b trippples and b doubbles

When this is allowed it will be a poor approach to movement of freight between cities when rail is extant.

This extract from http://www.frog.org.au/rail_information.html outlines the basics.
If the USA is on to this,surely we could too.

Benefits of rail

Rail transport has significantly lower social and environmental impacts than road transport in Australia.

Efficient rail is a cheaper mode of freight transport than road on all inter capital corridors

Rail is the safest form of land transport

Rail is 9 times more energy efficient than road

one train, two drivers = 150 trucks & 45,000 litres of fuel

Australian transport fatality statistics* show that

road transport is responsible for 94 per cent of the total transport related fatalities
rail transport is responsible for 1.5 per cent of the total transport related fatalities

Australian estimated greenhouse gas emissions statistics* show that

road transport produces 12 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions
rail transport produces 0.3 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions





NSW govt scuttles B-triple truck trial
AAP December 30, 2012, 9:30 am

The NSW government has scuttled reports that B-triple trucks will be trialled between Sydney and Melbourne.

"B-triples already operate on select freight routes in western NSW," Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay said in a statement on Sunday.

"But we are a long way off a decision on whether B-triples will be trialled on the Hume, it certainly won't happen in 2013."

He also scuttled reports that B-triples could be allowed on the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane or on suburban streets.

His statement follows a Fairfax report that a trial of the 35m-long trucks on the Hume highway could begin once a bypass at Holbrook was finished in mid-2013.

Once completed, the Hume highway would be a dual carriage way along its entire stretch between Sydney and Melbourne.

Allowing B-triples on the popular freight route would address the projected surge in freight activity, Mr Duncan said.
"Safety will be the top priority in any final decision on a trial, including the safety performance of HPVs (higher productivity vehicles) in areas such as stability, manoeuvrability and braking," he said.