B-double
B-double noun: a truck and trailer combination consisting of a prime mover coupled to two trailers without the use of a dolly-converter with a drawbar (A-coupling).
Noun
B-double (plural B-doubles)
- A truck and trailer combination consisting of a prime mover coupled to two trailers without the use of a dolly-converter with a drawbar (A-coupling).
- B-Doubles were initially developed in Canada, as B-Trains.2001, Philip Laird, Mark Bachels, Back on Track: Rethinking Transport Policy in Australia and New Zealand, page 38
- Australian B-doubles generally have eight or nine axles, with increasing interest in Quad-axle B-doubles for some applications, including the carriage of two 40 foot containers through urban areas.2011, OECD, Moving Freight with Better Trucks: Improving Safety, Productivity and Sustainability, page 248
Forms of B-double
| plural | B-doubles |
|---|
Origin of B-double
So-called -"double" in Australia partly because of industry concerns about negative public attitudes to road trains. The "B" refers the load sharing axle group of the bridge "B" lead trailer with a 5th wheel coupling at the rear (between the trailers)- followed by a 5th wheel/turntable connected semitrailer as the second in the configuration. B-Doubles were initially developed in Canada, as B-Trains. The Australian freight road industry was able to persuade Governments to call them B-Doubles. This was to reduce potential confusion with road trains and also help overcome some public opposition that persisted, in some urban areas, to the mid-1990s. Note: the "A" in Road-Train nomenclature refers to the "A-Frame" drawbar inherent to many "dog-trailer"/dolly converter type of trailer (ie. when a semitrailer is converted into a Dog-trailer by the inclusion of a 2 or 3 axle "Dolly" Converter (containing a 5th wheel coupling), the assumption is that all trailer types are being hauled by a Semi-PrimeMover (Articulated Tractor unit) via a 5th wheel/turntable connection). Calling the "Lead-trailer" the "A", or calling a regular semi trailer in the train a "B" trailer - or vice versa...
Questions about B-double
- What does B-double mean?
- B-double means a truck and trailer combination consisting of a prime mover coupled to two trailers without the use of a dolly-converter with a drawbar (A-coupling).
- What part of speech is B-double?
- B-double is a noun.
- What is the plural of B-double?
- The plural of B-double is B-doubles.
Words near B-double in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: B-double (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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