Roadmap High Capacity Transports on road in
Sweden
2
Document title: Roadmap High Capacity Transports on Road in Sweden
Written by: Helena Kyster-Hansen – Tetraplan and Jerker Sjögren - CLOSER
Document date: 2013-04-10
Document type: Rapport
Document ID:
Case number: [Ärendenummer]
Project number: [Projektnummer]
Version: Final
Publishing year: 2013-04-10
Publisher: CLOSER
Contact person: Jerker Sjögren
Assignment manager: Jerker Sjögren
Press:
Distributor:
3
Contents
Preface
6
1
7
2
3
4
5
Summary
1.1
Large interest, large potential .................................................................7
1.2
Measures ................................................................................................. 8
1.3
Implementation ...................................................................................... 9
Introduction
2.1
Background and rationale ..................................................................... 12
2.2
Implementation of the work .................................................................. 12
2.3
Target ..................................................................................................... 13
2.4
Target for HCT - Road ........................................................................... 15
2.5
Contributions to the Forum’s overall targets ........................................ 16
Stakeholder model
3.1
Goods owner .......................................................................................... 17
3.2
Transporters ..........................................................................................18
3.3
Vehicle Manufacturers ..........................................................................18
3.4
Infrastructure owners ............................................................................18
3.5
Secondary stakeholders .........................................................................18
The need and demand for HCT
4.1
HCT for various types of goods – shippers’/goods owners’ perspective20
4.2
Technical aspects of HCT – the vehicle manufacturer’s perspective .... 21
4.3
Traffic aspects of HCT – Infrastructure owner perspective ................. 22
Innovation domains
5.1
Domain - Infrastructure Adaptation .................................................... 23
5.2
Domain – Information Systems ........................................................... 26
5.3
Domain – HCT-Logistics ...................................................................... 30
5.4
HCT Vehicle Combinations .................................................................. 33
5.5
Domain – Regulations .......................................................................... 38
5.6
HCT and road safety ............................................................................. 40
12
16
19
22
6
Proposals for action
41
7
Socio-economic benefits of HCT
43
7.1
Reference framework for cost-benefit analysis of the introduction to HTC roads
44
7.2
WSP calculating the economic benefits HTC 2030 .............................. 45
7.3
Socio-economic benefits of HTC in timber haulage, terminal transport and other
transport .......................................................................................................... 46
4
7.4
The introduction of HCT shifts the focus in investment in infrastructure
48
7.5
Discussion ............................................................................................. 49
8
SWOT – Feasibility of the roadmap
51
9
Recommendations and the next steps
51
10
11
12
Annex: Modularity
10.1
Vehicle length and GCW ....................................................................... 54
10.2
The modular system ............................................................................. 54
10.3
The concept versus the system ............................................................. 55
Annex: International perspectives
11.1
Definition of long vehicles .................................................................... 55
11.2
Overview of LCV in different countries ................................................ 58
11.3
Countries that allow short LCV (up to 25.25 m) .................................. 59
11.4
Countries that allow medium LCV (25 - 30 m) .................................... 59
11.5
Countries that allow long LCV .............................................................. 59
Annex: Effects of the use of long vehicles
12.1
General effects ...................................................................................... 63
12.2
Experiences from different countries ................................................... 64
12.3
Conclusions........................................................................................... 67
54
55
63
13
Annex: HCT and traffic safety
68
14
Annex: Acronyms
71
15
Annex: References
73
Figure 1-1 Vision for the HCT-Road 2030 – Efficiency in percent for 2010. Red numbers in () applies to
the entire transport system. ................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 1-2 Overall context of HCT ........................................................................................................... 8
Figure 1-3 Summary of proposed actions ............................................................................................... 9
Figure 1-4 Stakeholder model for HCT .................................................................................................. 10
Figure 2-1 in ERTRAC’s target for 2030 ................................................................................................. 13
Figure 2-2 Decisions and objectives by the EU-Commission, the Parliament and the Government .... 13
Figure 2-3 Sub-targets from FFI’s program council for transport efficiency ......................................... 14
Figure 2-4 FFI’s program council for transport efficiency’s roadmap and milestones ......................... 14
Figure 2-5 Targets for transport efficiency (FFI).................................................................................... 15
Figure 2-6 Targets for HCT-Road 2030 – Efficiency in percent for 2010. Red numbers in () applies to
the entire transport system. ................................................................................................................. 16
Figure 3-1 Stakeholders in the HCT-sphere ........................................................................................... 17
Figure 4-1 Ranking of goods groups according to Lastbilsundersökningen and
Varuflödesundersökningen (from the forthcoming report in the context of R&D Program: "Needs
5
and benefits of transportation with high capacity (HCT) in different industries and for different
kinds of goods") .................................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 5-1 Correlation within HCT ......................................................................................................... 22
Figure 5-2 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation Domain Infrastructure Adaptation ......................... 23
Figure 5-3 Costs to upgrade the bearing capacity on a designated road network in millions ........... 24
Figure 5-4 Measures in the Innovation Domain Infrastructure Adaptation ....................................... 26
Figure 5-5 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation Domain Information Systems ................................. 27
Figure 5-6 The IAP system ..................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 5-7 Measures in the innovation domain Information Systems ............................................... 30
Figure 5-8 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation domain HCT Logistics............................................... 30
Figure 5-9 Measures in the innovation domain HCT Logistics ............................................................ 33
Figure 5-10 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation domain HCT Vehicle Combinations ...................... 33
Figure 5-11 Performance of various vehicle combinations ................................................................. 34
Figure 5-12 Custom combinations of HCT-transport ........................................................................... 36
Figure 5-13 Measures in the innovation domain HCT Vehicles Equipage .......................................... 37
Figure 5-14 Impact on targets for 2030 - Innovation domain regulations.......................................... 38
Figure 5-15 Measures in the Innovation Domain Regulations ............................................................ 40
Figure 6-1 Proposed actions .................................................................................................................. 43
Figure 7-1 Peer relationships in a cost-benefit analysis of HCT. Read the chart from the green
square.................................................................................................................................................... 44
Figure 7-2 Summary of the analysis result if 11.35 percent vehicle kilometres are done by HCT
vehicles in 2030 (mio. SEK m in 2010 prices) ....................................................................................... 45
Figure 7-3 Transport work for the three market segments in 2011 and the adoption of high resp.
low proportion of HCT 2030 ................................................................................................................. 47
Figure 7-4 The present value of social benefits 2015-54 for the three market segments at high and a
low proportion of HCT 2030 (million SEK in 2010 prices) .................................................................... 48
Figure 8-1 Results of the SWOT analysis of the feasibility of the Roadmap for HCT-Road................ 51
Figure 11-1 UNESCAP classification of LCV and examples of the types .............................................. 56
Figure 11-2 Method for classification of LCV by UNESCAP ................................................................. 56
Figure 11-3 Modules that combine to long vehicle combinations........................................................ 57
Figure 11-4 Examples of vehicle combinations in each class .............................................................. 58
Figure 11-5 Australian example of Performance Based Standards ....................................................... 60
Figure 11-6 Long LCV in Australia .......................................................................................................... 60
Figure 11-7 Different configurations of LCV in Australia....................................................................... 61
Figure 11-8 Main types of LCV in the United States.............................................................................. 61
Figure 11-9 American states that allow different kinds of LCV, 1 ....................................................... 62
Figure 11-10 American states that allow different kinds of LCV, 2 ....................................................... 62
Figure 11-11 Canadian types of LCV ...................................................................................................... 63
Figure 12-1 Analysis of 31 Smart-Trucks use in 2011 ........................................................................... 66
6
Preface
CLOSER has been commissioned by the Forum for innovation in the transport sector to develop a
roadmap for High Capacity Transports by road - HCT-road. The work is now completed and we hereby
submit our report.
The work has been carried out as a project with a project group and a reference group. The project group
has included Per-Olof Arnäs, Chalmers; Thomas Asp, Trafikverket; Anders Berger, Volvo; Anders
Berndtsson, Trafikverket; Fredrik Börjesson, Schenker; Niklas Fogdestam, Skogforsk; Anders Johnson,
Scania; Jesper Sandin, SAFER/VTI, and Sten Wandel, Lund University and Ulf Ehrning, Volvo. The project
leader was Helena Kyster-Hansen, Tetraplan.
The project group members have actively participated in the development of the roadmap report. The
reference group has taken part in four different workshops during the project and provided valuable
input. The work has been conducted in close collaboration with the project roadmap for HCT-rail and two
joint workshops have been held.
When work on the roadmap is now completed, we note that the image of the HCT's potential was further
reinforced. With the widespread introduction of HCT, a number of positive effects will be achieved - more
efficient use of road infrastructure, reducing the need for investment to improve road and rail capacity,
lower transport costs, reduced energy consumption and significant reductions in CO2 emissions and other
emissions.
The introduction of HCT-road requires the development of HCT-vehicles, customizing the infrastructure to
cope with HCT-vehicles, the adaptation of legislation and regulations, and systems for monitoring
compliance. The relatively limited one-time investments needed to adapt infrastructure to HCT vehicles
are expected to be economically very profitable.
Overall, HCT contributes to the necessary shift in trend of transport in terms of energy use and
greenhouse gas emissions, while helping to strengthen the Swedish business community and its
competitiveness.
A successful implementation will require continuing and major demonstration projects to provide indepth knowledge and experience of HCT, as it is a relatively new concept in the field of transport. It also
requires in-depth market analysis and a proactive approach in the development of regulations. Research
is also needed, especially in the field of road safety, in support of a progressive and successful
introduction of HCT as an integral part of the whole transport system. Finally, it is of utmost importance
that the next steps of the development and implementation are done in close cooperation with all
relevant actors and stakeholders.
Gothenburg 10 April 2013
Jerker Sjögren
Program Manager
CLOSER
Lindholmen Science Park
7
1
Summary
Freight transport is the circulation system of society’s lifeblood. Shipments move raw materials and semifinished goods between production sites in the processing chain, finished goods to stores and the
consumer’s home, and finally re-enter the recycled materials into the cycle. A healthy circulatory system
is essential for a healthy economy with good competitiveness and it is vital to avoid clogging the arteries.
Logistic costs, i.e. the costs of transportation, handling and storage, accounts for about 8-10 percent of
Sweden's total value added (GDP) of which almost half is transportation.
Logistic costs as a proportion of value added varies considerably between sectors of society and is low for
the services sector, 20 percent in industry, 36 percent of trade and about 50 percent for primary industry.
This shows that effective transportation and low transportation costs are especially important for the
international competitiveness in the primary industry, as well as for the regions that have a larger
proportion of logistics enterprises than average.
Maritime, air and rail transport dominate the long distance arteries, while road transport dominates in
the small mesh that reaches out to society's smallest cells in the form of building sites, gravel pits, mines
and timber. Sweden is a long narrow peninsula where 75 percent is sparsely populated, 1,000 km from
the centre of Europe and also highly dependent on international trade. This has led to the distances
between the nodes in the value chains are 3-4 times longer than that of our competitors on the European
continent.
Cost-efficient transportation with high degree of consolidation of goods to large transport units and
concentration of flows to a small number of arteries and nodes is therefore particularly important for
Sweden. Conditions are similar in Finland, Australia and Canada, which explains these countries’ long
passion for High Capacity Transports (HCT) on both road and rail.
1.1 Large interest, large potential
HCT creates benefits for business community and society. There is a huge potential. The use of HCTvehicles in Sweden on a broad base would provide significant benefits in terms of increased efficiency,
reduced demand for investments to increase capacity, lower energy consumption and reduced CO2
emissions. HCT utilize existing capacity in the transport system and meet the increasing transport demand
relatively quickly and at a low cost.
Therefore, there is also considerable interest for HCT from different actors and stakeholders. These ideas
have had a quick impact. HCT is expected to be economically viable for both buyers and providers of
transport, and also socio-economically viable.
In the work we have jointly created a vision for what HCT can contribute with in terms of energy
efficiency, etc. in 2030. See summary below for comparison of the performance in a typical Swedish
domestic transport between a conventional vehicle combination of model year 2010 performing the
transport in 2010 and a HCT vehicle of model year 2030 which is performing the transport 2030.
Innovation domains
Infrastructure adjustment
Energyefficiency
10 +5
Information system
10
HCT-vehicle combinations
20*
+010
Accuracy/
reliability
25
(15)
HCT-logistics
Rules and regulations
Infrastructure Safety &
capacity
Security
15, (5)
(5),
5
10
+01
+01
*) Per vehicle combination
Figure 1-1 Vision for the HCT-Road 2030 – Efficiency in percent for 2010. Red numbers in () applies to the entire transport
system.
8
The roadmap states that there is a large interest in HCT and that there is a significant potential. The first
proposed steps of HCT introduction is clearly very profitable from a socio-economically point of view. But
the knowledge of HCT is inadequate at the moment and the actors and stakeholders knowledge is limited
in the areas:
 The market for HCT-transport
 Attitudes of the general public; will additional long and/or heavy vehicle combinations be accepted?
 The risk of rail transport competitiveness being adversely affected if the HCT-transport becomes
attractive
 The extent to which different rules need to change to support the implementation of HCT
1.2 Measures
The Roadmap therefore proposes that a large number of measures are to be implemented in order to
achieve the targets set for 2030.
The roadmap presents targets, milestones and measures for 5 different innovation domains;
Infrastructure adaptation, Information systems, HCT Logistics, HCT vehicle combinations and Rules and
regulations.
Figure 1-2 Overall context of HCT
The following summarizes the various measures proposed in the different domains of innovation
separated by actors.
9
Innovation
domains
Goods owners
Goods
transporters
Infrastructure
adjustments
Customize
goods reception
Customize
terminals
Vehicle
manufacturers
Infrastructure
support
Regulation
managers
Other actors
Customize routes
for specific HCT
approach
Develop
temporary
process for HCT
state
Customize
stations, rest
areas,
transhipment
terminals
Develop IAP
certification
and sanctions
for rule
violations
Customize laws
so IAP data
applies in court
Implement IAP
pilot
Upgrade to HCT
roads in different
classes
Information
system
Customize track
& trace
Customize
production &
inventory
control
HCT Logistic
HCT vehicle
combinations
Customize fleet
management to
more vehicle
modules & IAP
Customize
terminal
structure, traffic
design and
route planning
Consolidate to
full HCT
vehicle
Develop the
specific HCT
structure
Customize the
structure of
logistics
Develop HCT
system for
different types
of goods
Load
requirements in
PBS
Customize unit
load carrier
Driver
requirements in
PBS
IAP certified
telematics
boxes
Develop driver
assistance
Customize ports,
rail terminals,
airports and
traffic control
Develop systems
for compliance
monitoring (IAP)
Leave the road &
traffic
Provide markers
for switching
Develop HCT
type
combinations
(different kinds
of goods)
Road
requirements in
PBS
Vehicle
requirements in
PBS
Rules and
regulations
Customizing
loading and
cargo insurance
Customize
driving and
training
Customize
vehicle and
driver support
Develop IAP 2.0
Develop viable
security services
HCT, PBS, IAP
for goods
(hazardous
goods)
Develop
permanent
process for
individual
examination of
even larger
vehicles
Develop PBS
certification
and permanent
authorization
process for
vehicle
combinations
Conduct pilots
for HCT vehicle
combinations
Fees for
certification and
access for HCT
vehicle
Customize
roads(guardrails>
4H) and traffic
(traffic signals,
traffic signs)
Initiate changes
in regulations
Examining HCT
safety
hypotheses
Figure 1-3 Summary of proposed actions
1.3 Implementation
In the roadmap process we conducted a SWOT analysis, which shows that there are good preconditions
for implementing the proposed measures.
