[Sasanka_Sanga]

The rule says the truck will be 25 meters long (maximum length) and a lorry can drag to a maximum of 3 trailers.

Our roads including highways are still incompatible to accommodate these and imagine a situation where these road trains want to overtake in a freeway and you are stranded behind them unable to overtake for miles together as their speeds are very low and they go in sync.

Increase in fuel cost and growing emissions from these massive structures can be environmentally devastating.

According to me, this should be given a second thought.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I invite everyone to get a hang of the difficulties involved in driving these road trains on "Outback Truckers" on Netflix. Road trains in Australia coordinate with other road users via CB radio when they need to overtake someone, or when someone else needs to overtake them. They cannot brake for saving a life and may require stopping distances of a Kilometre or more. Australia doesn't permit them to ply on certain urban areas/provinces.

Completely agree with what you've mentioned. I watch that show at times, as it airs on local channels, and it's just mind boggling. The amount of co-ordination involved has to be seen to be believed.

Here is a pic of a Road Train I clicked during one of my outback trips:
Link (Our venture at exploring the Australian Outback)



Having these on Indian roads will be a challenge, not just for the person driving it, but for the rest of the populace too. Imagine one of these parked along the road near a dhaba, which wasn't designed to park one.

[tharian]

The road train idea makes sense in countries they are already running in.

In India were overloading is the norm, why would we need a road train when a multi axle rigid truck itself is loaded with the equivalent cargo of two trailers of a road train. Now imagine overloading a road train, whatever roads we have will go back to medieval ages.

Also, we need more powerful trucks to haul them. On the other hand, we already have equally long trailers hauling wind turbine blades, like a member had mentioned. But then the dynamics of both will be different.

[ValarMorghulis]

I, for one, would say go for it.
Let's not all claim doom and gloom before the op even gets off the ground.
If this proposal means better roads and improved infra, I'm all for it.
And lets not imagine that this will be parked in the city/ roadside shop etc. before that actually happens in significant percentage. If one of the most affluent and well read community (Team-BHP) isn't open to new initiatives who will? No wonder things remain the same.

[narayans80]

There have been some unusually long trailers we do see on our 4-lanes. But its often only on trunk corridors, mostly on NH4 (Madras-Bangalore-Pune) and once on NH45 carrying windmill vanes. Such overloaded vehicles are usually accompanied by pilot and sweeper vehicles and often move only in odd hours and there are lot of planning that happens even for a mundane activity like crossing a toll. Let alone doing something complicated like Thoppur or Krishnagiri ghat.

And it is not just the drivers of such vehicles that need experience and patience. Remaining road users are totally clueless about things like blind spots, side swiping. In years of seeing trucks, loads aren't even able to understand that normal national permit trucks aren't going to be as agile as 2 or 4-wheelers if you pull off last minute maneuvers, let alone road trains.

Originally Posted by locusjag

Personally, I've seen shorter roadtrains (mostly Walmart's) on Interstate highways in the US. Those only had a 1+1 carriage structure and the US anyway has excellent straight, divided interstate highways...

Even these might only be on certain Interstates with time/route restrictions. Not all states have straight roads or devoid of cloverleaves which are impractical for any truck that has to haul more than one box. Its actually fun to watch those 53 footers taking wide 90 degree right turns (had the opportunity to watch a few over a 6 month period).

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Attachment 1944832

Having these on Indian roads will be a challenge, not just for the person driving it, but for the rest of the populace too. Imagine one of these parked along the road near a dhaba, which wasn't designed to park one.

Just imagine making quick overtakes around one of these in our cars with puny engines or the poor overloaded trucks already plying on our roads.

[Asish_VK]

What a stupid move

When we have the largest largest rail network, why we need road trains? And considering the road infrastructure and road manners we have, it will be a huge mess.

[hangover]

: for re purpose.

Instead of loading them with mules or cement or something, put in bus seats.

The truck-tractor is electric battery driven. Lead acid.

It drives 100 km with paying public to the next bus depot on priority lanes. Same as this.

At each depot merely replace the tractor. With a freshly charged tractor for the next phase.

Your other electric vehicles can be programmed to follow this train like a cycling peloton enabling more saving of their own battery.

