Road Trains Roam The Backroads of Australia

Australia's vast interior presents a logistics puzzle: towns and mines separated by thousands of kilometers, but not dense enough to justify permanent railways. The solution is the "road train"—a single truck hauling two to four trailers. Per Hackaday, these configurations can stretch fifty-three point five meters, weigh over one hundred thirty-five tons, and are pulled by engines delivering five hundred to seven hundred horsepower. Speed-limited to around one hundred kilometers per hour and restricted to specific routes, road trains nonetheless maximize freight efficiency in Australia's sparse outback. As long as Australia's interior remains remote and cargo-hungry, road trains will keep rolling.

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