A straightforward dry bulk tanker, consisting of a 4×2 tractor and a tridem axle semi-trailer. Similar combinations can be found all over the Continent, their task is transporting dry cement or granular materials. Dedicated on-highway semis, rolling from one industrial area to another.
The tractor unit -standing on the right in this picture from April 2022- is a 2017 Volvo FM Globetrotter with a 469 DIN-hp, 12.8 liter inline-six.
On the left, a 2018 FM Globetrotter (460 DIN-hp from a 10.8 liter engine). It brings me right back to my younger years…
…just like that. I guess placing a few potted plants on the dashboard would be too much. Safety first, after all.
Back to the 2024 show. Three axles with single wheels and super single tires, so business as usual. In Europe, dual wheels on any type of tanker semi-trailer are non-existent anyway.
The pneumatic discharge semi-trailer is a 2018 Spitzer (Silo Fahrzeuge) from Germany. In the Netherlands, the whole combination is rated at a gross weight of 46 tonnes (101,400 lbs), calculated as the sum of the registered axle weights: a total of 19 tonnes for the Volvo and 27 tonnes for the Spitzer.
Tractor-wise, DAF and Volvo are Hurkmans’ preferred suppliers. That’s firmly set in concrete. Or cement.
Very attractive fleet, and livery!
Thanks I always enjoy your posts. MIT reports that hybrid semi rigs with the batteries in the trailers are starting to appear. Have you seen anything like this?
https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/07/24/1095233/battery-trailers-trucking/?truid=75afe95163a3feebcfaa2a1853209e8c&utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=Active%20Qualified&utm_content=07-25-2024&mc_cid=7f355ad8e0&mc_eid=837a43e873
https://range.energy/
Thanks for the link, I haven’t seen them yet. There are plenty of heavy BEV commercial vehicles around these days, mostly as short distance, straight trucks. Think any kind of city delivery and garbage trucks.
40 to 60 tonnes gross weight is another story, of course, but several manufacturers offer heavy-duty BEV tractor units. Just an example is the new Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 (BTW, the diesel version has the exact same cab).
I got a chuckle out of that Globetrotters curtains as that was the first thing that came to mind. You get extra credit for the house curtains window panes matching Hurkmans white and green livery. Even with our relatively high diesel prices here in the states (vs gasoline) I rarely see super singles.
Besides the better fuel efficiency, there’s also a wear and tear advantage. The closer a tire is to the center of an axle (inner tire/dual wheels), the faster it will wear out. Not when driving in a straight line, but when cornering.
Furthermore, the trailer chassis can be constructed wider (‘absorbing’ torsion and twisting better) and especially tank bodies can sit deeper (better stability).
Apart from (very) heavy-duty applications, dual wheels on trailers and semi-trailers went the way of the dodo here many years ago.
The eActros does look sad, whereas other Actros look happy – Oelmotor envy?
The new diesel top model, the Actros L, has the same cab as the eActros 600. For the time being, the Actros and Arocs cab as-we-know-it will be used for all other turbodiesels, heavy haulage models (SLT) included.
Yet MB seems to have a history of rather sad truck faces.
Ive been at the other end of the process delivering concrete to building sites but only driven bulk liquid tankers same ideas but pump loaded and either pump or gravity unload, Ive driven those lower powered Volvos nice to drive but they really crawl climbing very low single numbers on the gear display@ 10% grade, still one of the better brands of truck for drivers quiet, smooth riding, which is better on the broken road network here.