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Trailer combinations get a bad rap these days in the United States -
but it wasn't so always.
There was a time when they were openly promoted as a means of reducing
the number of overloaded trucks on the road. The theory was (and
still holds true) that spreading the load over more wheels results in
less damage to the road and the equipment.
The motor of the truck will pull three times as much on a good road as
the truck can possibly carry on its back, and one driver can operate a
greater load with slightly greater consumption of fuel and oil - in
fact, far less than if the same tonnage was carried on three separate
trucks rather than on one truck and two trailers.
When trailers first began to arrive on the scene, they were generally
pulled behind automobiles, but as demands for freight carrying
capacity rose, truckers began hitching them up behind straight trucks.
Generally, there were no length limits on highways in those days,
just weight limits.
But the public tide since those days has turned against trailer
trains. Too bad, because semi-trailer trains - done properly - make
alot of sense.
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