It seems to be a hot topic at the moment, can you see it happening in the near future?
well this is a very hot topic for me 
I’m off out in a few minutes for a trip as a passenger in one today - for an informal look at the job with a view to doing odd days and weeks in the very near future.
I have to say that one one level I’m hoping I’ll get the opportunity for a drive, but on another level I’m a bit apprehensive
Sorry 8wheels I’ve hijacked your thread already
I would like to see them happen, and think they have a slot to fill, i.e. over night pallets etc. But, hardly anything happens that’s sensible, so people who know least about these things will no doubt decide not to make them legal. If they were serious about the green stuff and carbon emissions etc then there’s no excuses not to have them IMHO.
Ye be wanting more money to drive one them there things .
Okay - this is what I spent today in - and yes the driver very kindly let me drive it too 
It was about 83 feet long and grossed 60 tonnes.
The last time I was in the UK (last March) there was so much traffic that I can’t see something like this ever having a chance of getting out of the yard
I voted for 5 - 10 years.
Yes I can see them happening eventually, as sometime or other a big supermarket will cotton on to the idea that they can move more good between their major depots with less drivers and expensive tractor units - its inevitable In my opinion.
However, the government will want at least a 3 year feasibility study, then they will need some H&S study into the environmental aspects, some sort of new road-tax band to be introduced, probably at least a small test, if only theory, to be done before drivers can drive them - if for no reason other than to calm the public down about them being on the roads.
I’d reckon 2013 at the earliest unless someone puts a lot of cash behind it.
Alex
DAFMAD:
I would like to see them happen, and think they have a slot to fill, i.e. over night pallets etc. But, hardly anything happens that’s sensible, so people who know least about these things will no doubt decide not to make them legal. If they were serious about the green stuff and carbon emissions etc then there’s no excuses not to have them IMHO.
Hard enough getting a artic into our hub - you’d never get one of them through the gate!!
I think it will happen eventually, but not until the green lobby realise that it’ll take more lorries off the road than concentrated lenor.
Is the road train photo a semi-trailer + drag or an Australian style B-Double? 
I would like to see it happen, but there is a very strong pro-rail grouping that basically will try to kill off anything that may compete. The press have done their usual thing with inane comments about crushing old ladies, the countryside and crashing into everything. Don’t let facts get in the way of a good prejudice, that’s what I say.
Hard enough getting a artic into our hub - you’d never get one of them through the gate!!
Sounds like you present yard or the way it is arranged is not suitable then. You could always get a new yard, re-organise your present yard, or not have one. 
These things will almost certainly be mostly on night runs with pre-arranged routes, not going round the country will nilly. Most peoples aruments against them are ill informed. IMHO.
Very true , lot of people are mis-informed .
The amount of different forums that I use (landrover stuff) and people have linked to the sun article and then started harping on about town centres becoming blocked with them and country roads becoming snarled up because they can’t get round .
Even after explaining the way they will be used , people still went on about getting them onto building sites or delivering in london streets .
People read what they want to beleive .
FlyDrive:
Is the road train photo a semi-trailer + drag or an Australian style B-Double?
Ir’s a semitrailer + drag used for transporting Wood Chips.
Zetorpilot: isn’t that Stephaniak-Yhtiöt’s vehicle? Do they have traffic to Russia anymore?
its horses for courses like 24 hr pub opening everone can do it but not all can benifit
so if Robbos and Denby can use it succesfully best of luck
the government need to authorise trials so at least they can see if it is a viable option
Zetorpilot:
Okay - this is what I spent today in - and yes the driver very kindly let me drive it too[:
Yes, but how did you go on reversing it onto the dock 
DAFMAD:
These things will almost certainly be mostly on night runs with pre-arranged routes, not going round the country will nilly. Most peoples aruments against them are ill informed. IMHO.
The intention of course will be to use them as you describe. My reservation is that eventually one will either divert from its route, either by necessity (prescribed route blocked by accident) or driver error (regrettably just as likely) and cause a massive hold-up.