10
It is important to consider that transport is complex from the decision point of view - " it’s a multistakeholder and multi-level arena" (see figure below). This means that many of the necessary steps we
propose in roadmap cannot be determined and implemented by a single actor in isolation, because the
appropriate mandate and/or financial resources are missing.
Figure 1-4 Stakeholder model for HCT
All of the proposed measures cannot be implemented immediately. The way forward is through a gradual
introduction. It is important to move on fast further pilots and demonstration projects, thereby providing
increased capacity and the opportunity to begin to test the additional features. It is also important to
involve different centres of research before, during and after the demonstration projects. This will also
give more experience in how the system works in the everyday traffic environment at a large-scale. With
the gradual introduction of HCT this roadmap should be updated within 3 years.
Chapter 8 outlines a number of recommendations and suggestions for the next steps in the process of
implementing HCT in Sweden.
The following steps need to be decided on and initiated already in 2013 to achieve the roadmap targets
for 2030:
 In-depth market analysis and direct dialogue with business and industry representatives.
 In-depth analysis and then prioritised actions to adapt road infrastructure (bridges, etc.).
 Further pilots and demonstration projects incl. research to achieve greater volumes//base to
make analyses and assessments.
 Some regions should provide demonstration areas for ETT-project's modular concept to show
how this can work in a variety of transport and supply systems.
 Trafikverket and The Swedish Transport Agency should, in cooperation with the relevant research
communities, develop a basis for new regulations. The starting point should be proactive: to
create functional regulations that supports the desired development and implementation of HCT.
This should include designing a Swedish "PBS".
 Completion and evaluation of the pilot for Swedish IAP (Intelligent Access Program).
 Completion of the initiated research Road Safety Impact of High Capacity Transports and
compensatory measures.
11
 Focus simultaneously on the HCT-rail and the actions they propose. This counters the risk of
(reversed) modal shift and creates favourable conditions for a bigger increase in intermodal
transport.
This requires continuous dialogue and interaction between the actors, and the Forum must continuously
provide a platform for this collaboration. The introduction of HCT on a broad base is not a quick fix – it is a
long and complex processes.
The positive experience of the initiated cooperation with Australia should be taken to the full. An
prioritised and close cooperation with the EU, the OECD and others. International forums are also
important for the Swedish ideas and suggestions to have an impact.
12
2
Introduction
2.1 Background and rationale
The Swedish transport system is under pressure. It competes for public funding with other public areas
such as schools, health care, while it is dominated by four major problems - energy, climate change, lack
of capacity and safety for people, animals and goods. In addition there is a lack of knowledge and
different views about in which way the various parts of the transport systems should contribute to
overcome these problems.
The transport sector is facing a major challenge to reduce energy consumption and limit environmental
impact, both in relation to carbon dioxide emissions and emissions of regulated emissions (NOx, CO, HC
and PM). The transport sector is the only sector of society that has not yet succeeded in finding a potent
tool to reverse the trend of increasing carbon emissions and energy use.
Although the potential to limit carbon dioxide emissions by transferring between modes is significant, the
potential for improving the efficiency of transport is much higher within each mode. A problem here is
that it requires investment in rail infrastructure to allow for transfers and it is expensive to reduce carbon
emissions through the development of the railway infrastructure.
The public infrastructure is already heavily congested. The situation will be further intensified if the longterm forecasts of traffic demand become reality. Compared with the railway system, the road transport
only has few capacity constraints.
High Capacity Transports (HCT) refers to the introduction of vehicles with higher capacity (longer and
heavier or with higher volume) than what is currently used. Such vehicles imply that existing
infrastructure capacity is used more rationally. This also reduces the need for investment in new
infrastructure. HCT also means increased productivity, lower energy consumption per tonnes-km/personkm and lower emissions, especially carbon dioxide.
The focus of this roadmap is HCT for transportation of goods by road. HCT has significant potential to
streamline the road transport and reduce environmental impact, and at the same time HCT can
strengthening Swedish competitiveness and be a future export area for the Swedish automotive industry.
2.2 Implementation of the work
CLOSER received the mandate from the Forum in mid-August 2012, which gave us until the spring of 2013
to prepare a roadmap for the HCT Road. Since CLOSER has been working on the issues of the HCT under
an FOI program initiated by Trafikverket in 2011, it was natural to build on the work undertaken. Among
other things, we have been able to take advantage of a feasibility study on the market for HCT started in
2012 and also the University of Lund´s work on a pilot of an IAP system for Sweden.
Part of the existing program group became the project group for the roadmap work. Others became the
backbone of a reference group, which was supplemented by a number of individuals from the business
community and society.
The project group included Per-Olof Arnäs, Chalmers; Thomas Asp, Trafikverket; Anders Berger, Volvo;
Fredrik Börjesson, Schenker; Niklas Fogdestam, Skogforsk; Anders Johnson, Scania, Sten Wandel, Lund
University and Ulf Ehrning, Volvo. Jerker Sjögren, program manager for CLOSER, has been the Process
Leader and Helena Kyster-Hansen, consultant from Tetraplan A/S, Project Manager.
The set-up of our work has been to carry out 8 (4 x 2) workshops as a process where the project team and
the larger reference group gradually developed a concrete plan of action by discussions on the potential
and challenges for achieving the targets set for 2030.
13
Two of these workshops have been organized with the HCT-railway to facilitate integrated and
coordinated results from the process of both roadmaps.
To obtain a preliminary assessment of the socio-economic benefits of HCT, we have in the final stages of
the work commissioned consultancy WSP for a limited effort.
2.3 Target
Indicator
Guiding objective
Energy efficiency: urban passenger
transport
+80 percent (pkm/kWh)*
Energy efficiency: long-distance
freight transport
+40 percent (pkm/kWh)*
Biofuels: +25percent
Electricity +5 percent
Reliability
Renewables in the energy pool
Reliability of transport schedules
Safety
Decarbonisation
To contribute to the work to address the global challenges in road transport; limited resources, climate
change, congestion, accidents, etc., the European technology platform ERTRAC has on behalf of the
European Commission developed targets in the field. See the figure below.
Fatalities and severe injuries
-60 percent*
Cargo lost to theft and damage
-70 percent*
Urban accessibility
+50 percent*
Preserve
Improve where possible
* Versus 2010 baseline
Figure 2-1 in ERTRAC’s target for 2030
ERTRAC's vision can be compared with decisions and objectives in Sweden. See the figure below.
Decisions and objectives
EU-Commission
2020: New cars emit no more than 95
grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer
2020: Halving number of traffic fatalities
compared to 2010
The Parliament
2020: Halved number of deaths and 25
percent fewer serious injuries compared
to 2007
Government
2030: A fossil-free vehicle fleet
Figure 2-2 Decisions and objectives by the EU-Commission, the Parliament and the Government
Common for these targets and visions is that we must become more efficient from several perspectives,
but also that the transport system as a whole and all its components must contribute by taking action.
To get there the targets have to be split up into sub-targets. Below is a table with the assessment made by
the FFI's program council for transport efficiency. The table shows what this might look like in 2015, 2020
and 2025. See the figure below.
14
Indicators/targets
Base year 2010
2015
2020
2025
Energy efficiency
+15 percent
+25 percent
+40 percent
Reliability
+15 percent
+30 percent
+50 percent
Logistic efficiency
+15 percent
+20 percent
+30 percent
Figure 2-3 Sub-targets from FFI’s program council for transport efficiency
The same program council has also developed a roadmap with milestones for transport efficiency. It
specifies three system targets; customized transport (2018-2020), the connected transport system (20232025), and finally the integrated transport system (2028-2030). See the figure below.
Transport efficiency roadmap and milestones
2010
2013
2015
2017
Milstone 1, 2015
R&D
§
Test
2020
2023
2025
2027
2030
Potential legal requirements and regulatory changes
Introducing ”The
supportive and protective vehicle”
(2018-2020)
Demo
Milstone 2, 2020
R&D
§
Test
Introducing ”The
proactive and connected vehicle”
(2023-2025)
Demo
Milstone 3, 2025
R&D
§
Test
Introducing ”The
interacting vehicle”
(2028-2030)
Demo
Current ”drain” and exploitation of new knowledge
Continous reading of indicators
The program council for vehicle and traffic safety, 2011
Figure 2-4 FFI’s program council for transport efficiency’s roadmap and milestones
The targets identified in the area of transportation efficiency affect and are affected greatly by the
creation of HCT vehicles, and the adaptions needed to use these vehicles. See the figure below.
15
Figure 2-5 Targets for transport efficiency (FFI)
To achieve these system targets it requires customized, connected and optimized vehicles, more efficient
transport chains, co-modal transport corridors, supporting information and communication systems and
adapted regulations. The targets apply to the entire transport system as well as the individual transports.
2.4 Target for HCT - Road
The conceptual framework for HCT is:
"You get access to a section of road where you have a competitive advantage, assuming you comply withand follow the terms of access."
These access conditions can be formulated as a set of rules or agreements, or a combination of both. In
any case, it is necessary to check and verify that the conditions are met and followed. It is also necessary
to have some sort of system of sanctions in case of non-compliance according to the regulations or the
contract.
By controlling how the conditions are met the authorities ensures that the transports are done in a safe
and environmentally sound manner, and does not damage the infrastructure. This is also an assurance to
other road users that the transporter follows the regulations under supervised responsibility.
In working to develop this roadmap, we have jointly come up with a vision for 2030 regarding what HCT
can contribute with in terms of energy efficiency, etc. See summary below for the comparison of the
performance in a typical Swedish domestic transport, between a conventional vehicle combination of
model year 2010 performing the transport in 2010 and a HCT vehicle of model year 2030 which is
performing the transport 2030.The improvements come from a variety of sources, not just from changing
the regulations for the vehicle combinations’ weights and measures.
16
Innovation domains
Infrastructure adjustment
Energy
efficiency
10 +5
Information system
HCT-logistics
HCT-vehicle combination
Regulations
Infrastructure
capacity
Accuracy/Reliability
25
(15)
10
Safety &
Security
15, (5)
(5),
5
10
20*)
+010
+01
+01
*) Per vehicle combination
Figure 2-6 Targets for HCT-Road 2030 – Efficiency in percent for 2010. Red numbers in () applies to the entire transport system.
The figure above describes the targets expected to be achieved by this roadmap, split up in the innovation
domains we have worked with (left column), and the efficiency targets that are important to the entire
transport chain; energy efficiency etc.
For example, the innovation domain HCT-logistics is expected to provide 10 percent better energy
efficiency and 10 percent higher infrastructure capacity through HCT.
Innovation domain Information System is expected to provide 15 percent more safety & security, and 5
percent higher accuracy/reliability with HCT. For the entire transport system this innovation domain is
also expected to provide 15 percent higher infrastructure capacity, 5 percent higher safety & security, and
5 percent higher accuracy/reliability.
2.5 Contributions to the Forum’s overall targets
The most important of the Forum's overall objectives is to contribute to a trend reversal in the transport
sector's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Other important objectives are to strengthen
Sweden's competitiveness through more efficient transport systems and to create new opportunities for
the development and export of innovative goods and services in the transport sector.
The starting point for our work was initially that HCT has a great potential to make a significant
contribution to all these targets. The picture has been further strengthened during the work. Although
HCT vehicles in 2030 are expected to account for only a small proportion of the total number of heavy
goods vehicles on Swedish roads, they will make a difference. It however requires that some of our
proposed measures are adopted and implemented in 2013. And that work is done in a continued close
cooperation between the key players.
3
Stakeholder model
HCT is a concept that involves multiple stakeholders. The primary stakeholders are the ones who both
contribute to and are influenced by the introduction of HCT. The primary stakeholder participation is
essential for HCT to become a reality and this involvement is also associated with development work and
investments of various kinds. However, there is still no clear leader singled out for introduction of HCT.
The involvement of secondary stakeholders is not necessary, but likely in the process to achieve HCT
transports. They affect and are affected by HCT, but they do not have as strong association with the
development as the primary stakeholder groups.
The model below has been developed during the work on the roadmap.
17
Figure 3-1 Stakeholders in the HCT-sphere
Common to all stakeholders in the figure are:
• They are somehow affected by HCT
• They have influence on the process (in some way)
• They need to create/acquire additional knowledge of HCT
The degree of impact and influence differ between the groups, both in extent and time. Some are more
involved in the process leading up to the introduction of HCT, some will be key players in HCT when it is a
reality. The need for knowledge is a great and in several areas critical. Even this differs - for obvious
reasons - among stakeholders. Therefore one should develop: a suitable organization for the HCT
introduction, a R&D-plan, and a communication plan with specific strategies for each of the different
stakeholders.
3.1 Goods owner
Goods owners want goods delivered at the right place at the right time at the lowest cost and without
damage. Transport quality and costs are balanced against the costs of production and inventories, and the
customers demand for delivery quality. The primary interest of goods owners in the development of HCT
is related to a more efficient flow of goods. More goods will be transported with fewer vehicles. Their
demand is basically about delivery performance, customer service, reliability, etc. The HCT gives lower
costs for the goods owners, but require more consolidation as the vehicle has more capacity and
sometimes require adaptation of terminals and road infrastructure. Goods owners' involvement in HCTdevelopment is very important. The goods groups identified as the most interesting (see section 5) belong
to different segments of the Swedish industry and commerce, which means that the ownership of the
groups of goods is far from homogeneous in relation to HCT. The needs of the construction industry
cannot be directly transferred to food producers or forest industry. It is therefore necessary to create
industry specific HCT solutions.
Knowledge requirements vary within the goods ownership segment. Some companies and industries have
very good knowledge about the potential of HCT (e.g. Kinnarps) while some are not even aware that the
possibility exists.
18
3.2 Transporters
The transport industry develops and produces efficient transportation for the goods owners, which is
adapted to the rules of the infrastructure owner. In many cases, the transporters are reactive, i.e. the
transport demand generated is outside the company, by the goods owners. This means that the
transporters have limited control over which goods are to be transported and to where. This stakeholder
group is, like the goods owners, heterogeneous. Different goods types differ in terms of transport
distances, volumes, handling and more. For example, transporters of filling have very little in common
with a network operator in general cargo.
The transport industry’s participation in the HCT project is crucial. The development will demand
investment, process changes and, hopefully, bring increases in efficiency. The need for knowledge in the
transportation sector concerning HCT is great. The rules of the game are changing and the business
models have to be adapted. Investment in HCT vehicles compared to conventional vehicles reduces cost
per tonnes-km, but requires adaptation of terminals, networks, administration and fleet management.
3.3 Vehicle Manufacturers
This group includes both vehicle manufacturers, their suppliers and producers of trailers and accessories.
Some of the ICT providers also belong to this group (e.g. suppliers of IAP system). The group develops and
produces efficient vehicles and related services that are adapted to the infrastructure and regulatory
conditions and contributes to the transporters’ and goods owners' profitability. Their involvement is
characterized by technological development of vehicles combinations and their components. Production
and sales of HCT-vehicles for the Swedish market supports increased exports of HCT vehicles and
encourage innovation and further development of all types of vehicles. There are significant technical
challenges in HCT and the need for knowledge is great. The group’s participation is crucial for HCT to
become reality.
3.4 Infrastructure owners
Infrastructure owners develop and provide infrastructure and related services such as traffic management
and collection of fees. Common for them is that they manage different types of infrastructure that can be
of interest for HCT. The group includes Trafikverket and also smaller players like municipalities and private
interests. The infrastructure is primarily roads, but also terminals, gateways, etc. are included. For the
infrastructure owner, it is important that the infrastructure is used efficiently, e.g. maximizing the use of
road capacity, high road safety, low road wear etc.
