main reason why trucking companies choose to have the Kenworth K200 cabover is to be able to have longer trailers as some state have laws on lengths.

[@mazzaone168]

You are totally right 😊 truckers make the world go round. They are the ones who supply us everything, every day and we would be lost without them ❤❤❤❤ unappreciated heroes ☺️ love you guys and girls getting us what we need all year round. So much love ❤️

[@rongt859]

Theres a company in Perth that retreads those Haulpack tires

[@aflaz171]

For obvious reasons, size and cost of shipping, they're manufactured in Australia!

[@michaelyoung4469]

The C series Kenworths are all designed and built in Bayswater (Melbourne Australia) from the C500 to C509 510

[@paulkrueger260]

Man you should see the SIZE of the equipment transported on Western Australian roads.....

[@mrdavidurquhart]

I think the autonomous truck operates on closed private roads for very large iron ore operations. A closed road simplifies things massively and is a good application. Most acurately it would have traded train driver jobs for operations supervision. I'd really like to know what made it worth doing - just the driver remuneration and expenses? The mass (did it say 375 tonnes?) is amazing.

[@nathanjohnston7166]

Most autonomous operations are more safety related than cost related at this point in time. The additional infrastructure, technology and support costs currently outweigh any driver remuneration. The sales pitch will always push the efficiency aspect of being able to operate longer without stoppages. The current reality is that this is not the case. Autonomy comes with a whole host of additional challenges that are not highlighted in the 'sales brochure', but it is getting better all the time

[@user-jx4hi5hf7n]

Autonomous trucks are only used on haul roads at the moment but being developed to run in traffic conditions

[@olivertickell3380]

My auntie actually is in charge of maintaining some of the massive autonomous dump trucks in a mine up the north of Western Australia.

[@tiatamara11]

Outside of these magnificent road trains New Zealand has the best of European and American trucks on their roads.

[@tysonford9334]

I work at the kenworth plant down in Melbourne building the big bastards, we pump out just over 20 kenworths a day including a couple of DAF cab overs. Plenty of the big mining trucks come through which are huge in person compared to the normal kenworths. There’s a new DAF coming through soon which is an Aussie only model using a 15L Cummins motor, such a cool truck

[@v0w1x2]

The autonomous road trains will be used to haul iron ore on a dedicated (non-public) haul road to the port of Onslow from an MRL mine site

[@FredRose2001]

Just a thought when I see a road train coming towards me I try and stop and get off the road, the amount of stone etc that can be thrown up on bad sections of road it’s not worth taking the risk of broken windshield and dented body work, did you notice the huge Bull Bars as well it’s not that they don’t want to stop it’s just a case of not being able to stop in a short distance think about it 200tons if they lock all the wheels up 36 of them (please correct me I’m incorrect) it’s a lot of money to replace all the blow outs, so the cattle/ roos/ camels ect just get ran over, it’s good for the wedge tail eagles lots of roads kill

[@Orange2863]

My husband and I often drove the outback and would see a lot of those road trains. They are huge and fast, kicking up a lot of dust. Those truckies are tough buggars. They really keep things moving around the country.

[@sephiroth8377]

Im a Mack fan myself, used to love going to Truck shows too.

[@JoelReid]

large mining truck tyres are sometimes hauled on their side and stacked. in such conditions they are considered wide loads and have a leading and trailing car warning other drivers so they can pull over. As a Western Australian i have encountered them before.

[@glenturner1668]

I work fir Penske here in Nth QLD - Western star trucks and detroit engines are our babies. Big babies and we love them

[@bradadams8217]

The super Liner and C509 are made here in Australia. Kenworth, Mack and Volvo all have factories in Australia

[@user-kt1hl9tv7i]

I was working for Mineral Resources at Koolyanobbing mine as a fitter. Can confirm that there are autonomous road trains. Its not to eliminate jobs, its because nobody wants to do the job any more.

[@user-dk2dg8yv4e]

I actually drive a road train for Russell's Transport sub contracting to mineral resources, the truck I drive is a 1997 mack titian with a C15 550 hp cat engine coupled with a 18 speed road ranger gear box capable of a total weight of 140 tonne and measuring at 53.5 metres long in western Australia we can spend 15 hours a day behind the wheel. It's a hard life and not for the faint hearted. If you are in western Australia some time you should try and visit some of the transport companies to take a ride

[@Superior1979]

Fyi, i work in the mining industry here in western australia, and can tell you the mining company with automated trains (rio tinto) also has automated mining dump trucks. At this point they have more automated trucks, then driver driven trucks.

[@muzza1967]

Kenworth manufacturing plant - 64 Canterbury Rd, Bayswater VIC 3153 Mack Trucks - 41 Bivouac Pl, Wacol QLD 40 Volvo Truck Production Australia - 36 Viking Dr, Wacol QLD 4076

[@markmcqueen4811]

Those tyres are worth 30 grand each. They’re stored down in Perth and they have a spare tyre for each one in operation up north. They’re made to fit the Haulpaks on the mines. When there is a puncture the trucking company has 48hrs to get the spare tyre up to site.

