44 Tonne Trucks for Sale (165)

Used 44 Tonne Trucks

44 tonnes trucks (or 44 tonners) are all three axle tractor units used in combination with three axle semi-trailers.

these are the most common body type of all trucks in the UK – but they hardly exist in the rest of Europe.

The gross vehicle weight of the tractor unit is really 26 tonnes (as it only has three axles) but truck buyers always the gross combined weight (GCW), or gross train weight, (GTW) is 44 tonnes, as the tractor unit is of no use on its own.

The UK is unique across Europe (even before Brexit was even mentioned) as the European standard is 40 tonnes GVW from a two axle tractor unit and trailer.

44 tonne Axle Configurations

The axle layout of the semi trailer is usually a standard tri-axle layout with three axles lined up towards the rear of the trailer.  The tractor unit could have one drive axle (6×2) or two drive axles (6×4).

For 6×2 tractor units, the non-drive axle will typically be able to lift off the floor when not fully loaded at 44 tonnes. The extra axle should only be lowered if the GTW is greater than 40 tonnes.  This saves on tyre wear and fuel costs plus makes the truck slightly easier to manoeuvre.