Driving Roadtrains

My brother's son came on a 11,000 km round trip in my Kenworth from Perth WA to Melbourne VIC to Karratha WA & back to Perth.
Here's some of what we saw, including overtaking and being overtaken by triple roadtrains, and some wide loads.

[@gm16v149]

On the eastern seaboard where most of the population lives there are plenty of weighbridges, but on a 5,000 km trip Melbourne to the north-west, there are only 2 fixed weighbridges on the road-train route (which are in South Australia) & you don't often see them worked hard except during the wheat harvest. But generally we stick to axle weights because it comes back on everyone with the "chain of responsibility" laws we have here, and that includes fatigue. Thanx for commenting.

[@gm16v149]

At least 7 of them in my family have been on trips like that when they were young. It's a real eye-opener for them to see life outside of the city.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

I used to haul my boy when he was 5 or 6 whenever I could. A day cab Superliner tri-axle with an E-9 and a 12 -speed. He called it the 'BIG Dog! Pillow in the floor for naps and plenty of drinks and snacks and pee stops all over. GOOD times!

[@colinl9018]

Has he chose the 'Trucking life' or gone on to Uni etc?

[@gm16v149]

He works in a laboratory. The video is something like 10 years old.

[@gm16v149]

I have only seen them on heavy-duty Kenworths and Western Stars these days, but nearly all Mack trucks used to have them up until a few years ago. They cost a lot more than electric start. They are more reliable and last longer as long as you maintain them properly.

[@HillbillyonaYZ]

Another great video! Yes, as others said, sunshine and warmth. Here's something for you to contemplate. I live in roughly the southern middle of the US (Missouri), and was checking the long range forecast a bit ago. Supposed to get above freezing twice in the next 10 days. Average high will be around 22F and lows down to 5F. We still have 2 to 3 more months of winter to go. Heat is uncomfortable, but cold is just plain miserable. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Wish I was there.

[@gm16v149]

@bonzoAU This was in the Pilbara where you can see for miles, not some little back road somewhere. Normal practice up there, everyone is used to it.

[@MrJeffro1968]

Love the sound of the V8 Mack & the 3408Cat!!!

[@owlru]

My nephew love these trucks.So glad you didn't spoil it with music.thanks for sharing ;)

[@gm16v149]

Hi Mike, it's his older brother that wants to join the army. Christmas day was perfect weather in Melbourne. about 23C, but a few days ago it was 36C. Got back home last week.

[@gm16v149]

They are full-size triple roadtrains (53.5 meters). B-triples are shorter (36.5 meters)

[@gm16v149]

They are liquified natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks. It is a lot cheaper than diesel fuel but it is only good for short haul which is what that truck is doing. Hauling gold ore from the mine to a treatment plant, about 100 kms I think. You can hold as much diesel fuel as you like, but 2600 litres is about the limit. Mine holds 1800 litres.

[@gm16v149]

Er, warmth? It was 120 deg out there!! But we did get a bit of rain at the end, which only made it humid. We've got the space out here to run these trucks, it's an everyday thing for us. Happy New Year!

[@gm16v149]

The ones on the vid go 115 - 130 tons depending on number of axles, but they go to about 180 tons with 4 trailers.

[@ZoeToots]

Its like a breath of fresh air to see BLUE skies and I think...I can feel a bit of the warmth too. Those trains/trucks are so long! Crazy you guys do that over there!!

[@gm16v149]

Never a dull moment when he's around.

[@bolts1111]

That Mack sounds the goods! Nothin like a big thumpin V8 with a turbo whistle drivin it!

[@chris77777777ify]

It’s amazing that the leading Kingpin can take all that weight & go over all the bumps in the road without getting smashed to pieces.

[@gm16v149]

They are usually a 3.5” kingpin on triples instead of your normal 2” pin which you see in the rest of the world.

[@Bernhardist]

The B-triple are amazing, wonderful vid, my friend wait at the next video, have a good time, and drive safely, greetings from Germany

[@petejones4808]

Saw a k104 pull up the other day. Door opens and driver steps out I kid you not like he was stepping out of a car. He was 7 foot tall! I reckon he must have pulled the drivers seat out and sat on the bunk to fit behind the wheel and reach the pedals.

[@brianreynolds400]

yeah he uses the steer tyre as 1st step in

[@gm16v149]

@AussieBoy4Life111 Actually yeah. It says Western Star on the bonnet if you freeze it. Most of Mitchell's are KWs on that particular run so I automatically thought it was a KW.

[@ZoeToots]

Yes, WARMTH!!!! I saw the rain and chose to ignore it and enjoy the nice blue skies....

[@gm16v149]

Like the guy says, 5-650 HP. They have much heavier drivelines, chassis rails & cooling systems than single trailer trucks.

[@gm16v149]

True, pity there's not that many around now.

[@TheRubberDuck1]

Wow! Thanks a lot for this Christmas present! It's excellent!!!!

[@gm16v149]

No probs. Seeing as how you like trains I hope you checked out my vid of the iron-ore train in the north west going past.

