Road train

A road train is a truck design used in remote areas of Australia to move bulky loads efficiently.

Most road trains transport cattle on the long gravel "beef roads" of the isolated interior. This is an exception: it travels from the port city of Darwin to the tourist centre of Alice Springs.
Larger version

A road train consists of a relatively conventional chassis, cab and engine unit, but instead of pulling a single trailer the road train pulls a succession of them, typically three but sometimes a dozen or more, providing massive carrying capacity.

Road trains are unwieldy, and pulling and manoeuvering them safely is only possible because of the lack of traffic on Australia's outback roads, and the terrain's flatness. The multiple trailers are detached and connected individually to multiple trucks when the road train gets close to populated areas.

Road trains are used for transporting all manner of materials, with livestock transport the most common. The cost-effective transport they have made possible has played a significant part in the economic development of these remote areas.

Overtaking a road train can be quite difficult. Patience, assistance from the driver, and large amounts of clear road are required.