HCT-transport causes changes in impacts on the infrastructure and it's infrastructure owners task to deal
with these changes. It will require both upgrades of bearing capacity and adaptations, including longer
lanes before rail crossings. The cost of the upgrades must be balanced against the cost reductions made
by HCT, e.g. reduction in traffic, which gives less congestion and reduce the need for investment in
capacity or that they reduce the road wear and therefore reduces the costs of maintenance. There is a
huge need for knowledge, for example in terms of the pace and scale of the transition to HCT, traffic
impacts and other long-term effects of large-scale introduction of HCT-vehicles.
3.5 Secondary stakeholders
The secondary stakeholders contribute indirectly to the HCT development by providing the conditions or
by being subcontractors to the primary stakeholders.
The regulator/supervisor ensures that laws and regulations are followed. An important aspect here is the
handling of permits for HCT, which currently takes very long time and is very bureaucratic.
Research organizations include both funders and providers of research, development and innovation,
whether it is in business, government or universities/colleges. Although the roadmap shows that, based
on the knowledge we already have, the introduction of HCT vehicles should begin immediately, it also
points out that there is need for R&D for the future development and roll out of the HCT.
19
ICT suppliers are an important supplier group for all the primary stakeholders. They often develop new
services before the vehicle manufacturers and the other primary stakeholders. The development of digital
support systems and ITS services for the transport sector is moving very fast.
Other special interests are also very important in the democratic process. There are many vested
interests that are both affected by and affect the development of HCT. It is important that these are
included in the process and that their knowledge can be developed in dialogue with other stakeholders.
In relation to this there will be a support system which governs and facilitates processes within and
between stakeholders. The components of the support system are:
Regulations in the form of laws and regulations. These are prepared and decided by political bodies and
authorities. The regulators then ensure that these are followed. It requires changes in the regulatory
environment, both for permission to use of HCT vehicles and also to monitor if the conditions are met.
The latter is important because HCT vehicles can severely damage infrastructure or a third party if they
are used in places or ways not permitted or outside allowed time slots.
Information systems collect, transmit, store and process the data within and between all of the transport
systems parts and modules, and presents information to all operators in the system. HCT requires vehicle
information systems (GPS boxes for monitoring HCT compliance, driver support and connections between
the vehicles combinations’ parts for e.g. brakes and ID), the road’s information system (where and when
certain types of HCT vehicles may be driven, communication to the infrastructure (I2V) and between
vehicles (V2V)), the transporters’ Fleet Management System (FMS) and the goods owner's or agent's
consolidation systems. These systems provided by IT, telematics and telecommunications companies that
develop them in close cooperation with the stakeholders mentioned above. The development of digital
information and communication technology is moving very quickly and expected for many years to follow
Moore's Law, which broadly states a doubling of cost efficiency every two years.
4
The need and demand for HCT
Generally speaking, the development of HCT can be made according to two principles: top-down or
bottom-up.
Top-down means that any system-wide operator, such as an infrastructure manager, upgrades some of
the infrastructure for HCT vehicles. This may involve strengthening bridges, ramps and other road
sections, or to widen roads and otherwise improving accessibility. A top-down approach does not aim to
introduce HCT in a single relationship, but rather upgrade the infrastructure to a new level of
functionality.
Bottom-up means that one or more stakeholders identify flows that could be upgraded by using the HCT.
The potential infrastructural change required will then be based on the individual needs of these
stakeholders.
In both cases, one must take into account the problems of "First & last mile" – how the vehicle gets to and
from the HCT network from the starting point or endpoint, being the individual worksite, terminal or port.
Even without the need for digital surveillance (such as IAP, see section 5.2) of the HCT road network,
there will still be need for some form of monitoring in vulnerable areas.
With reference to the stakeholder model presented in Section 3, there are different motives, incentives
and methods for the introduction of HCT between the stakeholders. The four identified groups – goods
owners, transporters, vehicle manufacturers and infrastructure owners - have different perspectives on
the HCT. Below these four perspectives are described briefly.
20
4.1 HCT for various types of goods – shippers’/goods owners’ perspective
As for commodities, we see a number of goods groups that are particularly interesting. The figure below
shows a compilation based on the Lastbilsundersökningen1 (Truck traffic survey) and
Varuflödesundersökningen2 (Commodity flows survey). For the four parameters: Number of Transports,
Traffic work, Transport work and Quantity of goods, the five largest goods groups has been identified. The
percentages indicate the proportion of the total that the department stands for.
Commodity
flows study
Truck traffic study
Ranking
Number of
transports
Transport work
Quantity of
goods LU
Quantity of
goods VFU
Vehicle mileage
1
Ores, other
mining goods
(20%)
General cargo
and grouped
goods (23%)
General cargo
and grouped
goods (21%)
Ores, other
mining goods
(28%)
Products of
agriculture,
forestry and
fishing (30%)
2
Equipment for
transport and
freight (18%)
Food, beverages
and tobacco
(17%)
Products of
agriculture,
forestry and
fishing (17%)
Products of
agriculture,
forestry and
fishing (17%)
Soil, stone and
building
materials (13%)
3
General cargo
and grouped
goods (11%)
Products of
agriculture,
forestry and
fishing (9%)
Food, beverages
and tobacco
(16%)
Wood and goods
of wood and
cork (excl.
Furniture) (9%)
Crude oil,
natural gas, coal,
solid, liquid fuels
(12%)
4
Household
waste, other
waste and
secondary raw
materials (9%)
Equipment for
transport and
freight (9%)
Wood and goods
of wood and
cork (excl.
Furniture) (10%)
General cargo
and grouped
goods (8%)
Food, beverages
and tobacco
(10%)
5
Food, beverages
and tobacco
(8%)
Wood and goods
of wood and
cork (excl.
Furniture) (7%)
Ores, other
mining goods
(7%)
Food, beverages
and tobacco
(7%)
Paper and pulp
(8%)
Figure 4-1 Ranking of goods groups according to Lastbilsundersökningen and Varuflödesundersökningen (from the forthcoming
report in the context of R&D Program: "Needs and benefits of transportation with high capacity (HCT) in different industries
and for different kinds of goods")
What do these parameters indicate for HCT?
Number of transports. For transporters of certain types of goods HCT can be a way to reduce the number
of transports/vehicles (i.e. investment and cost).
Vehicle-kilometers (km). The total distance that the type of goods is transported in a way indicates the
degree of centralization. The farther away stocks and depots are, the longer the goods are transported.
For HCT, these groups probably cause longer transports on major roads.
Transport work (tonnes-km). This parameter is a combination of the amount of goods and the transport
1
Transport Analysis, 2011, ”Statistik 2011:7 Lastbilstrafik 2010”
2
Transport Analysis, 2010, “Statistik 2010:16 Varuflödesundersökningen 2009”
21
distance. The large transport work indicates that there is a great potential for HCT, both volume and
distance wise.
Quantity of goods (tonnes). The more goods available, the more profitable a HCT investment becomes to
a transporter (larger vehicles require more goods per relationship).
The major difference between Lastbilsundersökningen (LU) and Varuflödesundersökningen (VFU) relates
to different data collection methods and that the definition of the goods groups is not totally compatible.
For example, there is no counterpart to the placement of general cargo in VFU.
The goods groups identified possess different properties and can from a HCT perspective be described as:
• General cargo and grouped goods are placed high regardless of the parameter being studied. These goods
belong to the transport sector. Large parts of the national flow of general cargo are handled by forwarding
companies in large terminal networks. These operators are likely to have a significant potential to increase
internal efficiency (transportation between terminals) using HCT.
•

•
Food, beverages and tobacco are, just like general cargo, responsible for a large share of the
transport in the country - regardless the parameter. The low proportion of empty runs (even for
general cargo) can be an indicator of a high degree of planning and control of flows and related
activities. HCT vehicles could streamline this segment further, mainly due to the large volume of
goods. This indicates that it is possible to identify sufficient flows on certain relations..
The large amount of cargo belonging to Products of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, together
with the high transport and traffic work and the relatively low amount of transports (7 percent of
the transports) shows that transports are done by large vehicles with big loads that drives long
distances. The fact that timber transports, which constitute the majority of the goods in the
group, is suitable for HCT has already been proven in the ETT-project, but these transports are
often on minor roads which can be a problem.
The group Wood and goods of wood and cork (except furniture) consist of large, long flows, in
this case primarily of wood chips, paper and sawn timber. Again, minor roads can become
relevant.
Ores and other mining goods is dominated by fill material (soil, rock, sand). Vehicle mileage is low
(short-range transports) which indicates that the road network used is probably local (often
municipal). There is a great HCT potential here, especially if you look at the quantity of goods that
despite the low mileage still generates 7 percent of the total transports.
4.2 Technical aspects of HCT – the vehicle manufacturer’s perspective
In many parts of the world, such as Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, Mexico and South Africa,
they allow significantly longer and heavier vehicles than in Sweden on parts of the road network. These
are classified with load capacity of 4 TEUs (30 meter and 60 to 86 tonnes), or 6 TEUs (up to 53,5 meters
and from 62 to 126 tonnes). Several of these countries require these HCT vehicles to be certified after
rigorous Performance Based Standards (PBS).
Finland has the same weights and lengths as Sweden, but recently the Ministry of Transport has decided
to increase the weight limit to 76 tonnes but still within 25.25 meters. A EU decision on the issue is
awaited.
For the past four years longer and heavier vehicle combinations (up to 30 to 32 m/90 tonnes) have been
tested in Sweden, in order to allow for a stepwise increase to in size; step 1, 32 meters and 76 or 80
tonnes and step 2, 25.25 meters and 74 or 76 tonnes.
What can HCT contribute with in this segment?
Today there are a large number of HCT vehicles on the market outside Europe (see Ch. 11 Annex International Outlook). It is still important to choose the vehicle with the right technical specification for
the intended task and road network. Therefore among others the expected functional requirements
(PBS) that affect the entire vehicle combination should be taken into account. This means that vehicle
manufacturers and trailer manufacturers must cooperate more. Requirements relating to transport and
22
route monitoring (IAP) in real time and different access control for vehicles, goods, and even drivers, to
get access to both road and enhanced service. This is based on a developed communication interface
between vehicles, infrastructure and government and these systems are expected to be delivered from
the factory and not be retrofitted.
Furthermore, the development of HCT-vehicles will drive the development of innovative solutions to
minimize impacts on infrastructure, such as by retractable axles, adapted driving (en- and disengaged) for
various transport tasks and further development of driver support e.g. to be able to reverse with a
combination of several trailers. HCT is the key driver in order to increasingly adapt a vehicle combination
to its transport assignments, i.e. create more customized and efficient transports. This also has
implications for the design and development of terminals and other supporting infrastructure used by
HCT vehicles.
4.3 Traffic aspects of HCT – Infrastructure owner perspective
The large flow of goods between the regions in the country is done on motorways. Today (2013) a
number of trials including a duo-trailer is done on this type of road. The large number of conventional
vehicles on these roads is a natural focus point for HCT. There are a number of barriers for HCT on the
road today, mainly bridges and ramps, which limits accessibility for heavy vehicles over 60 tonnes. The
length is an obstacle if there isn’t room for the vehicle combination before or after a rail or road crossing.
Even areas at terminals, parking areas and turning areas must be adapted. Few drivers are capable of
reversing a vehicle combination with two or more joints. Driver support or robot for reversing is an
important support. Swipe when turning might be a problem in tight roundabouts especially if there are
two lanes.
However, with the small adaptions large parts of the main road network can handle HCT vehicles already
now.
5
Innovation domains
The work on the Roadmap for HCT-Road has been divided into a number of innovation domains and
under these, the steps that are considered important to reach the targets for 2015, 2020 and 2030 are
described. Every innovation domain is divided into a number of sub-domains, where these measures are
described.
Figure 5-1 Correlation within HCT
23
5.1 Domain - Infrastructure Adaptation
Innovation domain
Energy-efficiency
Infrastructure
capacity
Safety &
Security
Accuracy /
Reliability
Infrastructure
Adaptation - impacts
10 percent of transport
in urban areas
25 percent of
transport (flow)
Improved
Improved
City Corridors,
Separated lanes,
separate roads, BRT for
distribution vehicles
Green Corridors,
Separated lanes,
separate roads for
heavy vehicles
Green flows, green
light-wave, slot times
5 percent on long-range
transportation
Average: primarily due Large: better
to fewer "stop and go" utilization - the right
vehicle on the right
path
Large power through
Large: better
co-modality
utilization - the right
vehicle on the right
path
Average: mainly due to Average
fewer "stop and go"
Average
Average
Small
Average
Small
Average
Figure 5-2 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation Domain Infrastructure Adaptation
Efficiency measures in the table for the Innovation Domain Infrastructure Adaptation above are estimates
of the impact the innovation domain is expected to provide, will be verified in projects and
demonstrations. Various projects and studies show varying results.
Introduction and background scenario for 2030
To evaluate the benefits of allowing higher weights on the Swedish road network, the costs of
strengthening roads and bridges has to be considered. In the case of roads, it is mainly a problem when
you raise the axle loads but when it comes to bridges, however, both higher axle loads and gross weight
are critical. Measurements on roads has so far not revealed any major differences compared to
conventional vehicles except for when HCT vehicles drive right after each other or the road has an older
design.
To reduce the impact on the road network and improve accessibility, the IAP is a possible help. IAP
provides better control of the weight etc. of the vehicles and it allows us to use lower safety factors for
bearing capacity calculations and thus reduce the need for reinforcement.
When it comes to the possibility of using the HCT vehicles there are limitations beyond the control of
Trafikverket, when it comes to weight it is mainly monetary. In the case of longer vehicles it also requires
changes in regulations and therefore it is outside Trafikverket’s domain.
In previous increases in maximum gross weight Trafikverket implemented a higher bearing capacity
package. When the current classes were introduced the bearing capacity was increased from BK2 (Bearing
Capacity class 2) and BK3 to BK1 on many bridges and roads. It is important to get critical bridges into
Trafikverket’s planning process.
Trafikverket generally has poor knowledge of:
•
•
•
how to involve other owners of roads, mainly municipalities, but also owners of private roads etc.
Here is the "last mile access" an important issue
the current situation and also future needs for the HCT-vehicle to be able to use other
infrastructure beyond roads and bridges, e.g. terminals, logistics centres, rest areas and service
stations
lenient measures when diversion is required, e.g. with traffic accidents and roadwork.
24
Subdomain 1: Bearing capacity on our bridge stock
Trafikverket has made an update of the 2009 investigation of the costs to upgrade the bearing capacity on
a designated road network. The 2009 study was made for 70 and 80 tonnes. Now, both the costs and the
selection of bridges are updated and have been changed to 74 and 80 tonnes instead. The choice of 74
and 80 tonnes is based on the weights that modular vehicles normally allow and within the weight level
where the main transport demand is. Of the choices below are the 74tonnes/25 m and 80 tonnes/32 m
considered as the most likely choice for the first step in changing legislation. The former is primarily an
economic issue and the other is primarily a law/policy issue.
Costs in million to upgrade bearing capacity per route and alternatives are presented in the table below.
Note that they are standard calculations.
74 tonnes
Road
25 m
vehicle
80 tonnes
32 m
vehicle
25 m
vehicle
32 m
vehicle
E4
955
400
1.500
565
E6
470
425
555
435
E18
90
5
485
20
E20
80
30
230
35
32
30
0
30
0
40
260
130
355
255
50
10
5
30
6
55
130
130
150
130
56
50
45
55
50
2.075
1.035
3.390
1.495
Total
Figure 5-3 Costs to upgrade the bearing capacity on a designated road network in millions
Subdomain 2: Access control
The conceptual framework for HCT is: "You get access to a section of road where you have a competitive
advantage, provided that you meet and comply with the conditions of access".
