The Truckers’ Report flatbed Hall of Shame.

I forget the exact length but normal European trailers are over 13 metres or so these days, so around 43 feet I think, and yes, the 2 trailers in the pictures are tris, tandems are the odd ones out these days.

 

But you guys load 44 ton legal right?

 

The term may have morphed over the years but it definitely started out as I described. Learned it well one Sunday morning with my father in 1974 as him and an old farmer struggled to get a Transtar Cabover out of a field after a festival. Long story but learned from the true old schoolers. Terms get changed, for example I’ve been around the LTL side since 1987 and the converter gear for double/ triple was always referred to as the converter or the dolly. Fast forward to my stint with R&L they universally called it a joe dog. And they had never heard the term wiggle wagons. So not wrong in the truest sense of the term but not correct either. Just as people say the have an automatic transmission in their truck. It is not an automatic but an auto shift. Small difference but it is incorrect to interchange the terms

 

That is definitely not a Jo dog. A Jo dog is a single axle jeep. More specifically a single axle jump jeep. But yes, terms morph over the years and through different regions

 

Yes, I'm on the west coast as well. Definitely what we call them.

 

Correct, in the UK, less in Europe. My very good friend gave chapter and verse so I'll just post it here complete. Feel free to ask for any translations.

Very quick and dirty, and there are ongoing changes around longer trailers with steering rear axles, but ignoring those for the moment.

EU international transport
Width 2.55m or 2.60m for fridges. Ht 4.0m. Gross 40T on 5 or more axles.
Rigid 12m. Semi trl 13.6m and overall 16.5m. Road train 18.75m.

In the UK up to 44t on 6 axles, and “unlimited ht” but m-way bridges are 16’6".
Artic 2+2 36T max

 

The same friend followed up with this, I had forgotten about the loggers here and the Swedish and Finnish exceptional laws.

I’m sure you’ve seen the bigger French trucks on round timber. 57T on 6 axles.
Some wagon and drags but often twin drive units with semi trailer having two fixed axles twin wheels and third axle steering on super singles.
Does Finland have the biggest domestic trucks in EU land? 76T and 34.5m ?

BTW, 'wagon and drags' is English drivers' slang for rigid prime movers and traditional A-frame drawbars, as opposed to the increasing number of centre axle drawbars on European roads which some of us, rather contemptuously, call 'caravans'.

 

My kid and I get to run together a few times a month when the schedules jive and it is pretty cool to run down the road behind him. We need to be in a hurry I’ll run the front door for him. I can absorb a few dings if we get popped. My dad and I had a span of about a year to do the same thing. Guy we worked for LOVED running heavy. We’d put a little extra on and we’d run up through the woods me following Dad. He knew tons of ways around the coops. Owner would make it worth our while with a little extra pocket money in the pay envelope, no direct deposit back then. I’m enjoying it while I can

 

Man that’s great! And a great story.

 

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