Ultra Rigs of the World, Part 2

"QUANTUM SHOT" #721 Link - article by Avi Abrams Those magnificent men in their long-haul trucking machines We welcome the mighty truck photography by Roger Snider from Ultra Rigs of the World. We wrote about his work before - read our exclusive interview with Roger here. Since that time, he had a few additional adventures, venturing to Australia and Europe to shoot some truly extreme rigs and to document the radical lifestyle of "road warriors" and their magnificent machines. (all images credit: Roger Snider, used by permission) Australian Truck Warriors & Overland Road Trains We wrote about huge off-road and cross-continent road trains before - see here. Most of them are driven across Australia, but there are some in South Africa, India and China. If there is no "truck opera" to glorify these mechanical beasts of burden, then somebody should write one. Roger's photography comes close second in showing the epic quality of this job: This time around we are getting a good close look on these rugged machines in all their glory. Roger Snider did a great job in highlighting not only the character of desert-crossing truck train, but also the drivers who routinely cross immense distances, facing various adverse conditions: This is just a tow truck, but a VERY big one: "Mad Max"? So 1970s (or is it 1980s?). Apocalyptic science fiction by Stephen King (think "The Stand", or "Dark Tower")? Surreal and almost subliminal desert landscapes of J.G.Ballard fiction? All this, and more, can be summarized by simply gazing into the eyes of Australian truck train drivers, or sharing a few stories at the truck stop: No-nonsense front design of these truck trains projects invincibility: Get out of the way, or else!... And yet Australian truck trains are not the longest - this truck beats them all: (original unknown) Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, if you need to move something as long as this - but what is it, exactly? Update: these are wind turbine blades, at least 2 to each trailer, shown on the image above. Here is a nice Australian rig (this is real, although anybody with Photoshop skills can continue "cloning" the trailers till they reach the horizon): (image via) And for trucks with trailers, the record for longest road train goes to transport operators in Burke, Australia: total 29 trailers! - more info (image via) European Super Rigs: Measuring up to the mountains European trucks look different from American big rigs: most of them feature cab-over ("cab forward", or cab-over-engine) design, with the similarly plushy comfort inside the cabin. And yet somehow they look sleeker and less cluttered; with less trinkets all around, though definitely boasting just as many lights, if not more: The gigantic truck show is dwarfed by the mountain valley: still an incredible testament to vibrant truck culture in Europe - Swiss driver in his rig: confident and content - American Custom Big Rigs - Still Going Strong Smokey and the Bandit... Convoy... White Line Fever... These movies are entrenched in American consciousness, even though they were made way back in the 1970s-80s. Today long-haul custom trucks are just as mean-looking and inspiring as they were then. A true American classic: Too hot? Makes sense to drive the roofless "convertible" truck: This photograph is so atmospheric, it's worthy to be framed: a classic Freightliner - The Ultimate Mobile Home Rig still overwhelms with its immense chrome expanses (besides, it would make a great toy model): Japanese "Decotora" Custom Trucks Update This is definitely not of this world. This is the Advanced Alien Truck Force War meeting, planning its dirty deeds on Planet Earth: Something epic is painted on this truck... worth a closer look: Decotora illumination goes well with futuristic lights of Tokyo: (all images credit: Roger, used by permission) See Roger Snider's portfolio here and on his site. He's also been featured in National Geographic and in Time Magazine. CONTINUE TO PART 1 OF "ULTRA RIGS OF THE WORLD"! ->