REGINA — Saskatchewan is planning a pilot project that would see triple trailer B-train configurations on the Highway 11 corridor between the Global Transportation Hub in Regina and Saskatoon.

A start date has not yet been set, but according to the BC Trucking Association, the province will be working with approved carriers operating triple trailer combos (about 16 m for each box) with a maximum overall length of 58 m.

Maximum axle group weights are set at the current 2010 Vehicle Weight and Dimension Regulations and will be subject to bridge branch approval.

The annual permit fee to run these combinations is $2,000.

Combinations participating in the pilot will be subject to safety restrictions, including operation only between the hours of 9 pm and 6 am only, inclement weather restrictions (no snow, ice, or low visibility), and a speed limit of 90 km/hr or the legal posted limit (whichever is less).

Drivers — who must pass the Canadian Trucking Alliance’s "Long Combination Vehicles Driver Training Course,” and have at least two years or 150,000 km of LCV experience — will need to keep trip records for two calendar years.

Upon completion of the pilot, the province could potentially expand the routes and offer triple LCV privileges to other carriers.

More info on allowed axle groupings, specific weight distribution, wheelbase maximums, and mandatory componentry on equipment for the pilot be found by clicking here.

A study by the Saskatchewan Department of Transportation in 2007 compared triple B-train combination containers operating under special permit with double combinations and found that the performances are similar in terms of tracking and off-tracking. The triple trailers, therefore, are not subject to instability.