This massive 74-wheel truck took one year to reach Kerala from Maharashtra. Here’s why

A ginormous truck carrying a hefty machine called an aerospace horizontal autoclave took one whole year to travel from Maharashtra to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Kerala.

The 74-wheel truck left Nashik in July 2019 and finally reached Thiruvananthapuram on July 19, 2020, after crossing four other states, covering a distance of 1,700 km.

Kerala: A truck, carrying an aerospace horizontal autoclave for delivery to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, reached the city today a year after starting from Maharashtra. Staff say, "Started in July 2019 & travelled across 4 states. Hope to deliver this today" pic.twitter.com/XNaCjXa1C3

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020

Usually, trucks take a week to travel from Maharashtra to Kerala. However, because of the massive size of the truck among several other factors, it could move only an average of five kilometres per day.

Believed to be a Volvo FM model, the truck is so huge it blocks the entire road when it moves, leaving no space for other vehicles to pass. According to a Hindustan Times report, it required a 32-member crew to control its movement.

Police reportedly provided a pilot car to avert chances of any road mishap when the truck passed through cities, while trees had to be chopped and electric lines removed to ensure smooth movement of the mammoth vehicle.

The coronavirus lockdown also extended the journey. The truck was reportedly stuck in Andhra Pradesh for a month after the nationwide lockdown was imposed.