As for parcels trunking, given the time-critical nature of such operations I suspect that you’d have a “swings and roundabouts” situation; what you’d gain in capacity would be lost in the extra time taken to get such outfits onto the correct docks at parcels hubs. Naturally you’d have to drop the drag off on one dock and park the semi on another. There’d have to be a massive cost-saving incentive before we see them used as such, I think. Gardun made a good point earlier, very few hubs have the necessary space; furthermore I doubt that many operators have the necessary capital to invest in such kit.
Can’t see them coming for a few years yet.
My reservation is that eventually one will either divert from its route, either by necessity (prescribed route blocked by accident)
This was the scene today after an accident blocked a decent single carriageway A road. Dunno how you’d turn a road train around here.
I guess they’d have to wait, or uncouple and turn them separately.
The only way to find out if it’s going to work is to let Denby & Robbo’s try theirs out on a test program. They’ve put the time money and effort in to it, they should at least be given the opportunity to run a fairly simple operation to prove the potential for success or disaster. Doing things theoretically on an airfield is one thing, on the road another. I’d like to see it happen as it looks like a sensible idea in the right application.
Presumably running them under STGO is out of the question?
8wheels:
My reservation is that eventually one will either divert from its route, either by necessity (prescribed route blocked by accident)
(huge picture)
This was the scene today after an accident blocked a decent single carriageway A road. Dunno how you’d turn a road train around here.
I guess they’d have to wait, or uncouple and turn them separately.
I suppose that artic is doing a three point turn in that picture and you can turn “road train” exactly same way without need to uncouple even in the space available in this picture. Yes, it’s definitely a bit more time consuming as you’d probably had to do few shunts and those cars in front of you would have to move in order to be able to pull out from the junction. That of course needs some reversing skills and I’m not sure how many would actually be thrilled about idea of doing that kind turn with full 60 tonne weight, but with lighter loads that ain’t any real problem. Neither I’m saying that there wouldn’t be any hold ups, but just pointing out that these aren’t that awkward regardless their length and weight. My opinion is that in case of hold ups you turn around without uncoupling or wait. In most cases uncoupling would be very unpractical.
As that Denby’s B-train has steering axles in first trailer keeping second one within turning circle limits of normal artic I would say there ain’t any problem going forward with it. If that steering locks when reversing that also wouldn’t cause any significant problem if driver has some skill in reversing. These samy type 25 meters (or 83 feet) long vehicles we use here in Finland, like the one in Zetorpilot’s picture, need surprisingly little amount of space although they don’t have anything fancy, like steering axles, keeping their turning circle same as with artic. From the three types of that length vehicles allowed here in Finland (rigid+a-frame, artic+mid-axle and B-train) I’d say B-train is most awkward and rigid with a-frame drawbar most agile.
Sorry for lobbying this much, but I kind a feel it as an obligation to help spreading the joy these juggernauts create among other road users (car drivers) 
Hi again
@robbe - PM sent
@Spardo - Well, I got to drive for about 45 minutes - but only forwards I did get invited back though so maybe I’ll get a chance to try reversing it next time. To be honest, that was long enough for a first drive of a proper wagon after a break of 13 years. Actually reversing is not what’s bothering me so much. What really has me “bricking it” is the road conditions we can expect over the winter.
@Kyrbo - I would say the turning circle is a little wider than an artic - the second trailer does take a slightly tighter line. You are right though, it would be possible to make that reversing manouvre that the container wagon is doing in the picture above. At least the guy I was with yesterday could do it.
I can see that they could be used in the UK for long distance night trunking between RDC’s, although gnasty gnome’s “swings and roundabouts” point is valid. For that reason I can’t see them being practical for shorter distances.
I think they’ll get their go, but not until the politicians and public realise;
a) Rail freight won’t replace all the lorries currently on the road
b) With a bit of thought about the conditions for granting a licence they won’t cause chaos and death over the road network.
I suppose that artic is doing a three point turn in that picture and you can turn “road train” exactly same way without need to uncouple even in the space available in this picture.
I’m not disputing what a decent driver could do, just wondering what’d happen if an average bod had that situation occur. For what it’s worth the road on the right was a single carriageway track.
I guess if the situation was worse still you could at worst uncouple and turn, but if it was a heavy haulage job then they’d just have to wait, so maybe that’d happen too.