These access conditions can be formulated as a set of rules or agreements, or a combination of both. In
any case, it is necessary to check and verify that the conditions are met and followed. It is also necessary
to have some sort of system of sanctions in case of non-compliance according to the regulations or the
contract.
A condition system is based on Performance Based Standards (PBS). It regulates the properties of
infrastructure and the vehicles that would be allowed to use it. In the "Access Control Programs" current
traffic is then verified against the stipulated properties. An example of such a system is the Intelligent
Access Program (IAP) used in Australia. Here is the competitive advantage that the vehicle is allowed to
have a higher gross weight.
By controlling how the conditions are met the authorities ensure that transports are done in a safe and
environmentally sound way. This is also an assurance to other road users that the transporter follows the
established conditions under supervised responsibility.
Compliance with applicable laws and regulations in traffic is monitored primarily by the traffic police, road
inspectors, checkpoints and speed cameras. It is primarily The Swedish Transport Authority who is
involved in this process, but Trafikverket is also involved. When introducing HCT in Australia these
traditional monitoring methods were not considered to be adequate because HCT vehicles can damage
the infrastructure and injure users seriously if they are used in places, times and ways that the vehicle
does not have permission for. Therefore they introduced IAP where the HCT vehicle is equipped with a
25
box with GPS and cellular modem that via an IAP service provider reports all violations to the road
authority for further action. Most of the work is carried out by the private sector under the supervision of
the newly created authority Transport Certification Australia (TCA). Today IAP is required for most types
of HCT vehicles. It went from sampling at 1 out of 1000 to 100 percent monitoring via IAP. In Sweden a
similar monitoring system is needed. Read more about this in Section 6.2.
Subdomain 3: Additional infrastructure; terminals, rest areas, service stations and questions on
redirection/bypasses
This calls for studies in all areas. One problem is that there are many owners of these infrastructure
elements. In most cases, the investment cost is not so high and most of the owners also have an interest
in allowing HCT vehicles at their facilities.
Future fields of research
• How do we involve other road owners, mainly municipalities, but also private roads etc. Even the
"last mile access" is an important issue
• What is the current status and what are the needs to make additional infrastructure accessible for
HCT e.g. terminals, logistics centres, rest areas and service stations
• Measures when redirection is required, e.g. in relation to traffic accidents
Milestones and development within the Innovation Domain Infrastructure Adaptation
2015
•
•
•
•
•
•
2020
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2030
•
•
The business community has identified priority roads. Important also to include the smaller roads
where especially the forestry and mining industry has much of its transports
A review of the bridges and roads which need to be strengthened to accommodate HCT vehicles
is ready
The highest priority bridges are included in the Transport Administration plans of action where
other bridges are included in long-term plans
A Proposal for PBS that links characteristics of the vehicle to the infrastructure is complete
A draft plan of the further changes required for the infrastructure to be completed, such as
design of the rest stops, gas stations, location of transshipment terminals etc.
"Last mile access" dialogue with primarily municipalities has begun
There is a designated road network that is allowed for HCT-vehicles which most likely consists of
mainly divided highways
A number of bridges on the designated roads are reinforced as planned
The first level of the new HCT-vehicles is introduced and allows a length of 32 m and weight of 76
tonnes or 25.25 m and weight of 74 tonnes.
For an additional number of heavy vehicles, corresponding to the ETT vehicles (90 tonnes)a
simplified form of licensing is available
The PBS regulations are linking vehicle characteristics to different safety factors and
infrastructure
Other infrastructure: on the designated road network the necessary changes at rest areas,
loading terminals etc. has been completed
"Last mile access" dialogue with primarily municipalities is an on-going process
There is a more extensive designated road network permitted for HCT-vehicles i.e. has increased
carrying capacity
A level of 90 tonnes and 32 m length HCT vehicles exist In addition to the previous level of HCTvehicles
26
•
•
Other infrastructure: Other public areas where the HCT-vehicle operates has been adapted
HCT multimodal: a designated network of green multimodal corridors for all modes is established
Infrastructure Adaptation
Period:
2013
2013
2014
Action
Stakeholders
Dialogue with the business community on
priority roads
Business Community,
Trafikverket
Dialogue with other modes of transport on
the expansion of terminals and HCT rail for
intermodal HCT
Bridges: List of critical bridges that need to
be strengthened is completed
2014
Other infrastructure: Study on the need for
changes required in other infrastructure
beyond roads is completed
2015
Proposed infrastructure for intermodal HCT
2016-2020
2016-2020
2016-2020
2017
2021-2030
2021-2030
CLOSER, Trafikverket and
research institutions
Trafikverket
Trafikverket, terminal owners
(shippers, ports, etc.), gas
station owners and
municipalities
Pilots with intermodal HCT
HCT roads: A designated national road
network can handle higher gross weight than Trafikverket
current
Other infrastructure: Other infrastructure
along designated roads are adapted to HCTvehicles
Last mile: "Last mile access" dialogue with
municipalities in progress
Infrastructure and regulations for intermodal
HCT for step 1 is ready
HCT multimodal: A designated network of
green multimodal corridors with HCT
vehicles for all modes and nodes with
integrated control of goods and vehicles for
both parallel and sequential transport chains
in the same logistic relations
HCT roads: The designated state roads that
can handle higher axle weights and
additional higher gross weight are expanded
Trafikverket, terminal owners
(shippers, ports, etc.), gas
station owners and
municipalities
Trafikverket and municipalities
Trafikverket
Trafikverket
Trafikverket
Figure 5-4 Measures in the Innovation Domain Infrastructure Adaptation
5.2 Domain – Information Systems
Today's advanced information technology in combination with cellular communication and GPS – Global
positioning System, provides enormous opportunities to develop and manage both transport and traffic
volume. The progress in this area is fast and will increase in the future. The subdomains listed under this
innovation domain provide some examples of how this development might affect the future of transport.
27
Innovation domain
Energy-efficiency
Information Systems - Significantly
improved
impact
Infrastructure
capacity
Safety & Security
Accuracy/Reliability
15 percent at
system level
15 percent on
transportation
and 5 percent at
system level
15 percent on
transportation and 5
percent at system
level
Enhanced driver
support
Large: ECO-driving, Large: Due to a
improved flows
better use of
time and space
Large: ECOAverage: ECO-driving,
driving, improved Better use of time and
flows
space
Night Distribution:
Avoid stop and go
driving, queues and
junctions
Night transports:
Avoid stop and go
driving, queues and
junctions
Green flows - green
light-wave, slots, ondemand service
Large: ECO-driving,
improved flows.
Fewer "stop and
go"
Large: ECO-driving,
improved flows.
Fewer "stop and
go"
Large: Due to a
better use of
time and space
Large: ECOAverage: ECO-driving,
driving, improved improved flows.
flows
Fewer "stop and go"
Large: Due to a
better use of
time and space
Large: ECOAverage: ECO-driving,
driving, improved improved flows.
flows
Fewer "stop and go"
Large: ECO-driving, Large: Due to a
improved flows.
better use of
Fewer "stop and
time and space
go"
Large: ECOAverage: ECO-driving,
driving, improved
improved flows.
flows
Fewer "stop and go"
Figure 5-5 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation Domain Information Systems
Efficiency measures in the table above for innovation domain Information Systems are estimates of the
impact the innovation domain is expected to provide, they will be verified in projects and demonstrations.
Various projects and studies show varying results.
Subdomain 1 - Information for dedicated and dynamic use of infrastructure
How road users comply with applicable laws and regulations is primarily monitored by traffic police, road
inspectors, checkpoints and speed cameras. When introducing HCT in Australia it was considered that
these traditional monitoring methods were not adequate, because HCT vehicles can damage the
infrastructure and injure road users seriously, if they are used in places, times and ways that the vehicle
does not have permission for. Australia therefore established and incorporated the Intelligent Access
Program (IAP) and demanded that most HCT vehicles should use these to be allowed. It went from
sampling per mille to 100 percent supervision.
28
How does the IAP work?
Figure 5-6 The IAP system
A transporter wishing to use one or more HCT vehicles contacts one of the five of Transport Certification
Australia (TCA) certified IAP Service Providers and together they apply for permission from the Highway
Authority. The authorization is formulated as an Intelligent Access Condition (IAC) which is added to the
server of the IAP Service Provider. TCA certified boxes with GPS and cellular modem are installed in the
vehicles so that any attempt at manipulation and cheating automatically is recorded and reported via the
mobile network to the Service Provider. This ensures a high quality of data and the laws in Australia has
been changed so that data from IAP can be used as proof in court. The box records raw data every 30
seconds for location, time, speed, etc. and sends them via the mobile network to the service provider. The
provider compares the raw data with the IAC in the computer server and discrepancies, for example, if
you go on an unauthorized road, is reported to the highway administration in the form of NCR's (Non
Compliance Reports). The highway administration checks if it is a mistake or if it is a valid reason for the
deviation and sends a reminder to the haulier. If there is repeated abuse of the authorization, they
withdraw the authorization or the operator is reported to the court. Note that everybody in the logistics
chain, goods owner, shipper and transport company and not just the driver are liable under a newly
introduced Australian law. The system complies with the international standard ISO/DIS 15638-1.
To operate HCT-vehicles requiring IAP, the transport company must agree to be supervised by a certified
IAP Service Provider, who reports violations to the highway administration. For this IAP service the
transporter pays a fee to the Service Provider, which in turn pays a fee to the TCA. The different service
providers also provide other services, such as fleet management, speed and idle time, with the IAP
hardware.
The principle is that it is the same hardware for all services, whether they are for personal use or for
public authorities. Examples of services offered or discussed in various forums are reporting axle weights
in real time using on-board sensors; warning and automatic stop if the vehicle is approaching prohibited
infrastructure, such as a bridge that does not support the weight; reporting and approving that the
vehicle combinations have the right composition; speed; monitoring of driving and rest periods; reception
and display of information from transponders in the road (Infrastructure-to-Vehicle, I2V) for slippery
surface; fog; details from other motorists (Vehicle-to-Vehicle, V2V) about dangers ahead, all relevance
29
road signs as a voice message to the driver; and billing of dynamic road pricing based on several
parameters, including CO2 emissions, distance, weight, congestion, time and geography.
Subdomain 2 ITS, Fleet management
Information and communication technology is an important enabler for ITS solutions for both urban
transport and long-distance transport. A modern system architecture that includes both vehicles and
infrastructure, provides a flexible system where services can be produced based on mutual agreements
on the use of data and other resources, and based on well-established business models, payment flows,
etc. Through a modern system architecture it is possible to create conditions for an effective use of the
opportunities offered by modern communications. Utilizing the data generated by vehicles (and freight)
can help streamline the transport system through services for control, monitoring and information. A well
designed system architecture can thus contribute to improve all levels and activities in a transport chain.
A good example of useful ITS systems is a Fleet Management system. A modern Fleet Management
system helps the owner to get more out of his vehicle fleet, while reducing paperwork and costs. Webbased Fleet Management Services can connect vehicles to office systems via wireless links and the
Internet and improve communications between the drivers and office. It provides faster and more
efficient services that can give smother and more cost-effective operations. The owner will receive real
time data from the fleet with respect to capacity utilisation and fuel efficiency, as well as finished
environmental reports, this can also be automated and coupled for enforcement.
Milestones and development within the Innovation Domain Information systems
2015

2020

Evaluation of the IAP pilot and proposed adaptation completed.
IAP has been evaluated and roles, standards, system requirements, business models and
incentives are developed. Vehicle manufacturers have telematics systems with support for IAP as
a standard option.
Information Systems
Action
Stakeholders
2013
IAP Pilot: Provide the first 3, then 25 test vehicles
with IAP boxes
Lund’s Univ., IAP Service Prov.,
Trafikverket, The Swedish
Transport Agency, CLOSER,
Volvo, Scania and other actors
2013
Simulate the planned Swedish IAP system - from
Australia.
TCA
2013
Test ITS (V2I, V2V) communication services
OEM, Trafikverket, ITS business
2014
IAP processes moved to Sweden. 200 vehicles
Lund’s Univ., TCA and IAP
Service Prov.
2015
New IAP services are developed: configuration,
weight, safety
OEM, Lund’s Univ. and IAP
Service Prov.
2015
Evaluation IAP pilot, proposed adaptation
CLOSER etc.
2015
Enhanced driver support: Warnings, ECO driving
OEM
2016
Transport Certification Sweden (TCS) is set up
Period:
The Swedish Transport Agency
30
2016
Full IAP pilot. <500 vehicles
Lund’s Univ., TCA, IAP Service
Prov.
2016
Test of flows in Green Corridors and platooning
OEM, Trafikverket, ITS business
2017
Commercial IAP system integrated with
authorities
IAP Service Prov. and Transport
Certification SE
2017
Development of IAP 2.0 - joint commence AU-SE
ITS business, TCA, TCS,
2018-2030
Research, development and implementation of
several generations of ITS to include platooning
and driverless vehicles
OEM, service providers and
authorities
Figure 5-7 Measures in the innovation domain Information Systems
5.3 Domain – HCT-Logistics
HCT has great potential to improve the logistic system. Few supply chains accounts for the main share of
the freight transported in the country (see Chapter 4). In addition to the purely goods-related conditions,
investments are also required in both vehicle and infrastructure technology. A HCT vehicle that fits 100
percent into the logistics system can be loaded, unloaded and moved throughout its geographical activity
space.
Innovation domain
HCT-Logistics - impact
Energy-efficiency
10 percent on
transport
The loading and unloading
techniques. Standard lengths on
load units, the design of vehicles
for easy loading /unloading and
standstill/idling/
Average
Mainly concerning
filling degrees
Co-modality, semitrailers, Filling
Degrees, optimized Trailer
Collaboration with other modes,
shipping, rail, air
Large:
interaction on their
shipment/transport
Infrastructure
capacity
Safety &
Security
Accuracy/Reliability
10 percent on
transport
Average: std
dimensions
and processes
?
?
Average: more
can fit on the
same surface
?
?
Access to the terminal. Hours,
reliability, security, parking
spaces
Very small
Small
Intelligent transport, ICT, RFID,
Very small
Small
Average:
increased
protection
Knowledge of
the location
and condition
Average:
increased
protection
Average: estimated
time of arrival
Average: estimated
time of arrival
Figure 5-8 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation domain HCT Logistics
Efficiency measures in the table above for innovation domain HCT Logistics are estimated from the impact
the innovation domain is expected to provide, they will be verified in projects and demonstrations.
Different projects and studies show varying results.
Subdomain 1 - Goods Owner's development of HCT
As shown in Section 4 (Demand and supply of HCT), there are several types of goods and transport
relations that could be suitable for HCT-transport. In most cases, the goods owner is the driving force in a
31
HCT-development based on goods group. So this is a typical bottom-up domain where HCT can be used to
streamline existing flows of goods which are not considered "standard". It may for example involve long
timber vehicles or heavy ore vehicles. In flows where it’s not necessary to load different types of goods
(consolidate), HCT vehicles works without adaptation. For example, timber, ore, and other commodities
on transport relations with more vehicles per day, e.g. trailers with cargo between terminals or containers
from the port or rail. In flows that require additional loading (between goods owners, freight forwarders,
cargo types or over time in stock) to fill a HCT vehicle, it is expected that HCT will get a smaller market
share.
Because of heterogeneity between the goods it is difficult to generalize such impacts and effects of the
introduction of HCT on goods category level. Each case needs to be evaluated individually to some extent.
A prerequisite for substantial development in this segment is that there are routines and tools for
licensing and monitoring (presumably digital surveillance/access control as IAP).
