B-TRAIN
Super B and B-Train Transportation
Two trailers coupled behind one tractor, rated to 63,500 kg gross, carrying materially more payload per trip than a single 53-foot trailer.
What Super B actually means
A Super B, or B-train, is two semi-trailers coupled through a fifth wheel mounted on the lead trailer, usually running eight axles. Federal and provincial limits allow a maximum gross combination weight of 63,500 kg, an overall length of 27.5 m, 2.6 m wide and 4.15 m high, with the two trailers' wheelbases summing to no more than 17.0 m. Against a single 53-foot trailer capped nearer 36,000 kg gross, that is a large step up in payload, and on dense freight it is the difference between two trips and one. The trade-off is access: the combination is long, it needs room to turn and to load, and the heaviest weights are permitted only on designated routes.
What you get
- Up to 63,500 kg gross combination weight
- Two coupled trailers, typically eight axles
- Fewer trips for the same tonnage
- Western Canada bulk and heavy freight lanes
Is this the right service for your shipment?
Reach for it when
- The freight is dense enough to hit weight limits before it fills a trailer
- Bulk, aggregate, lumber or steel is moving on a repeating lane
- Cutting the number of trips is where the saving actually is
- Both ends of the lane can take a 27.5 m combination
What we need to quote it
- Commodity, total weight, and whether it loads by volume or by weight
- How it is loaded and unloaded at each end
- Whether both sites can turn and stage a 27.5 m unit
- Pickup and delivery locations, provinces crossed, and ready date
Who moves freight on Super B
Related services
DECKFlatbed / SpecializedFlat deck, step deck and specialized equipment for building materials, machinery, and freight that will not fit a dry van.
FTLFull TruckloadDedicated trailer capacity for shipments that fill a trailer, or that need to travel direct with no transfers along the way.
RAILIntermodalContainers moving by rail for the long middle of a lane, with trucks handling pickup and delivery at either end.
Super B, answered
The questions shippers ask before booking this service. If yours is not here, call dispatch and ask.
A Super B is two semi-trailers coupled through a fifth wheel mounted on the lead trailer, usually on eight axles. A standard tractor and 53-foot trailer is capped nearer 36,000 kg gross; a Super B is rated to 63,500 kg. On dense freight that is often the difference between two trips and one.
The maximum gross combination weight is 63,500 kg, with an overall length of 27.5 m, width of 2.6 m and height of 4.15 m. Those are the federal and provincial limits. What your specific load can carry depends on the tare weight of the equipment and how the weight distributes across the axle groups.
No, and this is usually the deciding factor. It is a 27.5 m combination, so both ends of the lane need room to turn, stage and load it. The heaviest allowances also apply only on designated routes, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan restrict full-weight B-trains to major highways with reductions on secondary roads. Tell us both addresses and we will confirm before quoting.
Usually, when the freight is dense enough to actually use the extra weight allowance. You are paying for one tractor, one driver and one trip instead of two. If your freight fills the space before it reaches the weight limit, a Super B carries no more than a regular trailer and the economics do not work.
Have freight to move? Let’s get it moving.
Tell us what you are shipping, where it is going, and when it needs to move. We will take it from there.