ARRB was commissioned by MRD WA to undertake a study of the dynamic performance and the traffic impacts of road trains. The study was carried out on the Great Northern Highway between Wyndham and Cadje but with three road train configurations, double, triple, and a rigid truck with three trailers. Field testing involved: (i) a study of road train dynamics with emphasis on sway of the rear trailer unit (swept width), dynamic stability, and swept path (offtracking); (ii) a study of overtaking and passing behaviour of other road users approaching a road train; (iii) a road side survey of other users on their attitudes and perceptions of road trains. As a result of the research: (i) a scheme for rating the acceptability of road train configuration types on a particular route was developed; (ii) a method of defining vehicle swept width in relation to vehicle type and road roughness was identified; (iii) the rating scheme was applied to the Great Northern Highway sections traversed, and of the three vehicle types tested, it was found that only the first two vehicle combinations were adequately suited for that route and the rigid truck with three trailers was marginally suitable. As a result of the research and the findings it is recommended that a computer-based expert system be developed to evaluate the suitability for road train combinations on specific routes.
Samenvatting