Leading trailer

A semitrailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the US, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semitrailer, a tractor-trailer.

A large proportion of a semitrailer's weight is supported by a tractor unit, or a detachable front-axle assembly known as a dolly, or the tail of another trailer. A semitrailer is normally equipped with landing gear (legs which can be lowered) to support it when it is uncoupled. Many semitrailers have wheels that are capable of being totally dismounted and are also relocatable (repositionable) to better distribute load to bearing wheel weight factors. Semitrailers are more popular for transport than full trailers, which have both front and rear axles. Ease of backing is cited as one of the semi's chief advantages. A road tractor coupled to a semi-trailer is often called a semitrailer truck or "semi" in North America & Australia, and an articulated lorry or "artic" in the UK.

Semi-trailers with two trailer units are called B-doubles (Australian English) or tandem tractor trailers,tandem rigs, or doubles (American English). Other terms used are "B-train" or (when there are three or more trailers) "road train". A B-double consists of a prime mover towing two semitrailers, where the first semitrailer is connected to the prime mover by a fifth wheel coupling (a.k.a. 'converter dolly') and the second semitrailer is connected to the first semitrailer by a fifth wheel coupling. In Australian English, the tractor unit is usually referred to as a "prime-mover", and the combination of a prime-mover and trailer is known as a "semitrailer" or "semi".

In road haulage, semi-trailers predominate over full trailers because of their flexibility. The trailers can be coupled and uncoupled quickly, allowing them to be shunted for loading and to be trunked between depots. If a power unit fails, another tractor can replace it without disturbing the cargo.

Compared with a full trailer, a semi-trailer attached to a tractor unit is easier to reverse, since it has only one turning point (the coupling), whereas a full trailer has two turning points (the coupling and the drawbar attachment). Special tractors known as shunt trucks or shuttle trucks can easily maneuver semi-trailers at a depot or loading and unloading ferries. These tractors may lift the coupling so the trailer legs clear the ground.

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Wikipedia