South Australia’s first B-Quad hits the road

Thursday, 13 June 2019

South Australia’s first-ever Performance Based Standards (PBS) B-Quad Road Train has been introduced to the state’s road network to transport produce from farms in the Southern Mallee to Virginia Farm Produce at Virginia.

The 36.5m vehicle’s first official run was conducted on Monday, 10 June, travelling from the Southern Mallee via the approved PBS Level 3A network into Virginia Farm Produce.

The B-Quad features multiple articulation points throughout the vehicle to optimise on-road performance, while also maximising payload for both the transport operator and produce company.

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure’s representative on the National PBS Review Panel, Angela Slagter, said the B-Quad provides safety benefits for road users through a reduction in heavy vehicle movements and productivity efficiencies for industry.

“Approval of the PBS B-Quad demonstrates that with quality vehicle design and manufacturing, a high performing vehicle combination can be provided access from farm gate to processing site,” Ms Slagter said.

The vehicle was designed and manufactured in South Australia by Southern Cross Trailers and will be operated by Symons-Clark Logistics.

Symons-Clark General Manager Jason Clark said the B-Quad has been developed to transport onions and potatoes more efficiently on a daily basis.

“It will improve the efficiency of the existing freight task by approximately 40 per cent over the conventional b-double trailer configurations currently being used,” Mr Clark said.

“The equipment is custom built to the highest safety standards on the road, promoting road safety with less road movements to execute the same freight task.”