Subscribe to RSSSuper Size Truck Hits Road
The transport minister’s dreams have come true. The first supersized truck allowed under the new transport regulations is hitting the road in Auckland.
It will be travelling between Auckland and Christchurch on a regular basis.
The USA manufactured Freightliner truck has had running gear and bodywork designed and fabricated in New Zealand to allow a total length of 22 metres. When fully permitted it could have a gross laden weight of 53 tonnes or beyond.
With a total of 10 axles and 36 wheels, this monster giant is owned by Palmerston North based transport operator, Booths Transport Ltd.
The new truck is not only able to carry 13% more volume of freight than previous large linehaul trucks, the outside has been sold as a huge moving billboard.
In a statement, the company’s managing director, Craig Booth says that the truck signals the start of a new efficient way of moving freight around the country. “We anticipate be able to transport higher volumes, with fewer vehicles which will be configured to create less wear and tear on our roads and consume less non-renewable resources.
“While there is still some way to go with NZ roading standards being improved to allow full benefits of these new vehicles, we have pre-empted the situation as a long term strategy”.
19 Comments
Why not just put freight on trains? One train can carry how many truck loads?
It will only carry 44 tonnes for now, however, due to the many bridges that have yet to be assessed or strengthened (presumeable at the taxpayers’ expense). Fail.
Taxpayers, ratepayers will pay for this. The Ministers “imaginery” benefits will not be realised by anyone except truck owners. This will be at KiwiRail’s expense, and that of people who will die in accidents on the roads with these. It is just a waiting game on the latter, but it will happen. Steven Joyce is ok with that, as his trucking friends will make larger profits.
The heavier the truck the more wear and tear i.e. greater costs to the public, in addition to the subsidies required from us to upgrade the roads to allow these trucks that’s one huge subsidy Joyce is forcing us to give to the trucking industry.
America, where everything is supersized, the maximum truck weights, depending on route, is either 36 tonnes or 44 tonnes.
Putting 53 tonne trucks on our roads is just plain crazy. The cons far outweigh the pros.
the sooner Steven Joyce gets sacked, the better. -_-’
Boys and their toys - they should be in kindy, not making our roads policies.
It’s a pretty cool toy, and it does have some benefits, some including lower freight costs, which in turn give lower product costs, however as has been said the consequences in this case outweigh the pro’s, although not hugely when wider benefits and con’s are taken into account.
Funny though we are not implementing the best freight transport option at the moment, of course being rail. The one which would have the best benefit/cost ratio.
Ahh shut up all you kill bill haters. Its good to have a super sized truck on the road because we will be able to transport freight around the country cheaper as is now. All you guys who think putting freight onto trains is the idea? get off it can you take a train full of freight into downtown auckland? NO so how can you deliver freight to places in nz where they have no train tracks? Look at the big picture you idiots taking trucks off the road is costing peoples jobs. Without trucks recking roads roads will not get done up and you will cost roadworkers there jobs. If the govt do up the rail network where is that money going to come from? Transport budget thats where and then all you freight on trains idiots will be going on about your cars getting wrecked on the roads and that what ever your waiting for to come by courier is taking to long. Think about it come on. NZpost used to use trains before but you just cant get it cheaper than by truck on time to where you want it. What happens when theres a derailment? Bloody country closes down coz nobody can get anything coz trains are all stopped think 1 railway line on the main trunkline can’t cope with the vol of freight nz requires. Sell the bloody kiwirail co back to the dumb yanks/oziez oh no we are dumb aye we sold to them they set up toll took most freight put on trucks and sell back to nz for triple of what we sold for. Nz govt is pretty thick when they want.
Good thinking azman you are right. How without using trucks will you deliver freight to downtown auckland wellington chch hamilton etc? You can’t. So think putting freight on trains + unloading+ Loading onto truck+Depot+delivering= tripple handling,double the delivery price, more freight damage= Consumers pay more. Keep freight on trucks keep nz employed. Good come back on kiwirail to mate. NZRailways sold to overseas investors who started up tollNZ put all major rail contracts on to toll trucks then sold the rail network back to Nz govt for 200 odd million with no major contracts. Whats wrong with that equastion= NZGovt wasting money
GET A LIFE AZMAN AN CAMERON Rail is the best way forward DICK HEADS
Tony? Is that you?
Funny. Heavy haulage trolls & road transport forum trolls! They must indeed be suffering financially from all the horrible train competition if this is the best they can come up with - incoherent rants full of grammatical and logical mistakes, spiced with the odd half-truth taken out of context. Jummy.
@ the two truckers above:
If the EU AND NORTH AMERICA consider them DANGEROUS with their brilliant roading network, surely they are death traps in NZ.
Also these trucks are like trains anyway, incapable of getting door to door without smaller trucks and vans necessitating more handling then rail.
SERIOUS FAIL (Note: I’m a prof. rig driver too)
Martin, nice to hear a bit of sanity from the trucking side of the debate. What’s your view on trying to increase rail’s share of the long-distance freight market?
I found those two comments funny.
Promoting using in-efficient methods because more labor is required. Economically the concept of make work schemes is just stupid.
Goodluck using your 22m, 53 tonne trucks to deliver goods to the CBD of NZ’s major cities.
Are Azman and Camron the same person? comments were made 7 minutes apart and the grammatical errors match pretty well.
@Scott Good thinking Detective Superintendent. They have same email address!
Massive
53 tons that a lot how about the road will it get destroy lather?