Road trips – those of us who live in Australia have all done at least one long journey over vast distances, sometimes with very little to see along the way, punctuated by the occasional small town in the middle of nowhere.
The monotony of driving on long straight roads for hundreds of kilometres is broken up when a road train is spotted up ahead. How many trailers the truck is pulling and how fast it is going will determine whether it can safely be overtaken.
When the coast is clear off we go.
At first it seems as though we will never go fast enough to get past but gradually the road train is reeled in.
Then, suddenly it’s behind us and the road ahead is clear again.
Until we meet the next one!
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That’s something we just don’t get over here. I can imagine it being a bit scary; halfway and you see something approaching in the opposite direction … fast!?
If you’re sensible you only pass when there is a long straight stretch of empty road ahead, but it is a bit hair-raising when something appears on the horizon.
And often, the truck driver will signal when it’s considered safe to overtake. I’m never sure whether to trust them, maybe it’s been a long boring haul (again), and the driver wants something to break the monotony! (Just kidding.)
Interesting – new term for me. I’m sure it takes good driving skills to maneuver around.
I would never be able to park one of these. I would just have to keep driving forever!
I don’t think I have heard of road-train, and it’s interesting to see that they have a sign on the back telling you. We have long vehicles, but thankfully not that long!
I guess from behind you can’t tell how long it is and you wouldn’t want to pull out to overtake and then discover it’s 36 metres long.
True – that could be a heart stopping moment!
This is so interesting. Vince says he thinks it is legal to have these in Utah. I did find one picture of one. Your post makes me feel like I’m actually with you on the road, and it feels weird being on the wrong side of the road! 🙂 Love this post! 🙂
Ha! We are on the correct side. It’s you Americans who are on the wrong side of the road! I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
haha! We well think we are always right, anyway! 🙂 hehehe
You know, we have never seen a road train on our travels around Australia. We mustn’t be on the right roads to witness them.
You need to do a road trip on the Newell Highway!
A cool post! Lovely pictures too! 😀
The landscape is very different from Belgium.
That is so true,…
You wouldn’t want to have on of these on the roads around here! You take your heart in your hand just overtaking a tractor 😉
Yes, you need plenty of space ahead before attempting to overtake. I always breathe a sigh of relief when we’re back on the correct side of the road again.