Road Train Information

A few tips on staying alive from the Co-ordinator of SpringWest Rally 2002, Royce Woodhouse, who drove road trains and other heavy vehicles throughout Australia for many years.

The transport industry plays an important role in the strategic and economic development of our huge country, so road trains and large trucks are a necessary fact of life on our highways. With so many CMCA Members travelling from all parts of Australia to Northam for our Spring West Rally from September 30 until October 7, I would like to pass on a few pointers that might be helpful when you are confronted by one of these monsters.

A double road train is around 35 metres long and weighs nearly 80 tonnes while a triple road train weighs up to 115 tonnes and is about 50 metres in length, so they do deserve our respect.

There are several things to consider when overtaking or being overtaken by a large rig. These include:

Stopping times – A heavy truck takes longer to pull up than lighter and smaller vehicles.

Rear vision – The driver of a heavy vehicle may not be able to see you in his mirrors if you are travelling too close behind. If you can't see his mirrors, he certainly can't see you.

Passing times – Overtaking or being overtaken can take considerable time so you need to be able to see at least three kilometres ahead before attempting to pass. If it's dusty and visibility is impaired, don't even think about passing.

While most drivers of these big rigs are professional, there are still a few cowboys around so you must make judgements based on common sense and, most importantly, safety. If you are at all nervous about the situation, pull over, make a cup of tea and proceed when the road is clear.

One of the most common reactions of drivers when they see a truck coming up behind them is to prop or reduce speed and, in some cases, drop their left hand wheels off the side of the road. This has the effect of causing the truck driver to reduce speed, thus making it difficult for him to gather the momentum needed to safely overtake.

The best thing you can do is to maintain your road speed until the road train or truck is alongside then slow down and, if safe, ease to the left. If you want to pull over before the truck passes, try to get right off the road.

A UHF radio is always helpful in these situations as the truck driver can tell you when he wants to pass or if it's safe for you to pass him.

When confronted by a large, overwidth load, follow the instructions of the escort vehicles. They may sometimes ask you to pass via the right hand verge, but if you find this a bit scary just hold back and wait a while – perhaps until the convoy stops for tyre checks, which they normally do every 100 kilometres or so.

When it's all boiled down, there's one unchangeable rule that you should follow when sharing the highways and byways with road trains and other heavy vehicles – always err on the side of safety!