Identified groups are (from Section 4):




Ores and other products from mining dominated by fill material (soil, rock, sand). Vehicle mileage
is low (short-range) which means that the road network is probably local (often municipal). There
is a great HCT potential here, especially if you look at the quantity of goods that despite the low
mileage, still generates 7 percent of the total transports.
Food, beverages and tobacco are as general cargo standing for a large share of transport in the
country - regardless parameter. The low proportion of empty running (even for general cargo) can
be an indicator of a high degree of planning and control of flows and related activities. HCT
vehicles could streamline this segment further, mainly due to the large volume of goods. This
indicates that it is possible to identify sufficient flows on certain relations.
The large amount of cargo belonging to Products of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, together
with the high transport and traffic work and the relatively low amount of transports (7 percent of
the transports) shows that transports are done by large vehicles with big loads that drives long
distances. The fact that timber transports, which constitute the majority of the goods in the
group, is suitable for HCT has already been proven in the ETT-project, but these transports are
often on minor roads which can be a problem.
In the same way as timber, the group Wood and goods of wood and cork (except furniture)
consist of large, long flows, in this case primarily of wood chips, paper and sawn timber. Again,
minor roads can become relevant.
The flow anatomy differs between the goods. What might be the best (or most common) practice for one
good is often the opposite for another. Today we can see the large, specialized, vehicle fleets that are
optimized to handle a few or even one-off goods types. Timber, ore, concrete, petroleum and waste are
some examples of vehicles where the specialization is very prominent.
Subdomain 2 Transporters’ development of HCT
For other types of goods, it may be the load carrier itself, or the transport unit (trailer), which is
specialized. A standard traction unit coupled to a specialized trailer.
General cargo and grouped goods are placed high regardless of the parameter being studied. These
goods belong to the transport sector. Large parts of the national flow of general cargo are handled by
forwarding companies in large terminal networks. These operators are likely to have a significant
potential to increase internal efficiency (transportation between terminals) using HCT.
Type of transport refers to different combinations of vehicles/ and transport activities, such as
distribution services, long-distance, direct transport, FTL, LTL, etc. It is the transporters’ classification that
is used here and exactly what kind of goods vehicles are laden with is not considered relevant. It may for
example involve a shipper whose terminal network linked by bidirectional direct relations, or a
32
transporter transporting containers to and from a port or rail terminal.
In this bottom-up segments HCT can help increase the efficiency of existing flows of cargo units (e.g.
containers or trailers). A network operator often needs to position empty unit loads (due to geographical
imbalances). A long vehicle combination (duo trailer) that despite this doesn’t weigh more than 60 tonnes
for example, would be able to save an unnecessary empty runs.
Variations in transport volumes between terminals in a forwarding terminal network often results in
double combinations are not filled. Instead of running with partially filled double or single combinations,
it can be advantageous to use double combinations so they take two trailers, but to different terminals.
15 -20 years ago, a number of studies were done on how best to run a terminal network with double
combinations. Even Kinnarps has extensive experience of double combinations in Sweden. In the USA, JB
Hunt's successful creation and phenomenal growth with the help of double combinations, intermodal
transport and an innovative information system for planning and controlling trailers, tractors, dollies and
drivers is a role model.
Since HCT-vehicles cannot run everywhere it requires switching terminals, e.g. outside cities, at border
crossings or where the HCT network ends and where the last part of the journey is not permitted. It is
necessary to investigate solutions for ownership and business models for the switching terminals. These
could be combined with safe parking for the mandatory rest periods, driver changes, restaurants or
transhipment terminal for city distribution. Since even a trailer of 13.6 m may be too long for some city
centres it may be considered to test vehicles with shorter (and therefore more) modules that add up to
30-35 m, for example, triple or quadruple combinations with separable trailers. In other cases it may be
appropriate with loose goods carriers that slide or rolled onto a vehicle with fixed platforms, preferably
with electric or hybrid drive for city distribution.
A change from the current 24/25 m and 60-tonnes vehicles with flatbed and trailer to move without
flatbed with two or more trailers or carts are expected to result in a restructuring of the transport
industry. The number of transporters with tractors only is increasing and most trailers and dollies can be
expected to be owned by freight forwarders, special trailer rentals or pools. The tractor market is today
considered very competitive with close to perfect competition, where prices are close to marginal cost,
unlike vehicles with fixed platforms tailored to specific goods, which are more often oligopolies like the
shipping industry.
Milestones and development within the Innovation Domain HCT Logistics
2015

2020

Sufficient knowledge exists about HCT-vehicle impact on the transport system (system effects)
The HCT market is growing in Sweden. Most new highway vehicles are HCT-vehicles and the new
PBS framework agreed on in 2017 take effect.
HCT Logistics
Period:
Action
Stakeholders
2013
Business community,
Dialogue with business community: Initiate dialogue
with potential business partners based on the product CLOSER, Trafikverket
and research
groups and regions identified as interesting
institutions
2013
Further studies on the systemic effects of the
introduction of HCT
2013
Improved data collection and statistics on existing
heavy vehicle combinations
CLOSER, Trafikverket,
academy
Research institutions
and Trafikanalys
33
2014
Large-scale pilots incl. evaluation in several different
industries e.g. freight forwarding, food, construction
and agriculture. IAP is a key technology which during
the year is integrated with existing vehicle computer
systems
Stakeholders in
collaboration
2014
Evaluation of systemic effects HCT
CLOSER, Trafikverket,
academy
2015
New, simpler regulations in place to enable local and
regional HCT initiative on short notice. IAP or similar
system is a requirement
Infrastructure owners
and supervisory
2015
A series of pilots are evaluated
Various actors
Figure 5-9 Measures in the innovation domain HCT Logistics
5.4 HCT Vehicle Combinations
In the innovation domain HCT Vehicle Combinations there are three main areas that need further
development:



Custom vehicle combinations for three types of transport in relation to transport assignment, total
weight and cargo volume (cubic meters or load meter, i.e. pallet spaces or square meters).
Performance Based Standards covering new methods and models to develop and certify HCT vehicles
adapted for its transport services in accordance with the regulations that need to be developed (see
5.5).
Intelligent Access Program which includes vehicle development to support the communication and
reporting to the authorities regarding the HCT-vehicle’ weight, position, speed, etc.
Effects on the target variables are summarized in the table below.
Innovation domain – HCT Vehicle
Combinations
Custom vehicle combinations for HCT
transport
Energy-efficiency
Infrastructure
capacity
Safety &
Security
Accuracy/Relia
bility
Large: increased
mileage per vehicle
Average: fewer
vehicles
Small
Small
Heavy HCT (80-90 tonnes)
20 percent of
transport
Average: fewer
vehicles
Small
Small
Average heavy HCT (70-80 tonnes)
20 percent of
transport
Average: fewer
vehicles
Small
Small
Volume HCT (60-70 tonnes)
20 percent of
transport
Average: fewer
vehicles
Small
Small
Small:
reduction of
infrastructure
wear
Large
(safety)
Large
Large
Small
Average
Performance Based Standards
Average
Less weight
Average
Intelligent Access Program
Support for ecodriving
Figure 5-10 Impact on targets 2030 - Innovation domain HCT Vehicle Combinations
Efficiency measures in the table for Innovation domain HCT Vehicle Combinations above are estimates of
the impact the innovation domain is expected to provide, will be verified in projects and demonstrations.
Different projects and studies show varying results.
34
State of the art and on-going activities
Skogforsk initiated in 2006 a project aimed at the development of transport and increased gross weights
to reduce the total number of timber transport in Sweden and consequently reduce diesel consumption,
carbon dioxide emissions and other emissions. The project was named ETT (One More Stack3). The basic
idea was to extend a timber vehicle so that it could take four stacks instead of the usual three. The
finished ETT vehicle is 30 meters long and has a gross weight of 90 tonnes.
The project was supplemented six months later with a subproject named ST (Larger Stacks) where timber
vehicles were combined in a way that increases the transported payload, but stays within the current
regulations for vehicle length and axle load. The ST system uses two different timber vehicles. One is a 4axle boom truck with a trailer, and a tractor with link and trailer. Since both boom truck and tractor with
load have a gross weight of 74 tonnes it required that Trafikverket provided dispensation for driving the
vehicles on public roads.
All vehicles tested in this project are equipped with axle load meters, alcolocks and computer systems
that allow real-time analysis of the transport. The project has been oprerated in extensive cooperation
between some 30 different companies and government agencies. ETT vehicle today runs 65-tonnes loads
between Överkalix and Piteå. ST vehicles started up runs in Dalsland, Bohuslän and Värmland in August
2009. Since its launch, the vehicle productivity and consumption have been followed up by studies and
surveys.
Another starting point is the on-going project where general cargo in transport services between
Gothenburg and Malmö runs with a duo-trailer combination at 32 m and 80 tonnes maximum gross
weight. The experience is very positive and the project's targets of reducing environmental impact (-15
percent CO2/m3km) and increased transport efficiency (+40 percent/m3km) appears to be met.
A summary of the Swedish experiences with various vehicle combinations shows that the transport
efficiency and energy efficiency increases with HCT combinations which naturally also reduces the
environmental impact of HCT transport, see the table below. It also reduces road wear due to fewer
vehicles for the same mileage and lower axle loads. The cost of road wear is considered to be
proportional to the axle weight raised to the fourth power.
Vehicle
type
Max
total
weight
tonnes
Max
payload
tonnes
Tareweight
Length
m
European
standard:
16,5m
40
25
25.25 m
standard
Sweden,
Finland
60
37,5
22,5
25.25
ETT of
round
wood, 30
m
90
65
25
DUO2:
80
48
32
tonnes
Diesel
consumption
Litre/max
tonnes-km
Litre/10 km
tonnes-km
(2700 g/l
diesel)
15
16,5
0,0148
l/tonnes-km
40 g CO2
3,7
4,8
0,0128
l/tonnes-km
30
6,2
32
5,3
(44)
2 trailers,
32 m
Number Max.
of axles weight
per
axle
4
10
(5)
(8,8)
35 g CO2
7
8,57
0,0095
l/tonnes-km
26 g CO2
11
8,18
0,0110
l/tonnes-km
30 g CO2
11
7,27
Figure 5-11 Performance of various vehicle combinations
3
gCO2/max
http://www.skogforsk.se/en/Research/Logistics/ETT/Project-ETT-One-More-Stack-/
35
The next step in the on-going work will be to build and demonstrate more vehicles to get more
experience from new logistic solutions for timber transports from forest to industry and in other major
types of goods and goods flows. The demonstrations relate to both direct road and combined timber
transport on road and rail. It is also important to gain more experience on how the system works in the
everyday traffic environment at a large-scale.
In order to draw conclusions and to contribute to the technological development, a minimum critical
mass of test vehicles is needed. Today there are over 2.000 timber vehicles in Sweden and the proposed
25 test vehicles constitute about 1 percent of them. A corresponding number of test vehicles will be
required for other important types of goods and flows.
On the advice of Trafikverket it is now proposed that some regions may provide demonstration areas for
the ETT project's modular concept to show how this can work in a variety of transport and supply
systems.
Subdomain 1: Customised combinations for HCT-transport
The target of the HCT vehicle combination field is for various supply chains and geographies to
demonstrate the use of so-called High Capacity Transport (HCT). These "Demonstrators" should
contribute to rapid knowledge and building up experience related to environmental, economic and road
safety consequences by the use of HCT. The purpose is also to disseminate knowledge about the use of
these vehicles among the general public and to the authorities and politicians.
Demonstration of heavy vehicles associated with HCT-transport on the existing road network will be using
modern vehicle technology to create more energy efficient, and therefore, more environmentally friendly
transport with lower carbon emissions. The field should also contribute to the development of basis for
decision for future regulations and the introduction of HCT vehicles commercially.
Furthermore, the development of HCT-vehicles will drive teh development of innovative solutions to
minimize impacts on infrastructure such as by retractable axles, adapted driving (en- and disengaged),
aerodynamics, rolling resistance, etc. for various transport tasks and further development of driver
support to be able to reverse with a combination of several trailers. This development will benefit the
vehicle development, including non-HCT vehicles.
The HCT concept is the key driver for greater adaptation of vehicle combinations to its transport
assignments, i.e. create more tailored and efficient transports. This in turn requires that the supplier
clusters involved in development and production of parts, accessories and trailers are. We see a need to
develop HCT combinations designed for light and limited volume goods to supplement combinations for
weight restricted goods such as ETT combination for timber. These volume-optimized combinations
should be able to carry 60 tonnes total weight with a load volume of 200 m3.
In between, there is requirement for further development of other combinations that specialize in
general cargo and part loads, similar to the on-going trial with DUO2-combinations. Another field of HCT
is e.g. container transport to and from ports with custom vehicles for twin 40-foot (45) containers. The
figure below summarizes the types of transport combination to be covered in a national HCT program.
36
Figure 5-12 Custom combinations of HCT-transport
HCT will also cause challenges for the design and development of terminals and other supporting
infrastructure around the HCT-vehicles, such as the facilities for loading and unloading, accessibility, “last
mile” and manoeuvring capabilities. The link to efficient logistics solutions that ensure load factors and
controlled empty runs, etc. is addressed in section 6.3.
Subdomain 2: Performance Based Standards (PBS)
PBS will require the development of methods and models to enable a safe and as cost-effective
production of vehicle combinations adapted to their respective transport tasks. Authorities and vehicle
manufacturers along with other suppliers of parts, accessories and trailers must agree on standards and
design parameters that meet the security, stability and infrastructure impacts. HCT will not be
implemented on a broad scale without a "blue print" – an approach where a number of standardized HCT
combinations are approved for traffic on designated roads, without every single vehicle combination has
to undergo time-consuming and costly regulation processes, e.g. require stability test pilots on a test
track. Investigation, evaluation and possible development of existing software for this purpose must be
included in the further development of the HCT program. Experience from Australia indicates that the
time and costs for the approval of HCT-combinations is crucial for the transporters’ ability to exploit the
efficiency potential of vehicle combinations that are better adapted to its transport services. Much work
must be done to identify these effective vehicle combinations, developing/modifying "combination types"
and validate these with simulation software and supporting driving tests on the test track. The HCT
program should be able to gain experience in relation to stability and infrastructure wear from
"combination types" documented and tested in other countries, such as Australia and The Netherlands.
PBS also brings extensive regulatory developments, which is described more in detail in section 5.5.
Subdomain 3: Intelligent Access Program (IAP)
Although IAP as described in section 5.2 will require a coordinated vehicle development and
standardization to reduce costs and possible technical barriers allowing for a faster and wider
implementation. Vehicle manufacturers along with the authorities and service providers have the
opportunity to jointly develop IAP functionality both on telematics required on the vehicles and for the
required “back office” software for service providers. The requirements for information between vehicles
– service providers - authority must be clarified as to which parameters are to be included, frequency of
37
transmission, data quality, protection against fraud, data security, privacy, etc. Also business models and
costs for different parties in the system need to be explored in order to support the introduction. One
field in which IAP is relatively underdeveloped in existing models is the interaction between the
infrastructure owner, transporter and vehicle/driver. Current systems such as in Australia are built only as
"black-box" monitoring for authorities.
Milestones and development within the Innovation Domain HCT Vehicle Combinations
2015:
 Identified, secured and planned for a number of selected HCT combination types covering all
three HCT-application areas - volume-dependent, medium heavy and heavy transports - for more
tailored and efficient transports.
 Permission granted for new pilot: Fifteen 74-tonnes and ten 90-tonnes timber vehicles have
received official authorization to be tested in operation on a dozen locations across Sweden.
Additional 5-10 HCT vehicles with different designs suitable for light and medium heavy freight
transport services, as well as container transports are included in the pilots.
 PBS evaluation conducted and proposed Swedish adaptation has been presented.