[@gm16v149]

LNG is only used for short-haul at the moment so you don't see LNG pumps outside of the big cities. Diesel is about $A1.23 / litre in the city but we get a government fuel rebate & tax rebate so that brings it down to about 95 cents / litre. About half what you pay in Europe I think, but more than in USA. I don't know how much LNG costs.

[@gm16v149]

That's a normal trip for me these days because there is a lot of construction happening in the north-west at the moment.

[@gm16v149]

The 5 videos on the top line of 'my videos' were all from that trip. I've still got some more footage which I'll put up when I've got time. The 11,000 kms was one big circle, so I didn't go on the same bit of road twice, except for the Nullarbor crossing itself of course.

[@gm16v149]

@HUTCHtopher Don't forget the air operated windows and air ride seat as well. Most of this stuff is electric nowadays but you can order air start if you want but it costs a lot more.

[@gm16v149]

The speed limit is 90 to 100 km/h depending on the State. They slow down a lot going up grades though.

[@me-it9jn]

gm16v149 r they governed to 100 or is it just a speed limit? Cuz it's not like police come down under.

[@gm16v149]

B-triples but not roadtrain triples. B-triple is same length as 2-trailer roadtrain. You can see one 1/2 way thru my vid Roadtrains Cat Power.

[@gm16v149]

@cheeptorque They are LNG fuel tanks and it was a KW btw

[@gm16v149]

Most of the time the guys are pretty good, but on the busy inter-capital roads you get a few bucket mouths.

[@CATMUSCLE]

Fuggen beautiful Chris, lucky nephew ya got there, I would have killed to go on a run like that when i was a kid!! Thanks for the look mate...=D

[@gm16v149]

Anyone can crash through the gears in a few weeks but it takes a while to do clutchless changes without grinding the gears.

[@NIEU0875]

a round trip of 11000 km !!!! LOL amasing coutry you guy's live in.. great vid again chris as always! and the best wishes for you and al the drivers down under for 2010.

[@gm16v149]

I don't know which is harder to take, extreme heat or extreme cold. But I think I'll take the heat !

[@gm16v149]

When I see it next, I'll make a better video of it going thru the gears. It was probably grossing 100 tons.

[@gm16v149]

I stuffed up with the Titan taking off but I'll see it again & take a better vid..........it sounds unreal

[@gm16v149]

Glad you like it

[@gm16v149]

Thanks

[@gm16v149]

No probs......

[@CyberPassenger]

Looks nice and warm, I just went outside my house to move some snow around...

[@gm16v149]

Will do, soon as we start work again.....

[@Jizzem66]

Hey mate. Love your video's. I was driving for I.F.E seen you once. I left Australia, couldn't stand the heat, missed the cold. Now I have 2, Freightliner 620hp, and 2, Volvo 660hp, contracted to Mainfreight NewZealand. Cant wait to put some video's on here. Gotta wait for my young fella too get back from auzzie. I have trouble working these toy's. 5/5 keep on posting. How's about a tour of you cab?

[@Mick_4591]

@angodamango I know we drive on the left hand side of the road.If as you say it was dust on his wind sc reen then have a look at 2.58 in this video with his wipers on and it is raining.......Im just putting it out there as you put it You shouls have another look at the video again

[@gm16v149]

yep, Mt Magnet WA

[@gm16v149]

No probs

[@gm16v149]

43C in Melbourne today so it's hot alright. High 40s in the N.W. when I took the vid.

[@angodamango]

@bonzoAU umm the other truck was over taking him... in Australia we drive on the left side of the road... and it wasnt rain, it was blue skies and that was dirt on his window, not rain... just putting it out there

[@gm16v149]

We don't get that problem here !

[@st2fairmont397]

hey great video what is that sitting on the dash at the end please

[@gm16v149]

That is a 100W+100W amp for the CD player

[@mackjack525]

Great Vid Chris, Your nephew(?) does a top job filming, love the sound of the Titan ,.. Merry Christmass as well mate!!!

[@wallybigwheels8993]

Dangerous job! Give you a lot of credit for doing a good job and looking good while doing it!🚚🚚🚚

[@7784Patrick]

great video what is the maximum weight for a road train please (not overload)

[@ricecakenz]

i would love to drive one of those things im moving over to melbourne from NZ soon to hopefully find some sort of driving work intersate would be awesome. great vid

[@klstrucker930419]

How many days takes 11000km trip in australia?

[@boozled86]

Awesome vids you got up here mate. I just got one question though. How hard is it to get used to the gears in a truck? Im only talking a roadranger i think....that they use in HR trucks, cause i been wanting to get a licence to drive them

[@JackDoonerMusic]

Nice video, very very nice. What kinda horse power are we talking about in these road trains?

[@TRUCKERMcD]

Great video. How do you guy do with scales and the like. Are they on you guy hard like here in North America?

[@gm16v149]

The roads in the north-west are good (the bitumen ones anyway). You should try passing a triple on some of those rotten QLD roads !

[@gm16v149]

I guess you don't hear too many jakes where you get to drive !