[@sandradavid4080]

Nearly all of them were in Western Australia!!

[@AsherWolfson]

Yeah, mining. There's nothing here on the east coast that's dedicated and isolated enough to justify using anything as close to the specialisation. The best we have is coal and logging and a lot of that heavily utilises main transport routes, so super-trucks would be uneconomical.

[@stevep2430]

Not all states have road trains.

[@OutbackLife656]

I live in the outback, I have a CB radio to ask the road train driver if it is safe to pass if I can't clearly see ahead. It isn't pleasant passing a road train carrying cattle on board. LOL the manure and pee goes flying all over the place ha ha ha!

[@olderrol]

I worked on in the iron ore mining industry for many years. The end of my working life was spent east of Port Hedland in an exploration camp. Saw plenty of the quads and super quads. What amazed me was the number of tyres on the road. The most I saw was a super quad with 144 tyres. Yes the drivers always looked out for those wanting to pass but of course you had to have a CB radio on channel 40 to communicate with them. Typically they would say something like “LV following TM353, which might be the truck’s ID number always on a sign on the last trailer, you’ll be clear to pass when………..vehicle passes”. I also saw many of the haul truck tyres delivered to the mines I worked on over the years. They don’t carry them laying on their side because they are approx 3.6m, nearly 12’ in diameter. Oh and 10 years ago they cost nearly AU$40,000.00 each. A haul truck suffered a blowout about 120 m away from where I was working and spat a piece of rubber in my direction. The sound of the blowout sounded like a blast in the pit and rattled doors and windows 300 m away. I looked up to see what the noise was and saw this object heading in my direction. I ducted behind some equipment I was inspecting. The piece of rubber struck an IBC directly behind me and shunted it about 1.5m across the ground. If I hadn’t ducked it would have taken my head off.

[@ronniexx9743]

There is a show called "Outback Truckers", not sure if you have seen it, but I'm sure you would enjoy it. Moving all the mining equipment to the mine sites. How the other trucks get bogged in the outback in the wet season..

[@crustydownunder]

I've lived and worked in the Pilbara and in Darwin and QLD, and that red dirt stains your ute pretty bad. Takes a lot of work to get it out.

[@kerryburke3864]

We call the properties Cattle Stations. and they are big compared towhat you have in the US. Aslso most road trains run 18 speed tansmissions and can be aither auto or manual tansmission. Cheers.

[@corley2893]

As someone who works in the pilbara region of the northwest of Western Australia working on the "on highway" trucks, you should look into more of the iron ore and lithium ore movements up there. There are fleets up there as MGM, Dave Campbell transport, Jamieson transport, ReGroup, Bulk Line, Qube. Running Kenworth C509, T909, Western star, Mack, Scania, Volvo. The combination of different quaf road trains from "quad" to "mega quad" and "super quad" configurations up to 240T There was a company that were running "quince" set ups of 5 trailers, but still within the 60m limit as well. No to mention the movement of bulk liquids, and also other mining production products. I really feel you would be amazed at the scope of the operations in the region and how they all work

[@johnfranke9655]

Kenworth in Australia builds trucks that are bigger than the American built trucks because our needs are so much more demanding

[@hexvolter]

Love when youre on a long drive and the truckies let you sit infront of their tailwind, saves so much fuel lol I work in port hedland in WA and we get the 60 metre long trucks through pretty often, they're actually kinda scary

[@ozymandias7940]

Someone else may have already memtioned it, but it's worth noting that while the brand may be American, the trucks are built locally to specifications to cope with the most extreme conditions in arguably the harshest environment one could imagine anywhere on the planet. Dust, dirt, mud, extreme heat where temperatures reach 140F in the shade, corrugated roads in the outback that will even shake these machines to pieces. Australia is so vast, towns so isolated, literally everything goes via truck to some of the most God forsaken places. If you ever get a chance to watch the series 'Outback Truckers', it will give you some idea of the crazy environment. A huge shout out to the men & women that drive these rigs from one side of the country to the other, clocking up millions of kilometres and enduring the most brutal conditions.

[@waaggzz2871]

there is an iconic photo somewhere i saw at a Pub here in Aus that show a massive road train going threw one of our citys.. im talkin like 30 trailers weaving threw the streets. u must see and find this picture..

[@vintagetractorsaustralia]

Kenworth are made in Bayswater, which is a suburb of Melbourne. The Mack’s and Volvos are made in Brisbane

[@deanbowell7501]

Volvo/Mack trucks are assembled/manufactured in Wacol, Brisbane. I can smell the paint fumes when the wind blows down stream. Not that I'm complaining, i live next to an industrial area, so i expect that.

[@OldBumOnABike]

Mack trucks are assembled in Australia. They've been owned by Volvo Trucks for the past 10 years. All Kennies are made here...well assembled here. All the parts are imported for these trucks are imported.

[@eswodshawn6896]

Yep Built in Australia.. My brother works for Mack / Volvo trucks in Brisbane… they also build custom and export to overseas..