2020:
 Large-scale (<500 vehicles) pilots in all three HCT combination types combined with PBS tests of
regulations and IAP monitoring. On-going subprojects have been evaluated and confirmed in both
benefits and public acceptance with regard to road safety, which is the basis for expanded pilots
with HCT combinations.
HCT Vehicle
Combinations
Actions
Stakeholders
Period:
2013
Continued pilots with custom HCT combinations
initiated (ETT, DUO2, ETTdemoX, Scania double
OEM and other actors
trailer, Ett Coil Till, Flistugg, Jula kombi, Stora Enso)
2014
Identifying HCT combination types
OEM, FFI, transporters
2014
PBS testing of existing HCT combinations
OEM, The Swedish Transport
Agency
2014
Pilot IAP with OEM boxes
OEM + authorities
2015
Plan pre-development and certification of a
selected number of HCT combination types
CLOSER, Trafikverket, The
Swedish Transport Agency and
OEM
2015
PBS evaluation and proposals for Swedish
adaptation
OEM, The Swedish Transport
Agency, and Trafikverket
2017-2020
2020-2030
Large-scale (<500 vehicles) demonstration in all
three HCT combination types combined with PBS
test of regulations and IAP monitoring
Commercial introduction of a number of approved
combination types based on PBS regulatory and
commercially functioning IAP operational and
integrated with authorities
Figure 5-13 Measures in the innovation domain HCT Vehicles Equipage
Authorities, OEM, transporters,
service providers
Authorities, OEM, transporters,
service providers
38
5.5 Domain – Regulations
Innovation domain
Regulations - impact
Night distribution 
Avoid stop and go
driving, lanes and
junctions
Night transports 
Avoid stop and go
driving, lanes and
junctions
Energyefficiency
Infrastructure
capacity
0 to 10
percent of
transport
Large:
Significantly
less stops if
allowed
Large:
Transports
dispersed all
over the day
Large:
Significantly
less stops if
allowed
Large:
Transports
dispersed all
over the day
Infrastructure
using
Safety &
Security
0 to 5 percent
of transport
0 to 1
percent of
transport
0 to 1 percent of
transport
Small
Large: for goods
owner
Small
Large: for goods
owner
Small to
medium:
Transports
dispersed all
over the day
Small to
medium:
Transports
dispersed all
over the day
Accuracy/Reliability
Figure 5-14 Impact on targets for 2030 - Innovation domain regulations
Efficiency measures in the table above estimates the impact the innovation domain Regulations is
expected to have, will be verified in projects and demonstrations. Different projects and studies show
varying results.
Subdomain 1 - The future vehicle regulations
The Basic regulations at the EU level are found in the Directive 96/53/EC. In Sweden it is Chapter 4 of the
Traffic Ordinance (1998:1276) that regulates weight and dimensions of motor vehicles and coupled
vehicles (Weight Chapter 4. § 11-14, Width Chapter 4. § 15 and Length Chapter 4. 17 and 17a §). The road
network is divided into three classes of carrying capacity. Maximum allowable width is 260 cm, length 24
m (25.25 in some cases) and maximum gross weight is 60 tonnes (Class 1 roads). Trafikverket has
authorization in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Ordinance to allow traffic with heavier, wider or longer vehicles in
some cases. The municipalities and the regions of Trafikverket can in some cases also authorize (chapter
13.) and allow exemptions to the weight and dimension regulations.
Future fields of research
It is important to analyse the laws, regulations, and policies which need to be changed if we are to allow
HCT-vehicles on the Swedish road network and other infrastructure.
PBS (Performance Based Standards) where you look at the vehicle characteristics and their impact on
traffic safety and infrastructure and not its exact dimensions, is an important foundation for future
regulations. PBS is used in Australia. This has prompted a new project to see how their system can be
used in Sweden and also what we need to change and add.
Subdomain 2 - Future systems of levies and taxes related to road vehicles
From 1st of January 2011 the tax is levied at the same rate regardless of which of the environmental
classes the vehicle belongs (EU minimum levels). If the vehicle tax exceeds 3,600 SEK a year, it is split up
and charged in three payments over the year.
The amount of tax due is based on a number of factors. The following factors may influence the level of
tax:
• Vehicle category
• Tax weight
• Fuels
• Carbon emissions
39
•
•
•
•
•
Number of axles
Coupling
Municipality of residence
Usage
Environmental class
The three most important additions to the vehicle category are presented below:
1. Tax Weight
The vehicle’s tax weight is the factor that is used in the calculation. What the tax weight consist of varies
depending on the vehicle category. For passenger cars, the tax weight is the vehicle's weight. For light
trucks and trailers the tax-weight is the vehicle's total weight, i.e. service weight + payload. The indication
of a vehicle’s weight tax is on the registration certificate.
2. Number of axles
A vehicle's number of axles affect the vehicle tax. A vehicle can have between one and five axles.
3. COUPLING
The type of coupling between heavy trucks and trailers affects the taxation of the vehicle. Examples of
couplings: turntable, loop or hitch.
Below there are a number of examples on how it works today and the amount of tax for the vehicle
combinations:
Tractor - 2 axles and towing up to 18 tonnes mass has a tax of 7.200, - per year, 3-axles, over 18 tonnes
have a tax of 9.500,- per year combined with a toll where the tax is determined by the vehicle's total
weight and does the vehicle have a hitch besides the turntable, the tax becomes higher. The toll is
10.591,- per year.
Truck - about 600,- in taxes plus toll. Trucks with no pulling device has a toll of is 6.300,- per year and
trucks with pulling devices 10.591,- per year.
Dolly – has a fixed tax of approximately 12.000,- per year (this amount varies a lot).
Semitrailer - tax free
Trailer - 4-axles, the tax is 14.300,- per year (as an example).
Toll for trucks
Toll is levied on trucks with a gross weight of 12 tonnes or trucks with a gross weight of 7 tonnes fitted
with a pulling device. The toll has to be paid for the truck or vehicle combination in order to be allowed on
the Swedish roads. In return a vehicle owner does not have to pay toll in other countries in the toll
cooperation: Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
On top of the vehicle tax and tolls, fuel tax is added which is generally increasing and is directly linked to
the consumption of fuel. Generally speaking, the system of the vehicle tax is designed so that a Swedish
domestic combination of truck and trailer is about the same vehicle tax as an EMS vehicle by truck, dolly
and trailer. Thus, a certain load capacity has a similar vehicle tax regardless of the combination of units.
Similarly, a trailer has about the same vehicle tax as a dolly with a trailer.
Future charges
Trailers are tax-free in all countries. The tax is applied to the pulling unit (truck/tractor) and the fuel is
taxed where it is consumed. The problem is that trucks coming in from other countries with full tanks to
e.g. Sweden, reduces tax revenue since the fuel is not bought where it is consumed, and the wear and
tear on the infrastructure is not coupled to the fuel tax. In Norway you are allowed to bring in 200 litres of
fuel, and if you have more fuel you have to pay fuel tax for it.. Taxes should focus on consumption, i.e.,
higher fuel taxes provide incentives to create more efficient vehicles - you go from a fixed to a variable
tax, which is a prerequisite for efficiency improvements in the system.
The most common way of collecting congestion charges and tolls for roads and bridges are with active
40
RFID transponders or photographing license plates, which require expensive tolling portals at the access
roads. However new systems via Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as GPS/mobile phone
based become more common, like the Maut, which was introduced in Germany in 2005.
Milestones and development within the Innovation Domain Regulations
2015


A final presentation of the laws, rules and regulations etc. that must be changed
Proposals for a Swedish PBS system
2020


Permanent regulations concerning HCT with PBS and IAP is implemented
There are regulations that allows the HCT vehicles on the Swedish road network, also including
vehicles approved by PBS
For higher gross weights of individual combinations there is a faster regulation process
TCS (Transportation Compliance Sweden) has been established with similar mission as TCA
(Transport Compliance Australia). Either as an independent agency or a department of the
existing authority.


2030

TCS has developed into TCE (Transport Certification Europe) and is the EU's certification that sells
their services to EU countries incl. Sweden, to ensure that data with high quality is collected in
order to monitor that e.g. national and regional laws and regulations in the transport sector are
followed
The legislation allows higher axle load and additional higher gross weight and driverless vehicles

Regulations
Action
Stakeholders
2013
Review of the existing PBS launched
VTI, The Swedish Transport
Agency, Trafikverket and OEM
2013
Project for rules on platooning begins
The Swedish Transport Agency
2014
The review of what changes are needed in laws
and regulations to allow HCT vehicles is ready
The Swedish Transport Agency
and Trafikverket
2015
Proposal for Swedish PBS's
VTI/Trafikverket
Test regulations for HCT with PBS and the IAP
Trafikverket and The Swedish
Transport Agency
Permanent regulations HCT with PBS and IAP
determined
Trafikverket, The Swedish
Transport Agency
We have a law that allows higher gross weight
than the current on a designated road network
The Swedish Transport Agency
and Trafikverket
Period:
2016
2017
2016-2020
Figure 5-15 Measures in the Innovation Domain Regulations
5.6 HCT and road safety
There are concerns among scientists, the public and politicians that longer and heavier vehicle
combinations would be a safety risk in relation to overtaking and this has been and is a discussion when
comparing vehicles 18.75 m long with 25.25 m long vehicles. The few attempts we had so far in Sweden
with HCT-vehicles, i.e. up to 32 m long, has also given rise to such a discussion.
41
The truth is that nobody knows. There is no empirical evidence that there is a relationship between
vehicle size and safety risks. In Australia, where they have the most experience in HCT-vehicle risks have
not increased according to available statistics.
At the same time, if you calculate the number of accidents per unit of goods transported, it is expected
that the risk of accident will be reduced due to a decreased number of vehicles.
Prior to the introduction of HCT in Sweden, it is important to create conditions for an equally high degree
of safety for HCT-vehicles as for today's 25.25 m and 18.75 m long vehicles. Only with such a forceful and
proactive approach, we can ensure a successful introduction.
It is also important to take the public's attitudes and possible concerns seriously. In order to investigate
the potential safety risks of the HCT-vehicles Trafikverket has already initiated a special program with
SAFER/VTI as coordinators. The "Road Safety Impact of High Capacity Transport and Compensatory
Measures" is scheduled to run between 2013 and 2016. More about this program see Chapter 13, Annex:
HCT and road safety.
6
Proposals for action
Below are reported in chronological order all the proposed measures in the various domains of
innovation.
Period:
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
Action
Dialogue with the business community
on priority roads
Dialogue with other modes of transport
on the expansion of terminals and HCT
rail for intermodal HCT
IAP Pilot: Provide the first 3, then 25 test
vehicles with IAP boxes
Simulate the planned Swedish IAP system
- from Australia.
Test ITS (V2I, V2V) communication
services
Dialogue with business community:
Initiate dialogue with potential business
partners based on the product groups
and regions identified as interesting
Further studies on the systemic effects of
the introduction of HCT
Improved data collection and statistics
on existing heavy vehicle combinations
Continued pilots with custom HCT
combinations initiated (ETT, DUO2,
ETTdemoX, Scania double trailer, Ett Coil
Till, Flistugg, Jula kombi, Stora Enso)
Review of the existing PBS launched
2013
Project for rules on platooning begins
2014
Bridges: List of critical bridges that need
to be strengthened is completed
Stakeholders
Business Community, Trafikverket
CLOSER, Trafikverket and research
institutions
Lund’s Univ., IAP Service Prov.,
Trafikverket, The Swedish Transport
Agency, CLOSER, Volvo, Scania and other
actors
TCA
OEM, Trafikverket, ITS business
Business community, CLOSER,
Trafikverket and research institutions
CLOSER, Trafikverket, academy
Research institutions and Trafikanalys
OEM and other actors
VTI, The Swedish Transport Agency,
Trafikverket and OEM
The Swedish Transport Agency
Trafikverket
42
Period:
2014
2014
Action
Stakeholders
Other infrastructure: Study on the need
Trafikverket, terminal owners (shippers,
for changes required in other
ports, etc.), gas station owners and
infrastructure beyond roads is completed
municipalities
IAP processes moved to Sweden. 200
vehicles
Lund’s Univ., TCA and IAP Service Prov.
2014
Large-scale pilots incl. evaluation in
several different industries e.g. freight
forwarding, food, construction and
agriculture. IAP is a key technology which Stakeholders in collaboration
during the year is integrated with existing
vehicle computer systems
2014
Evaluation of systemic effects HCT
CLOSER, Trafikverket, academy
2014
Identifying HCT combination types
OEM, FFI, transporters
2014
PBS testing of existing HCT combinations
OEM, The Swedish Transport Agency
2014
Pilot IAP with OEM boxes
OEM + authorities
2014
2015
2015
2015
2015
2015
2015
2015
2015
2015
2016
2016
2016
2016
2017
2017
The review of what changes are needed
in laws and regulations to allow HCT
vehicles is ready
Proposed infrastructure for intermodal
HCT
New IAP services are developed:
configuration, weight, safety
Evaluation IAP pilot, proposed
adaptation
Enhanced driver support: Warnings, ECO
driving
New, simpler regulations in place to
enable local and regional HCT initiative
on short notice. IAP or similar system is a
requirement
A series of pilots are evaluated
Plan pre-development and certification of
a selected number of HCT combination
types
PBS evaluation and proposals for
Swedish adaptation
Proposal for Swedish PBS's
Transport Certification Sweden (TCS) is
set up
Full IAP pilot. <500 vehicles
Test of flows in Green Corridors and
platooning
Test regulations for HCT with PBS and
the IAP
Infrastructure and regulations for
intermodal HCT for step 1 is ready
Commercial IAP system integrated with
authorities
The Swedish Transport Agency and
Trafikverket
Pilots with intermodal HCT
OEM, Lund’s Univ. and IAP Service Prov.
CLOSER etc.
OEM
Infrastructure owners and supervisory
Various actors
CLOSER, Trafikverket, The Swedish
Transport Agency and OEM
OEM, The Swedish Transport Agency, and
Trafikverket
VTI/Trafikverket
The Swedish Transport Agency
Lund’s Univ., TCA, IAP Service Prov.
OEM, Trafikverket, ITS business
Trafikverket and The Swedish Transport
Agency
Trafikverket
IAP Service Prov. and Transport
Certification SE
43
Period:
2017
2017
2016-2020
2016-2020
2016-2020
2016-2020
2017-2020
2018-2030
2020-2030
2021-2030
2021-2030
Action
Development of IAP 2.0 - joint
commence AU-SE
Permanent regulations HCT with PBS and
IAP determined
HCT roads: A designated national road
network can handle higher gross weight
than current
Other infrastructure: Other infrastructure
along designated roads are adapted to
HCT-vehicles
Last mile: "Last mile access" dialogue
with municipalities in progress
We have a law that allows higher gross
weight than the current on a designated
road network
Large-scale (<500 vehicles)
demonstration in all three HCT
combination types combined with PBS
test of regulations and IAP monitoring
Research, development and
implementation of several generations of
ITS to include platooning and driverless
vehicles
Commercial introduction of a number of
approved combination types based on
PBS regulatory and commercially
functioning IAP operational and
integrated with authorities
Stakeholders
ITS business, TCA, TCS,
Trafikverket, The Swedish Transport
Agency
Trafikverket
Trafikverket, terminal owners (shippers,
ports, etc.), gas station owners and
municipalities
Trafikverket and municipalities
The Swedish Transport Agency and
Trafikverket
Authorities, OEM, transporters, service
providers
OEM, service providers and authorities
Authorities, OEM, transporters, service
providers
HCT multimodal: A designated network
of green multimodal corridors with HCT
vehicles for all modes and nodes with
integrated control of goods and vehicles Trafikverket
for both parallel and sequential transport
chains in the same logistic relations
HCT roads: The designated state roads
that can handle higher axle weights and
additional higher gross weight are
expanded
Trafikverket
Figure 6-1 Proposed actions
7
Socio-economic benefits of HCT
One of the starting points for the work of this roadmap has been that the introduction of HCT should be
done to the extent where it is optimal for society at large. The market demand for HCT primarily depends
on how profitable it is for companies that purchase transport or the transporters to switch to HCT-based
transport. Lower transport costs, improved competitiveness in certain industrial sectors and regions. The
transportation sector's interest in developing HCT vehicles depends on e.g. how profitable sales of such
vehicles are expected to be internationally with help from the Swedish market. For the infrastructure
44
providers HCT means that the need for investment in capacity building, for example, bottlenecks in large
cities and some major highways decreases, while increasing in the load-bearing areas, such as bridges. It
also means that the capacity of the road transport can be used in a more cost and energy efficient way. A
sudden increase in demand for transportation can be met without further infrastructure development.
