A-Doubles land in metro Sydney

[kscarbel2]

Owner/Driver  /  April 11, 2017

A KIM Haulage A-double tipper, prepared by Sloanebuilt Trailers, is due to hit the streets in Metro Sydney this week.

The performance-based standards (PBS) A-double tipper has an impressive payload of more than 51 tonnes, coming in at 25.6m with a new Mack Superliner up front.

This truck further enforces a growing A-double trend around the country, with Sydney looking set to follow in Melbourne’s footsteps.

As far as we know, this is the first A-double tipper to operate around metro Sydney, and managing director of KIM Haulage Ken McCelland says it’s only the beginning.

"This is the first A-double in my fleet and as far as we know it’s the first A-double tipper in NSW," Ken said.

"In my opinion once RMS sees this, they’ll start replacing B-doubles.

"It carries more than my B-double yet it’s shorter.

"This combination also corners better than my 5-axle setups.’

Business development manager at Sloanebuilt Trailers, Ben Weckwerth, echoed this sentiment citing Sydney’s construction demands.

"The A-double market is growing and RMS is doing as much as possible to allow us to use more productive units," Ben said.

"It’s a step in the right direction to help with Sydney’s infrastructure boom."

While this is KIM Haulage’s first A-double combination, director Ken already has another one planned as he expands his fleet to accommodate local demands.

"Our fleet is all PBS, and this is our first A-double," he said.

"I went to PBS in 2012 and I’m about to double my operation by putting another 10 PBS-approved truck and trailer combinations on the road this year.

"We have all Macks coming, consisting of eight or nine quad-dogs and another A-double."

A major sticking point for A-doubles at the moment is their exclusion from the B-double road network, an issue which Ken believes will improve.

"RMS wants more productive units and A-doubles mean fewer trucks on the road.

"I think they’ll see how safe and productive these A-doubles are and take notice."

Sloanebuilt Trailers are getting behind the demand for A-doubles, as the New South Wales market continues to grow.

"We’re rolling A-doubles into being a serious part of the business," Ben said.

Related reading - https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/48726-maxwell-freightlines-pioneers-high-productivity-interstate-road-trains-from-melbourne/#comment-361539.