It appears as though Wal-Mart’s “Save Money. Live Better” slogan not only applies to its customers, but to the corporation itself, as evidenced by the new Supercube tractor-trailer the company is attempting to roll out in Canada. The huge trailer is designed to maximize the amount of cargo Wal-Mart can ship on a single truck, thus saving the company money and lessening its environmental impact (Live Better!) at the same time. We admit that this news has almost no bearing on the average enthusiast, but, hey, huge stuff is cool—all the more so if it rolls on wheels.
The Supercube trailer sets itself apart with a 60.5-foot total length—standard trailers measure 53 feet in length—and a two-level interior that’s been optimized to carry the most cargo possible. The inside of the trailer features flush-mounted overhead LED lighting, plus a built-in scissor lift at the end of the lower level that can lift 12,000 pounds at a time to the forwardmost second level (the portion of the trailer over the hitch). Wal-Mart says the humongous trailer offers 5100 cubic feet of hauling space, which is a claimed 30-percent more capacity than a regular semi trailer. Even though the trailer is longer than is typical, the way it links up to its special Freightliner cab-over tractor means that the truck’s overall length is roughly the same 75 feet as a normal tractor-trailer combo. Besides being longer than a regular trailer, the Supercube also features a lower main load floor; an air-bag lift setup for the trailer’s wheels lifts the floor to standard loading-dock height. The Supercube’s extra size does mean it weighs more than a typical semi trailer, but at a claimed 14,590 pounds, it is just three-percent heavier than your run-of-the-mill trailer.