B-Train Bonanza 1 (DVD) - CP Productions

This DVD is the culmination of years of dedicated research on the part of enthusiast and previous B-train driver, Martin Phippard.

The B-train changed the face of trucking forever with the revolutionary design of a twin-trailer set coupled together by a fifth wheel. This combination could manage heavier loads and was more stable than the A-Train at highway speeds.

In the first segment, the camera crew follows DCT Chambers' Ty-Crop B-train on its journey through the Rocky Mountains hauling woodchips to a tipping station. The Ty-crop is a unique vehicle because it has no hydraulic dumping capabilities; however, the skilled operator and the tipping stations are well-equipped to deal with this, as we see in the DVD.

A number of different combinations of B-trains are also shown on the road in the US and Canada, including the Super-B, the Flatbed, the Goodbye Dollie and the Reverse B-train.

The B-train was initially not a hit with truckers in the US because operators liked their A-train combinations; however, once it became clear that the B-trains could safely haul larger loads, they became the obvious choice for the steel hauliers in Indiana and Michigan. In this segment, the camera crew follows a 1989 359 Peterbilt hauling steel into Detroit.

B-trains were not adopted immediately in Europe either and this was due in part to more restrictive hauling regulations and less road space. In 1997 Swedish hauliers noted the obvious advantages of the B-train and began utilising them in a variety of different operations. This section shows the B-train combos (also known as 'B-doubles') used by the OMT Milk Tankers. It also covers driver Dick Denby's attempts to bring the B-train into the UK.