Traffic, road wear, energy requirements, emissions and accidents are affected both positively and
negatively, depending on how HCT is developed. This chapter presents a rough estimate of the economic
effects, as well as an attempt to assess whether the introduction of HCT is socio-economically viable or
not.
7.1 Reference framework for cost-benefit analysis of the introduction to HTC
roads
Figure 7-1 Peer relationships in a cost-benefit analysis of HCT. Read the chart from the green square.
Alan McKinnon4 has made a compilation of a large number of cost/benefit analysis of the introduction of
longer and heavier vehicles than are currently allowed. Most of these relate to an increase from 18.75 m
to 25,25 m in any EU country. His conclusion is that sooner or later the politicians both at EU and national
level is likely to accept the fact that few other measures in the transport sector provides equally large
productivity effects and environmental benefits than an increase in the maximum weights and
dimensions of trucks. McKinnon use the above figure to show the relationship that is usually analysed in
these studies. The solid black lines in the diagram represent the beneficial effects of HCT, while the
dashed lines show negative effects. Unfortunately there is no impact on infrastructure investment, road
maintenance and also the competitiveness and growth of industrial sectors and regions. Neither does
McKinnon make a dynamic analysis between e.g. the introduction phase and a stationary state.
4
Alan McKinnon. Improving the Sustainability of Road Freight Transport by Relaxing Truck Size and Weight
Restrictions. Chapter in Evangelista, McKinnon, Sweeney and Esposito (editors). Supply Chain Innovation for
Competing in Highly Dynamic Markets: Challenges and Solutions, IGI, Hershey PA 2012
45
7.2 WSP calculating the economic benefits HTC 2030
WSP has been commissioned by CLOSER to conduct a socio-economic analysis based on the data the
Roadmap gives. WSP’s starting point was Traffic analysis5 statistics showing that in 2011 the transport
work done by the Swedish registered trucks was at 33.4 billion tonnes-km, while driving about 2.4 billion
vehicle kilometres (traffic work) in Sweden. 87 percent of the transport was performed by vehicles with a
maximum laden weight of over 30 tonnes and most of them had seven axles. In the analysis a review was
done on the differences between conventional and HCT vehicles with respect to capacity, fill ratio, empty
runs, transport efficiency, transport economy (financial cost adjusted by deduction of certain taxes and
fees), road wear, traffic safety, travel time delay for other road users and emissions incl. greenhouse
gases. Data was collected from the on-going tests of HCT vehicles and the methodology from ASEK 56. This
scenario assumes that all shipments of timber and 5 percent of other goods’ traffic work (vehicle
kilometres) will be performed by HCT vehicles instead of conventional vehicles in 2030. This represents a
market share for HCT at 11.35 percent of the total vehicle kilometres. If we instead look at transport in
tonnes-km it corresponds to the transfer 4,925 billion tonnes-km or 14.74 percent of total transport
carried out in Sweden by Swedish registered trucks. Trucks providing transport within Sweden but
registered in other countries, the so-called cabotage is not included.
The total socio-economic benefit is obtained by summing up the cost savings for all expense categories.
The following table shows the costs and savings expected to arise if about 11.35 percent of the traffic
done by conventional vehicles in 2015, instead is performed by HCT vehicles in 2030. Traffic growth has
not been taken into account.
Conventional
Transport economy
HCT
Cost (benefit)
Improvement
(percent)
2,618
1,993
625
23,9percent
Road wear
Traffic safety
97
182
66
122
32
60
33,0percent
33,0percent
Emissions
696
578
118
17,0percent
3,593
2,759
834
23,2percent
Total
Figure 7-2 Summary of the analysis result if 11.35 percent vehicle kilometres are done by HCT vehicles in 2030 (mio. SEK m in
2010 prices)
The transports conducted with conventional vehicles for doing 11.35 percent of all vehicle kilometres
costs society 3,593 million SEK. If they were performed by HCT vehicles the costs for society would be
only 2,759 million SEK, i.e. a cost reduction of 834 million SEK or 23.2 percent. The HCT vehicles only drive
186 mio. vehicle kilometres, compared to the conventional vehicles’ 275 mio. vehicle kilometres , i.e. a 33
percent reduction in traffic. Note that the business administrative cost reduction is at 24 percent and
even higher if fuel taxes are included. This provides a great incentive for transporters to invest in HCT
vehicles and goods owners to require HCT transport. Provided that taxes do not distort competition and
contributions are set so they reflect the socio-economic costs of the different vehicle combinations. Note
that road wear is reduced by 1/3 due to lower axle load and also less weight per payload. The initial field
pilots (En Trave Till, DUO2 etc.) have reported significantly greater reductions in CO2 emissions than the
5
6
Traffic Analysis 2012, ”Lastbilstrafik 2011”. Statistik 2012:6.
Trafikverket 2012, ” Samhällsekonomiska principer och kalkylvärden för transportsektorn: ASEK 5”; Chapter 21.
46
17 percent in the WSP analysis. The cost of traffic accidents decreased proportionately with the reduction
in traffic work.
Expanded field pilots in different traffic situations are needed to determine the expected reduction in
CO2- emissions of a large scale introduction of HCT. If we as planned introduce IAP monitoring of HCT
vehicles we can expect further significant savings in reduced costs of road wear and accidents Even
emissions and transport economy can be improved if IAP boxes also are used for driver support for ecodriving.
Research shows that eco-driving (training and the introduction of commercial systems) reduces
environmental impact as much as 20-30 percent, but that the effects of eco-driving decreases after a
short period7. By using IAP boxes for both driver support, environmental monitoring and public reporting,
it creates strong incentives and conditions to reduce the long-term environmental impact of road
transport8).
Infrastructure investments usually have a 40 year lifetime on the investment and the costs and revenues
that occur yearly are discounted to the present to get the present value. The introduction of HCT is
assumed to have a linear growth starting in 2015. In 2030 it is assumed that HCT have replaced all timber
transports, and 5 percent of conventional transports’ traffic work. The market share is assumed to be
constant during the period 2030-2054. The present value of the economic benefits from replacing
conventional transports with HCT transports accumulated is over a 40 year period 12.71 billion SEK (at 3.5
percent interest), i.e. 1.12 billion per percent of market share of freight transports traffic work in 2030.
This means that the present value of the economic cost savings over 40 years will be 2.58 SEK per
tonnes-km moved from conventional vehicles to HCT vehicles. By dividing the present value of the tax
factor of 1.3 (used for infrastructure investments in the state budget) WSP found that the limit for
profitable investment is 10 billion SEK. This means that it is profitable to invest up to 10 billion SEK in the
Swedish road network in the near future, to enable a HCT share of 11.35 percent of the vehicle kilometres
driven in 2030.
7.3 Socio-economic benefits of HTC in timber haulage, terminal transport and
other transport
The three market segments: transportation of forest goods, transportation between terminals in the
route network and other transports has been further analysed. Starting with the WSP analysis’ data and
correlations, we have calculated the socio-economic benefits for both high and low levels of potential
market share for HCT in 2030 in the three market segments. To estimate the high and low share of HCT
2030 for these segments, we have used the analysis in Sections 5.3 and 5.4 and the experiences we have
received from HCT pilots so far.
Skogforsk has estimated that in 2004 the transport volume of pulpwood is 3.241 billion tonnes-km; timber
2.932 billion tonnes-km and fuel 0.400 billion tonnes-km, i.e. a total of 6.573 billion tonnes-km. This is
more than the 3.4 billion tonnes-km Traffic Analysis indicates for timber which was used in the WSP
analysis. In the future, one can expect greatly increased transports of fuel, i.e. grot, weak trees and
stumps for the production of bio-based fuels and energy. We will probably, strive for the use of HCT for
transportation of all types of forest goods, and in all places where it is possible. However, a considerable
7
Barkenbus, J. N. (2010), "Eco-driving: An overlooked climate change initiative", Energy Policy, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp.
762-769.
8
Sternberg, H., Stefansson, G., Westerberg, E., Boije af Gennäs, R., Allenström, E. and Linger Nauska, M. (2013),
"Applying a Lean Approach to Identify Waste in Motor Carrier Operations", International Journal of Productivity and
Performance Management, Vol. 62 No. 1, pp. 47-65.
47
proportion transported today at BK2 and BK3 roads that doesn’t even have bearing capacity for 60
tonnes. Therefore, the use of HCT will be limited even in 2030, as the cost of raising the bearing capacity
of these roads and bridges in many cases are too high compared to the benefits. Therefore, we have
assumed that maximum 50 percent of forest goods may be transported by HCT in 2030 compared to the
100 percent assumed in the WSP study. In the low scenario, we assume it is 25 percent.
Transport work for terminal transports was calculated by combining the goods groups general goods and
grouped goods (8 billion tonnes-km), Food, Beverages and Tobacco (5.4 billion tonnes-km), Wood, goods
of wood and cork (excluding furniture) (3 billion tonnes-km) and Mail and package (0.5 billion tonnes-km)
- for a total of 16.9 billion tonnes-km9 . These goods are already mainly grouped and trailer is the most
common transport mode. HCT with two trailers are therefore very attractive.
Most of the goods in this group are light volume goods that largely can be transported with double
trailers with a gross weight just above the current 60 tonnes and a length of over 30 meters. This requires
minor investments for example, there has to be room for these long vehicles before road and railway
crossings and there is need for a small number of reinforcements of bridges and viaducts. As a first stage
the motorway triangle Stockholm - Göteborg – Malmö could be opened for these double trailer vehicles,
which are split up to single trailer vehicles when leaving the HCT network. In subsequent stages, the
network could expand geographically, and be reinforced progressively for heavier weights. Given that
some goods in this segment has higher density and therefore require higher gross weights and double
trailer combinations must be split into two when leaving the HCT network, we assume a maximum market
share of 30 percent and a minimal share of 15 percent in 2030.
The segment other transports includes goods that doesn’t need to be loaded together in order to fully use
the HCT vehicles capacity e.g. ore, other minerals, construction work transports, oil and chemicals. But
also goods and geographical areas where HCT transport are not allowed or possible, for example city
distribution. Some of these goods can use the same network as the terminal transports, while others such
as the timber transports are using minor roads and specific routes. The assumed maximum market share
of this segment has been set very low, only 7 percent.
Forest raw materials
Terminal transports
Others
Total
Total 2011
mio. tonnes-km
6,573
17,298
9,529
33,400
Low share
HCT 2030
25.0percent
15.0percent
2.0percent
13.3percent
High share
HCT 2030
50.0percent
30.0percent
7.0percent
27.4percent
Figure 7-3 Transport work for the three market segments in 2011 and the adoption of high resp. low proportion of HCT 2030
By using the present value of the economic savings of SEK 2.58 per ton moved from conventional to
transport HCT 2030, accumulated over the period 2015-54, we have calculated the present value of cost
reductions for the three market segments as shown below.
9
Trafikanalys: Lastbilstrafik 2011
48
Total 2011
mio. tonnes-km
Cost
Low share HCT
mio. SEK 2030
Cost
High share HCT
mio. SEK 2030
Forest raw materials
6,573
4,239
8,478
Terminal transports
17,298
6,695
12,388
9,529
493
1,721
33,400
11,427
23,586
Others
Total
Figure 7-4 The present value of social benefits 2015-54 for the three market segments at high and a low proportion of HCT
2030 (million SEK in 2010 prices)
7.4 The introduction of HCT shifts the focus in investment in infrastructure
For infrastructure owners HCT reduces the need for investment in capacity building, for example,
bottlenecks in large cities and on some motorways can be delayed, while the investment in increasing
bearing capacity on e.g. bridges in many cases must be done before HCT vehicles can be allowed. The
effect of HCT gives around 20-30 percent more tonnes-km/year for each meter of roadway. Thus, there is
room for some increase in transport work, without increasing the traffic volume and without the need for
investments to increase capacity.
The experience in Australia is that after the introduction of continuously larger vehicles has absorbed the
increases in transport work, without increasing vehicle mileage and with a marginal increase in CO2
emissions. However, we have no information to whether this has led to the postponement of investment
to increase the capacity, nor if those freed investment funds has been used for investments to enable
more HCT vehicles. A reduced need for investments can be regarded as a socio-economic cost saving and
can be added to the other savings that we outlined in the previous section. Since the reduction of the
traffic volume is given as the main reason for the introduction of HCT, calculation methods and data
should be produced to quantify these savings.
A reduction of traffic also leads to less congestion and reduced travel times unless mileage increases.
However, the travel time for other road user can be extended if HCT vehicles accelerate slower or drive
more cautious in roundabouts compared to conventional vehicles. WSP assumed that these effects cancel
each other out.
As reported in section 5.1 subdomain 1, Trafikverket made an update of the 2009 study of the costs of
upgrading the bearing capacity on the designated road network: E4, E6, E18, E20, and highways 32, 40,
50, 55 and 56. An upgrade to 80 tonnes and 32 m is estimated to cost about 1.5 billion SEK and an
upgrade to 74 tonnes and 25.25 m about 2.1 billion. These designated routes should primarily be
considered for HCT transport between terminals for general cargo and grouped goods, which according to
the above calculation would be profitable if investment requirements are below 6.7 to 13.4 billion SEK.
The savings are about 5 times greater than the estimated investments cost and a sensitivity analysis
shows that the investment to 80 tonnes/32 m is profitable even if HCT only reach a market of 3.4 percent.
Therefore, we asses that investments in increasing bearing capacity on the core designated road network
is socio-economically very profitable. If we also take into account that a transition to HCT reduces traffic
and the need for capacity investments, as discussed in the beginning of this section, then the upgrade for
HCT is even more profitable. Such a top-down investment in a dedicated HCT network can also be used
for transports in the other two market segments, in which case the calculation will be even more positive.
However, the timber transports will require reinforcements of bearing capacity also on the smaller roads.
The same applies for the mining and construction transports. Suitably HCT vehicles will be permitted to
drive in limited area, provided that they do not use designated vulnerable infrastructure. A HCT fee that
49
goes to an insurance fund could reimburse damages done to infrastructure by HCT vehicles. The permits
for the on-going efforts by 76 tonnes ST vehicles are set up this way. As the use of HCT increases you can
gradually reinforce this vulnerable infrastructure through a bottom-up process with investment
calculation for each infrastructure element and/or HCT permit. The investment made to allow 90 tonnes
vehicles for the transportation of iron ore from the mine north of Pajala to Malmbanan is a good example
of such a bottom-up approach. As long as the investments that primarily benefits the use of HCT in timber
transports is less than 4.2 billion SEK to reach a HCT share of 25 percent or less than 8.5 billion to reach a
50 percent share of HCT, it is socio-economically viable.
