Super-truck brings a bigger picture to nation's highways

The unit could carry up to 53 tonnes under the Government's new permit system but will be restricted to 44 tonnes for now. Photo / Supplied

One of the first of a new breed of super-sized trucks is about to hit the roads while doubling as a giant moving billboard depicting an idyllic rural scene.

The new 22m truck-and-trailer unit with all of 10 axles will be launched in Auckland tomorrow before being driven with its maiden load to the Palmerston North home base of Booths Transport, which has spent about $500,000 on it.

But although it will be capable of carrying up to 53 tonnes under a controversial new permit system introduced by the Government in May, it will be restricted to a standard maximum weight of 44 tonnes on roads where bridges and other structures have yet to be strengthened to take the extra loads.

These include Auckland's Southern Motorway, on which the Transport Agency needs to conduct assessments of 11 structures such as bridges over the Tamaki River and Puhinui Stream to see if they need upgrading.

Booths Transport sales and marketing manager Craig Booth said an over-length permit the agency had issued for the new Freightliner truck would allow it to use the Southern Motorway and most other roads with loads of up to 44 tonnes.

It would ply the main routes between Auckland and Christchurch, with 36 wheels to spread the loads and therefore minimise extra road-user charges.

The company had plans to operate more vehicles of the same dimensions.

Mr Booth said that with such a wide expanse on the truck's "curtain" walls, the company had decided to present an attractive spectacle for other road users by using it as a moving billboard for an animal feed supplier.

The artwork spread across both truck and trailer depicts healthy young female farm workers feeding out straw to a herd of cows.

Campaign for Better Transport spokesman Jon Reeves was unimpressed, saying: "Although you can always paint things to look nice ... they are not as efficient as rail and they will be slower going up hills, making it a problem for other motorists."

Mr Booth said the new truck would meet the most modern emission standards and, even before getting permits to carry extra weight, would give greater efficiency by moving 13 per cent more freight by volume than standard length 20m truck-and-trailer units.

The Transport Agency has received 381 permit applications for either over-weight or over-length trucks, 48 of which have been approved and 72 declined.