A tractor-trailer, also called articulated lorry, is a vehicle from the heavy goods vehicle family made of a tractor and a semi-trailer. The semi-trailer is attached to the tractor by the fifth wheel. Tractor-trailers are often known as “semi”. Tractor-trailers should not be mistaken with road trains that designate a vehicle made of a tractor unit and several trailers, whose circulation is limited in Europe.
In the UK, as in the majority of European countries, the maximum length allowed is 16.50m. Since January 2013, a tractor-trailer with 4 axles has a total permitted weight of 38 tonnes. For a tractor-trailer with more than 4 axles, the GVWR goes up to 44 tonnes, and the maximum load on an axle should not exceed 12 tonnes. Starting at 6 axles, an extra tonne is granted to compensate the weight of the 6th axle. The tractor unit’s AGVW is minimum 44 tonnes and the GVWR of the semi can change from 37 tonnes for 2 axles to 38 tonnes for 3 axles.
The bodyworks of tractor-trailers are the same as the bodyworks of semi-trailers : tipper, car carrier, tautliner, flatbed…. Speficic measures are planned for oversized loads but also for wood transport : the articulated timber truck have a AGVW of 48 tonnes if they have 5 axles and 57 tonnes if they have 6 axles or more. Their length can reach 18.75 metres.
Look at the ads of used tractor-trailers from Renault, Volvo, Scania, DAF, Iveco, MAN and Mercedes.
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