Maybe get refueled like jet planes with each new tractor/truck that is used. Spend some money maybe.

This the only way an all electric world transportation can work. Mobile replaceable battery trucks with programmable equipment.

Battery zabbit

[ZenMaster]

As far as I know, Australia uses road trains because they don't have an extensive railway network like ours.

Instead they use what they have - an amazing,widespread, well engineering road network spanning across deserts and industrial zones with almost no civilian /pedestrian traffic and not going through populated cities (whose roads themselves are probably wider than our "highways" )

The only advantage of this is point to point transport. But most of our industries and factories let alone huge industrial complexes are located in densely packed areas. This would mean these road-trains will have to be broken up again whenever capable highways come to an end.

But considering that most areas and roads in india are incapable of handling such behemoths this is not as economically better than what we have now.

[car love]

It has time and again been proven without much doubt that, the powers that be in India lack basic common sense. We just latch onto any Foreign stuff and try to replicate it here without any forethought. Reminds me of when India tried to outdo California in emission regulations and then sheepishly rolled back the idea.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by car love

It has time and again been proven without much doubt that, the powers that be in India lack basic common sense. We just latch onto any Foreign stuff and try to replicate it here without any forethought.

This is because our Babus have never lived like a common man, never set their foot on the ground and seen things for themselves like a common man, for a long long time. When they go for speeches, they beat the traffic and fly in helicopters or are given a green corridor by the "bandobast" police. So they never see the real situation on the ground.

And they're probably fed bullshit by their lower rungs.

Nitin Gadkari is one of the better ministers by a huge margin. Yet I'm sure he too is prey to the ills I stated above, to some extent.

Anyway, lets see.

[dragracer567]

A couple of points:

1) The road trains will be allowed only on 'select routes'. I'm guessing that means future greenfield expressways that will be built with this purpose in mind and existing infrastructure will be upgraded for the same.

2) Do we have truck tractors that are powerful enough to haul three fully loaded trailers? I think even the Volvos and Scanias sold in India don't have that kind of power.

3) While it makes sense that there are more roads than railroad tracks in the country, the roads which can handle the road trains are minuscule! I think the government should focus on investing their money on dedicated freight corridor railroads instead of upgrading roads to accommodate the road trains and clog our already overburdened roads!

The bottom line is, road trains make sense in less dense countries like Australia and America where cities are so far apart that rail roads can be expensive while roads are big and straight! However, India like Europe is densely populated where road trains cannot maneuver at high speeds like trains can on tracks. That said, I would love to hear what the people proposing this would like to say. Keeping an open mind!

[THE_DRIFTER]

Well, I don't see any use of allowing Road trains in a country where small tempo drivers cannot drive properly without hogging high speed lanes every time.
I cannot even imagine a road train with 3 or more trailers being driven on our Indian roads!!
First improve the infrastructure, make driving tests harder and more practical, teach drivers to be coordinating and then plan such a move.

[ariesonu]

I don't know what is all the HYPE about that our poor infrastructure!!

How many of you know that there are approximately 25000 car carriers on our roads?

How many of you know that though, as per CMVR, the length of CC should not be more than 18.75 meters but 75% of Car Carriers are in excess of 22 meters length. All that is additional is 3 meters - to run the so called ROAD TRAIN.
Now how many of those car carriers enter any city limits?

Road trains - if ever appear on our roads - will be HIGHWAY runners only & as it is in Australia.

Instead of doing all this MoRTH ministry should work closely with Railways, as huge potential is being lost there. In 2017, Railways had tested something very exciting, especially for auto manufacturers down-south.
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...cle9838639.ece

Rgds-Sonu

[Tygerman]

It's a crime to even consider these road trains on Indian roads. Of course there are expressways, but the expressways converge to 4 lane roads for the rest of the 1000 kilometers or so. On a lighter note, if one were to bring these road trains on Indian roads, flying cars are not too far a fiction.

Instead there are other issues that need to addressed. For ages the Pune Kolhapur stretch of NH48 is in shambles. For Trucks and Lorries standardization needs to be enforced. Above all, trucks not on the fast lanes