[@williamfathers1714]

Yes i have been to the Kenworth factory in Kilsyth Victoria. Where i saw the trucks being made it was very cool.

[@JustJokes-bw4fs]

The mines have (unfortunately for the workers) been moving over to driverless dump trucks with control centres in Perth, for years now.

[@leonardgmiller8924]

At 6.09 tyres are for Cat 650tonne dump trucks those tyres would be 12 foot wide if stacked on there side but only 24 foot high which is legal height

[@lord0jackostar]

With regards to the Centurion tyre combo, you can stack those tyres and travel as an oversized load; but you can only stack them two high, and the oversized loads are much shorter so you can’t carry as many tyres or take as many trailers. So on a normal flatbed trailer, you might get four of those big tyres, but you can only take one trailer; and you would need at least one specialised oversized pilot to escort the load because it would be so wide, other traffic would need to be cleared as the load travels. Have those same tyres standing up on the specialised trailers, and you can get 6 tyres per trailer, pull 3 trailers with each truck, and you don’t need any additional escorts because the entire combination is within legal limits. Centurion actually designed and built those trailers, and other companies are starting to use the same idea to maximise tyre transport.

[@top40researcher31]

Triple (three-trailer) road trains operate in *western New South Wales, western Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory,* with the last three states also allowing AB-quads (B double with two additional trailers coupled behind).

[@kadmow]

(cheers top40..., to update - I was seeing ABB and BAB quads in Queensland the other week.. Not to mention a host of B-Triples and AB Triples. - lots of strange configurations hauling rural loads in Western Queensland.)

[@debshipard1664]

One of our primemovers is an International Eagle which is US built. We have heating problems because the radiator fins are too close together for hot Australian conditions

[@wyattcaird8161]

I use to work at the centurion track yard in Perth and those trailers that came in were massive

[@danielgermano964]

I'm a road train driver. My truck is a Volvo 700 horsepower and I love driving it

[@XxCammyBearxX]

As a Truck Driver in Up North Western Australia, I Drive for QUBE and operating thier Macks,Volvos and Kenworths all in Super Quad combinations, i can Confirm MRL are currently running thier autonomous trucks, they are not running them on public roadways as of yet.. only on Mining leases.

[@hedlandboy]

I Lived in the Pilbara region where a version of these trucks are in great numbers, during my time there I was a Volunteer Fire Fighter and can tell you when they catch fire , crash or tip over it is always a long day in the heat.

[@laurapianezzola3934]

My husaband works in an open cut mine in northern Western Australia and they have autonomous dump trucks over there. My husband says the first time you see a huge driver less dumpy is pretty daunting.

[@utha2665]

Yeah, I've been in one in the dicky seat running autonomously on a calibration pad testing LV follow. I think I preferred being in the truck rather than the LV in front. They are pretty safe and the GPS/LIDAR systems they have onboard are so accurate they have to offset the trucks on the haul roads otherwise they drive ruts into them.

[@leemasters3592]

My brother worked in the mines maintaining the vehicle fleet- when the automated trucks need service they just come in and line themselves up ready to be worked on.

[@chuckmaddison2924]

They can be a surprise for foreigners trying to pass. They do have sign's on the back.

[@kadmow]

- Kenworths are built in Australia (we don't have Peterbuilt over here - at least not common/ late models ). for the local market - PACCAR owns : Kenworth, Peterbuilt, DAF, Leyland Trucks - - especially American style "gumboot" prime movers trucks can be bought optioned from a range (or whatever the operator wants) engine and gearbox selection (Mack is the Australian Volvo option in a long nore config). Western Stars are imported from the USA. I recently drove with a buddy from Port Hedland - Northwest WA to the East coast of Australia.. Lots of Roadtrains - in the Northwest the 4 trailer "super quad roadtrains" (A-Quads) are everywhere in iron ore country, across to Queensland a whole range of 2, 3-4 [B-double (as commonly seen as regular semis elsewhere), A-Double, B-triple, AB Triple (B-Double on an A-dolly behind a Semitrailer), A-Triple, BAB Quad (2 B-doubles in a train) , ABB Quad (a B-triple behind a Semitrailer) ]- huge variety trailer configurations and load outs seen. Volvo and Scanias are operated by those who want to brag about their "European quality" - not to diminish the technology, but even the American trucks are getting hybrid driver monitoring / assistance packages with "autonimous features" - just like agricultural tractors, don't forget the scandi trucks are built for summer logging in Sweden and Finland - those conditions are not easy - - vs the Easy to work on, highly customisable long nose Kenworths (Melb), Macks (Brisb), Western Star.(Portland USA).. (For a fairly tough haul unit: look at the Kenworth C510 - "off highway" - payload 300 tonnes with the use of an additional power trailer- in the train. - some reports indicate engine specs up to 1000HP ?? I don't doubt if one is ok with reduced reliability several multiples of that are possible - ) - lol, on private haul roads there basically is no limit - to the limit of the logistics itself - add several power trailers and dolly couple 4 B-Doubles if that fits one's operational requirements.