This colorful ensemble from Belgium was the gatekeeper at the 2019 WSI XXL show. I could have sworn it was an owner-operator’s big rig, given its looks and options, but a quick web search learned that the Peter Wouters company owns around 30 tractor units. All of them in different colors and color schemes.
The tractor is a Scania R520 with a steering and liftable pusher axle, that’s the single-wheeled axle ahead of the drive axle.
The R520 was introduced in March 2013, meeting the then new Euro 6 emission standards. The number 520 stands for the DIN-hp rating (from a 16.4 liter V8). As an aside, not one truck maker puts a badge on the cab’s front or sides with the formal kW-rating. Maximum horsepower it is.
In August 2016, this series was superseded by what Scania calls their Next Generation.
On the tractor’s right side, a Danish case, as these are called here. In any case, it’s for storing stuff, as you already might have guessed.
System Trailers Fahrzeugbau from Germany built the semi-trailer. The first axle of the curtain sider is liftable, the third is self-steering.
The manufacturer rates the semi-trailer at a maximum GVM of 43 metric tons (94,800 lbs). That’s 27 tons axle load, 9 tons for each axle, plus 16 tons resting on the tractor’s fifth wheel coupling.
Even more stuff can be stored on both sides of the semi-trailer.
Ready to roll, and thanks to its big V8 it’s always ready to rumble.
That is a lot of cases. I don’t understand the bottom hinge set up though.
It is also interesting that they have trucks in different color schemes, since this obviously a custom job. So do they share the same basic layout or are they all totally unique other than the name on the side?
Most companies want them to all look the same. The one local exception is the County Solid Waste trucks that move the trailers from the transfer stations to the landfill. They are every color under the rainbow. I assume that is done to make it easier to tell a driver to take the pink truck or the blue truck than having to read the unit number. Of course they are just a solid color with a sticker door.
Have a look here: http://www.pwtthermo.com/trucks
I found a recent quote of the owner: “if a driver wants a black truck, he gets a black truck”.
You can imagine that the company has a loyal team of dedicated drivers. It’s a tough job these days to find (experienced) truck drivers. There’s a serious shortage of them, I assume the situation in Belgium is the same as in the Netherlands.
Yeah having a 1 man 1 truck rule usually means that the equipment is taken better care of, lasts longer and has a lower total cost. This just takes it one step further truly making it “their truck” so they will take pride in it. Plus of course it is the driver’s office.
…Oh yes, I forgot about the hinges. Must be this, or a similar system, where the whole cover goes underneath the case.
Ok, very cool, that makes sense for the long ones on the trailer and how they work. Obviously the pictured one is intended for revenue generation with the ability to use a fork lift to load and unload. A great answer to the age old desire of trucking companies everywhere, to carry more per load. Sure lots of things won’t fit there but a lot of things could fit there too.
But the ones on the truck appear to be a standard hinge, that will cause the door to swing way out and be in the way. I could understand it the door became a ramp so you could wheel something heavy into it. But for that I’d expect some sort of bumpers or rub rail to rest on the ground. But if that is where you’ve got your tire chains, straps, binders and things like that I’d think it would be a big pain to not be able to stand directly in front of where you are picking or placing. Standing off to the side seems pretty awkward and could possibly lead to injury with heavy items.
Those long semi-trailer cases are widely used for storing pallets. But you can have any set-up in them you want, like big drawers or a slide-out carrier for a super single spare.
I find it interesting how European trailers are seemingly most often the side curtain type, whereas North American are almost always rigid sides with the rear doors only. I suppose it’s just a result of how the loading/warehouse infrastructure was built up over the years along with the load/unload vehicles.
Do the side curtains have a defined lifespan or what might be the norm to replace something like that? I can’t imagine (but have been wrong once before) that it’s less expensive overall than the thinwalled metal trailers we have here.
Curtain siders can be (un)loaded from three sides, unlike anything with a rigid side. You want to load long boards, long plastic pipes etc.? Open the curtains and there you go.
Of course, reefers and walking floor big rigs have rigid sides.
Below the Scandinavian way: foldable (curtain?) doors everywhere. This type of semi-trailers is imported here now too.
Curtain siders here have rated curtains and can act as a load restraint they have to be regularly certified, loading/unloading is done from the ground the amount of reinforcing required for a forklift to enter a trailer would seriously add to tare weight and reduce payload capacity
You explained in a previous post that rigs built for freeway use can be really low to the ground, I’m thinking the driver really has to plan his route, with so little clearance you cant afford to get lost and be caught on the wrong road! The rear view mirrors are huge and full height, I think they must interfere with forward three quarter vision a bit. Impressively turned out rig!
Euro on-highway big rigs ride low, but not as low as seen in these pictures…
Air suspension all around, the tractor’s front axle included, Big Citroën stance!
Yes when you turn the ignition on in a Scania the whole rig lifts to ride height, the light array on the roof looks cool but when you dip the lights for oncoming traffic its like someone errected a black wall in front of you and having driven a lot of European trucks they are quite unnecessary Euro trucks have excellent lights, easier to cruise along on dip unless your on an unfamiliar rural back road.
What a rig. Very Nice!