Huh, really? I would've bet on 50. Google tells me an 18-wheeler's max weight in the US is 80,000 lbs, or about 35 metric tons. That's substantially less than I'd expect to be honest. 35 metric tons isn't _that_ heavy, and I always thought of 18-wheelers as these massive behemoths of the road that carried villages worth of supplies.
Further reading shows that the US has uniquely low maximum weight limits, which results in containers that are legal under European laws arriving at US ports overweight. The UK for example has a maximum weight of 44 metric tons, and Canada (or at least some parts) have a maximum weight of 64 metric tons.
Do you know if trucks running at 44 (such as in the UK) use special trailers like those Cozad trailers?
Side note, while Googling truck things I found this gallery. http://www.cozadtrailers.com/en/gallery/ I highly encourage anyone reading this to take a look at it. I had no idea things that heavy could be moved on a truck trailer. One truck is moving an "Ocotillo Nacelle" at 350,000 pounds. Another is moving a SR-71 Blackbird.
> Do you know if trucks running at 44 (such as in the UK) use special trailers like those Cozad trailers?
They'd probably not look like that, but they would be different from the standard 53 foot, 8-tire, 2-axle trailer. Maybe the same box dimensions and height, but with 3 axles. Possibly double chained 20ft trailers with 2 axles each. Once you go over container shipping weight thresholds (which might be 44T like you say), you stop seeing box trucks.
The cosad trailers are amazing for their weight capacity, but typically used for heavy machinery and are designed with low floors which heavily constrains how they distribute the weight (and thus the tiered chains of 9-tire per axle bogies). There are other designs out there, but that trailer was just what I searched for because they're from my hometown and I used to be a truck driver.
Further reading shows that the US has uniquely low maximum weight limits, which results in containers that are legal under European laws arriving at US ports overweight. The UK for example has a maximum weight of 44 metric tons, and Canada (or at least some parts) have a maximum weight of 64 metric tons.
Do you know if trucks running at 44 (such as in the UK) use special trailers like those Cozad trailers?
Side note, while Googling truck things I found this gallery. http://www.cozadtrailers.com/en/gallery/ I highly encourage anyone reading this to take a look at it. I had no idea things that heavy could be moved on a truck trailer. One truck is moving an "Ocotillo Nacelle" at 350,000 pounds. Another is moving a SR-71 Blackbird.