[@bh2861]

Haha it's so hard to follow your answers to your people's questions to you due to the way you reply...

[@JackDoonerMusic]

Ye, amazing what they can pull up and down australia. Nothing like that here in Ireland :P Thanks for that :)

[@gm16v149]

They call Australia "the lucky country", maybe there's some truth in that. It never gets really cold here.

[@cheeptorque]

what was them big tanks behind the sleeper on that western star.??.i think it was a western star.

[@highwayhobo]

Great video Chris and merry christmas I hope you were where you wanted to be. Thats a great video and the young lad should get used to climbing up into equipment if he's still off to the army

[@AussieBoy4Life111]

@gm16v149 it was a western star you can tell be the sleeper and bonnet

[@gm16v149]

@kennethrobinson11231 We do have some 7 - 11% grades but nothing like the Rockies.

[@gm16v149]

I guess I've got a bit more time on my hands than you have, with work quiet for us like it is !

[@Frosty_Skippy]

@gm16v149 West coast is the only place that these things would struggle, from the midwest to the east coast, not a problem

[@mariotrudel6203]

Heauto recording

[@cheeptorque]

@gm16v149 .. I was going off the slant on the sleepr cab.. I hate being wrong.. so I had to watch again.. I hate it when guys put Western Star sleepers and muffler shrouds (1:27) on Kenworths...lmao :-P

[@gm16v149]

So would I !

[@kennethrobinson11231]

No way you could pull this type of trailers in Ky. U SA. This is flat land stuff. You couldn't keep drive shafts, tran., or rear ends in the hills we have.

[@thedevilmademed0it]

G'day..are they running triples now on the nullabor, was only doubles when i lived there..

[@Bernhardist]

oohh, thank´s for the information, full size isn´t a B-triple, that are lenght, can´t dive in Europe, or must have a pilot, thx my friend

[@Januszntb]

So, triple, at tri axle, 30 T each , do they pay 3X the tariff ? we in the states get 1 tariff for 22T on the trailer. You probably get 1 mile to 1 gallon of fuel in consumption on the road. I can tell the truck work hard. You do get free truck wash when it rains.TH

[@gm16v149]

Different to driving in Europe !

[@waynemetevia7983]

I could seriously get into doing that. Sign me up!

[@neilalan59]

ok chris .. now dont tell me thats all of the 11000 k trip we are going to see ... nice to have a steady hand working the camera .. he did a nice job ... and for you to do the crossing twice would have been fun ... pity i cant climb up on flat tops and do what you do ... that sort of work can be fun at times ... im going to have to stick to the tippers and be a round town clown !!! so chop chop get back editing again .. we want some more gold from you !!! PLEASE MATE !!! 10 OUT OF 10 AGAIN !!

[@Mick_4591]

@angodamango no worries there mate

[@Mick_4591]

I was a little concerned about how long you were on the wron side of the road while over taking another truck,hile it was raining dont make sence to me

[@gm16v149]

Takes a bit over 2 weeks to do a trip like that.

[@zandmannetje390]

great trucks

[@taxus750]

0:35 - crikey, talk about 'dead weight', I bet that slowed him down on the hills.

[@cheeptorque]

Lmao... ur nephew @ the end.. hahahahaha

[@yazeed3881]

Do you guys have Elogs like we do in the states ?

[@gm16v149]

No, just paper logs or work diary as they are called here.

[@9deviltiger9]

How do you know when it it save to overtake another Roadtrain?

[@gm16v149]

The trucks have got radios so you call up the other driver

[@9deviltiger9]

yeah, but what about cars? are those roads restricted for Roadtrain only or is everyone who wants to drive trough the Outback required to have a radio onboard? Greets from the other side of the globe(Germany)

[@gm16v149]

Roadtrains don't have their own roads, they go on public roads, but they are restricted to certain routes. Cars don't have to have a UHF radio, but experienced travelers have them.

[@gm16v149]

There's a lot of kiwis over here so you'll fit right in.

[@ricecakenz]

yea heaps of kiwis there hopefully that makes it easy for me

[@angodamango]

@bonzoAU ohhhh.... i didnt watch the whole video... i take back what i said... thought you were refering to 1.30... but yes your right, it was a while on that side of the road... and my bad... thought you were american...

[@tonyrobins2644]

Without trucker's australia will be screwed keep on trucking 😃🚿😁😁

[@calhouncook]

how fast do you guys drive triples?

[@xxx-kash8713]

calhouncook 90

[@kenworth4049]

What model kenworth k100?

[@gm16v149]

K124CR

[@nevilledarman8n21]

👌😍😍😍🇦🇺

[@AussieBoy4Life111]

@gm16v149 yeah but nice video mate

[@musclecars392]

ICE ROAD TRUCKERS SHOULD DRIVE ROADTRAINS

[@Hingey23]

@JackDooner 500 to 650

[@user-rj9jj9mn2u]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpTcomSYodKnnpI Парковка на крыше

[@user-bz5bo5tx3c]

ذ

[@gm16v149]

Thanks