A
road train,
land train or
long combination vehicle is a
trucking vehicle used to move road
freight more efficiently than
semi-trailer trucks. It consists of two or more trailers or semi-trailers hauled by a
prime mover.
[1] Long combination vehicles
[2] are combinations of multiple
trailers on tractor trucks as compared to standard 5 axle semi trailer-trucks with one trailer.
In the 1930s/40s, the government of Australia operated an
AEC Roadtrain to transport freight and supplies into the Northern Territory, replacing the
Afghan camel trains that had been trekking through the deserts since the late 19th century. This truck pulled two or three 6 m (19 ft 8 in) Dyson four-axle self-tracking trailers. At 130
hp (97
kW), the AEC was grossly underpowered by today's standards, and drivers and offsiders (a partner or assistant) routinely froze in winter and sweltered in summer due to the truck's open cab design and the position of the engine radiator, with its 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) cooling fan, behind the seats.
Australian
Kurt Johannsen, a bush mechanic, is recognised as the inventor of the modern road train.
[11][
dubious – discuss] After transporting stud bulls 200 mi (320 km) to an
outbackproperty, Johannsen was challenged to build a truck to carry 100 head of
cattle instead of the original load of 20. Provided with financing of about 2000
pounds and inspired by the tracking abilities of the Government roadtrain, Johannsen began construction. Two years later his first road train was running.
[12]
Johannsen's first road train consisted of a
United States Army World War II surplus
Diamond-T tank carrier, nicknamed "Bertha", and two home-built self-tracking trailers. Both wheel sets on each trailer could steer, and therefore could negotiate the tight and narrow tracks and creek crossings that existed throughout
Central Australia in the earlier part of the 20th century. Freighter Trailers in Australia viewed this improved invention and went on to build self-tracking trailers for Kurt and other customers, and went on to become innovators in transport machinery for Australia.
This first example of the modern road train, along with the AEC Government Roadtrain, forms part of the huge collection at the
National Road Transport Hall of Fame in
Alice Springs,
Northern Territory.