7.5 Discussion
WSP conducted its analysis in a short time and with great uncertainties in assumptions and the available
data. This meant that they had to take many shortcuts which are important to keep in mind when
interpreting the results. There are a number of assumptions under which the analysis has some
weaknesses/limitations which are listed below.
The biggest uncertainty lies in the estimate of the market shares of HCT are expected to have in 2030 for
the different market segments, as well as the investment needed to achieve this market share. In the
WSP-analysis, a zero growth in transport was assumed and that prices and performance remained fixed at
2010 levels until the 2054. And also the higher the growth in transport and the higher the CO2 prices the
higher cost savings with HCT.
WSP based the analysis on the traffic performance by market segment as reported in Traffic Analysis’
statistics. However, there are "loopholes" in the raw data, such as lack of statistics on transport by
vehicles registered abroad and the existing number of 24 to 25.25 m vehicles, what they are used for and
where they are used. The division between company-owned vehicles and vehicles in commercial
transport would also be of interest, since both utilization of capacity and mileage of company owned
vehicles is significantly lower than for vehicles in commercial transport. Statistics are also missing on the
goods’ density and thus if the capacity limit is in relation to weight or volume.
We have therefore in some cases found a back door for the calculations by starting with tonnes-km and
calculated the number of tonnes-km per truck based on assumptions on share of empty runs, capacity
use, load weight, weight or volume limitation and average mileage. The amount of vehicles is calculated
by dividing tonnes-km with estimated tonnes-km per vehicle. Vehicle mileage is calculated by multiplying
the estimated number of vehicles and the average mileage. In the supplementary analysis of high and low
scenario for the three market segments, it was assumed that the proceeds from switching from
conventional vehicle to HCT was the same per tonnes-km for all segments. In reality, the proceeds are
very situation specific, and some differences should be made even between the goods. The chosen
assumptions can be wrong on conventional vehicles or HCT vehicles or on both.
A built-in assumption in the calculation is that the higher load capacity does not generate extra traffic
work the start/endpoints. In many situations, especially in the beginning when the HCT network is not
developed, will e.g. the DUO combinations with two trailers have to be split up into two vehicles with one
trailer, when leaving the HCT network is left for the "last mile". Besides the extra mileage there are also
costs for manoeuvring when splitting up the vehicle. This compares with the railway situation where
goods on rail require further distribution the consignee of the goods, because few companies have
sidings.
A delimitation in this analysis is that the effects on other modes have not been included in the calculation.
We assume that the policy is to make every mode of transport as efficiently as possible and, where
necessary, regulate the distribution between modes with measures. The work on the HCT-road roadmap
has been done in close cooperation with the parallel work in the HCT-rail roadmap and our proposal is
50
that both should be implemented simultaneously, thereby reducing the risk of an unwanted mix between
modes or increases in emissions of greenhouse gases. One measure could be to prioritize the upgrading
of roads to ports and rail terminals to HCT standard. Another variation is to offer good owners so-called amodal transport, where shippers primarily allocate the transports to the “CO2-friendly” sea and rail
alternatives, and when they are full or due to time limitations then transports are done with HCT vehicles.
This concept has been proposed for the so-called "Green corridors". In the experiments in progress with
HCT vehicles transporting steel coils from Sölvesborg port to Volvo's factory in Olofström, HCT has
enabled energy efficient maritime transport from steel mills on the European continent and freed rail
capacity in a bottleneck on the main line.
Alan McKinnon's frame of reference in Figure 7-1 above shows that efficient transports can lead to lower
prices, which in turn can lead to increases in transports, for example by making it more profitable for the
business community to choose partners further away, based on small price difference compared with the
partners close. Worst case scenario is that the traffic volume increases despite increased consolidation to
the larger HCT vehicles. The risk of this so-called rebound effect is small and is completely eliminated if
the costs of CO2 and/or other taxes are simultaneously increased, as planned to reduce the climate
impact of transport.
If we broaden the perspective and look at society as a whole, the introduction of HCT can give additional
benefits that should be analysed and considered. The lowered transport costs lead to improved
competitiveness for the companies buying transports e.g. industries and regions, especially for those who
have a high share of transport costs in its value adding process. HCT can reduce transport costs with up to
30 percent. For the primary industry, where 50 percent and the value added consists of the logistics and
more than half is transportation. This would mean that the price of their goods could be reduced by about
7.5 percent. This would give a significant increase in competitiveness in the fierce and price sensitive
global market. One can also express this as the distances between the processing nodes in Sweden is not
4 times longer than our competitors on the continent anymore, but has shrunk to just 2.8 times longer, or
that the distance to the centre of Europe has shrunk from 1,000 km to 700 km.
Moreover, the introduction of HCT provides both the automotive and IT industry with a boost to
innovation and increased exports.
In summary, it is concluded that based on the assumptions and sensitivity analysis, the introduction of
HCT socio-economically viable. The first proposed steps of HCT introduction is obvious socio-economically
very profitable. However, it’s unclear, what investments might be required and which of these can be
postponed, and the pace and extent to which HCT should be introduced. Conservative estimates of HCT
market for timber transports,, transports between terminals and other transports are expected to provide
a public benefit that justifies increased investments in infrastructure at 11 - 24 billion SEK with, which
would go pretty far. The first steps, for example on the busy road network and for dedicated routes, are
probably highly profitable. However, we have not assessed the viability of the measures required to
enable HCT vehicles on minor roads, e.g. to get to the woods. It is therefore important to collect better
statistics on how transports are done in reality and which types of vehicles are used. It is also important to
extend the pilots with HCT transports to several different kinds of goods, roads and transport situations in
order to gain experience and statistics. This will gradually become a base for making better informed
decisions about investments in infrastructure and the development of HCT solutions, with increasing
social benefits.
51
8
SWOT – Feasibility of the roadmap
In conjunction with the 8th and last workshop in the roadmap process, a SWOT analysis on feasibility was
done. The SWOT analysis was done in two stages. First the project group presented its input and
afterwards the inputs were discussed this with reference group to get a broader perspective on the
analysis.
The results of the SWOT analysis are presented below.
Strengths
Opportunities
Low investment cost/benefit +
Large public benefit (existing infrastructure - 4
ratio principle)
Momentum
Strengthening competitiveness – business
community and automotive industry
Successful demonstration projects (social and
business benefits), many stakeholders involved Reduced energy use in transports
Interest in increased efficiency and utilization
Good support at Trafikverket
of capacity
Good support at The Swedish Transport
Agency
Positive role models - Australia
Close collaboration with HCT-Rail
Finland, Holland, Norway, Denmark
Legitimacy in wide and well-established group PBS is now housebroken; increased road safety
Good ICT maturity in Sweden
HCT strengthens regional development
Weaknesses
Threats
Complex issues
Unclear connection; fragmented industry
structure
Stakeholders have different agendas - hidden
and conflicting
Goods owners' commitment
Incentives for managing
Maybe it will just gather dust
Existing framework (responsibilities, etc.)
Political will
Communication
Traffic Lockups (rebound effect)
Attitudes (perceived risks)
Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) Last mile
Lack of data
Requirements for restrictions
EU
Figure 8-1 Results of the SWOT analysis of the feasibility of the Roadmap for HCT-Road
9
Recommendations and the next steps
All the measures proposed in the roadmap cannot be implemented immediately. The way forward is
through a gradual introduction. It is important to get started with further experiments and demonstration
projects quickly and thereby provide increased volume and the opportunity to begin tests of additional
52
features. This will continuously give more experience of how the system works in the everyday traffic at a
large-scale. It is important to involve different research environments and disciplines before, during and
after the demonstration projects to cover different perspectives and ensure progress.
In the analysis of the proposed measures a number of "waves" that come one after the other over a
number of years, can be identified. These "waves" contains an increasingly perfected HCT system,
providing an increasing market share for HCT:






Testing of individual HCT vehicle combinations along a specific route, such as ETT and DUO2.
Test of more HCT vehicle combinations in a transport chain, e.g. Ett Coil Till (ECT) in multimodal
transport solutions, ST vehicles or mobile cranes in a dedicated area.
Large-scale pilots in several different industries, including freight forwarding, food, building and
construction, mining, forestry and agriculture. IAP is in this context a key technology that
integrates with existing vehicle computer systems. Requires provisional regulations.
Large-scale (<500 vehicles) demonstration in all three HCT combinations types combined with
PBS test regulations and IAP monitoring.
HCT road network with different classes by vehicle types. Appropriate upgrades of road network
in stages, e.g. 25 m from 60 to 76 tonnes with existing axle loads, 32 m from 80 to 90 tonnes,
more than 10 tonnes axle load etc. First core network of green corridors, then continuously more
and more dense. In addition to this, in every step there would be arrangements for even larger
vehicle combinations to obtain permission through individual examination (PBS + regulation) for
specific routes.
HCT multimodal: A designated network of green multimodal corridors with HCT vehicles for all
transport modes and nodes with integrated management of goods and vehicles for both parallel
and sequential transport chains in the same logistics relationship.
For the fastest possible introduction there should be a parallel to the top-down approach above, a
bottom-up approach beginning now for the development of specific HCT combinations and adapt the
infrastructure along the specific route for these combinations. It implies rapidly to increase the extent of
test activity on specific routes. The solutions then become permanent.
There are also already several proposals for new demo project:
 ETTdemoX: Various projects with multi-modal features
 Ett Coil Till: Sölvesborg port - Olofström with coils at the Volvo factory extended with scrap back
down to the harbour, where some go by boat and some by train to Malmö for forwarding bet
boat to the United States
 Scania double trailer: Twin-trailer rigs between Södertälje and Helsingborg for forwarding to
Scania's central warehouse in Zwolle. Scania run daily a number of trailers between Södertälje
and Zwolle and could usefully run these as a double rig
 FLIS: Fewer trucks in urban environments. Wood chewing load of 74 tonnes to reduce the number
of transport in Skåne
 Jula kombi: Multimodal projects with rail transport at Falkirk and then by road to Skara
 StoraEnso: 2 x 40 'ISO containers between Nymölla and Helsingborg harbour
Parallel to the bottom-up activities, the work on a number of top-down measures should begin, in
order to develop HCT vehicle combinations (for different types of goods) and to upgrade parts of the
Swedish road network to a HCT road network, divided in different classes to match the vehicle
combinations.
Several of the measures proposed in the roadmap need to be decided on and put into effect as early
as 2013 if the targets for 2030 are to be met. The introduction of HCT on a broad base is not a quick
fix. In many ways it is about complex and lengthy processes.
This requires continuous dialogue and interaction between the players and the Forum must continue
53
to provide a platform for this cooperation. For the operational initiatives the R&D program already
initiated within CLOSER is a resource that can be used to coordinate further actions.
Finally, we suggest that this roadmap is updated within 3 years.
54
10 Annex: Modularity
10.1 Vehicle length and GCW
Vehicle length and weight have no direct connection with each other, except that the heavier a vehicle or
vehicle combination is, the more axes are needed and the weight needs to be distributed over a longer
distance. For example, in volume goods, increased length is of great value, even without changing the
weight of the vehicles.
Length
Sweden has long time experience with long road trains. Prior to 1968 there were no restrictions on length
on our roads. Already in the mid-60’s half of the heavy vehicle trains were longer than 20 meters. and a
few percent was more than 25 m and also vehicle trains longer than 30 m occurred.
In 1968 the length was limited to 24 m, and this length was chosen in anticipation of a growing need to
transport 20-foot containers. To transport 3 20-foot containers you need 24 m, but not more. This was
part of an effort to stimulate intermodal transports because 20 - and 40-foot containers are designed for
sea transport and present in large quantities around the world.
In 1977 the Swedish government proposed to reduce the limit to maximum 18 m Sweden in the belief
that this would improve traffic safety. But it got no sympathy for this because several studies
demonstrated that the result would rather be the opposite.
During the 1980’s, there were many different projects on creating innovative long and efficient vehicles
and several concepts were tested, many of them based on various modular combinations. In 1985 the
first European weight/dimensions Directive 85/3/EEC was presented and in the following years there
were made several adjustments to the regulations, both nationally and internationally. In 1996 Directive
96/53/EC was presented and it is still in force.
Weight
The weight for vehicles in Sweden has gradually increased throughout the 1900s. In the early 1980’s, the
maximum gross weight on most of the road network was 51.4 tonnes. The business community was not
satisfied with this limit, especially as the vehicle combinations used in e.g. timber transports had higher
technical capacity. The forest industry has been a strong driving force for the continued increase in the
maximum allowable gross weight and also allowed bogie load. Several inquiries were made and showed
major benefits of an increase to 56 or 60 tonnes, and that the extra infrastructure cost would be
moderate.
Through the budget period of 1986/87 the government and parliament started a ten-year investment
program. This resulted in a two stage development; in 1990 the maximum gross weight was increased to
56 tonnes and in 1995 to 60 tonnes, supplemented by an increase in the bogie pressure to 18 tonnes.
10.2 The modular system
When Sweden and Finland joined the EU, problems occurred with our long vehicle combinations. At the
time, the European Commission worked on making the vehicle directive applicable not just in
international traffic, but also in national traffic. This would mean that Sweden and Finland would need to
adapt the dimensions and weight to current European standard (maximum 16.5 m/18.35 m/40 tonnes).
An impact study found that the negative effects would be significant because if the freight was
transported by vehicles with smaller capacity, it would significantly increase traffic volume and result in
higher transport costs for business. Similar investigations were made by Finland with similar results.
Through hard work from the Swedish side the idea of a modular system was developed and Volvo
presented it to the government, parliament and the business in 1992. The following year, the Swedish
Minister for Transport presented the idea for the EU Commission who took to the idea. Therefore, in
directive 96/53/EC the countries allowed couple EU modules "in a modular concept". At the same time,
the EU standards for truck and trailer maximum length was increased from 18.35 m to 18.75 m. The
55
concept is based on the principle that the various existing European vehicle units ("modules"), truck,
tractor, 13.6 m semi-trailer and 7.82 m trolley can be combined in many different ways.
The purpose of the application of the modular concept system was partly so that Sweden (and Finland)
could continue to have vehicles longer than the European maximum of 18,75m and to create a level
playing field for foreign transporters, giving them the possibility to couple their short EU adapted vehicles
into 25.25 m modular combinations when entering Sweden and vice versa, hence the requirement for EU
modules.
10.3 The concept versus the system
It is important to distinguish between modular concept ("Modular Concept") and the module system
("EMS", or "European Modular System")
The concept simply means that Directive 96/53/EC allows member states to allow the EU units to be
combined in different ways "According to a modular concept." This means that neither the length of
25.25 m or the weight of 60 tonnes are specified in the EU directive, these dimensions are national
regulations for Sweden/Finland and has also been applied later in some other countries.
The system means that we in Sweden (and some other countries) apply the modular concept, put it into a
logistics system and adapt it to local conditions. In Sweden the length is set at maximum 25.25 m and the
maximum weight at 60 tonnes. Furthermore there are special requirements for these vehicle
combinations in addition to the standard requirements for the 24 m vehicles. Other European countries
that use the module system has applied their limitations, such as limit the use to a specific network, have
special requirements for vehicles and/or drivers, special rules on which types of goods that can be
transported or requirement that the modules must be designed for intermodal transport.
Swedish application
In Sweden the base is still a maximum vehicle length of 24 m in addition to the allowed modular vehicles
of 25.25 m and the maximum gross weight is in both cases 60 tonnes.
The Swedish modular system is based on the combination of a 7.82 m unit (the largest loading platform in
the CEN standard) and a 13.6 m unit (a semi-trailer, the longest vehicle in accordance with EU rules). This
combination "happens to be" approximately 25.25 m. Since this is so close to our old 24-m total length, it
poses no significant problems and the length of 25.25 m has been in force since 1st of November 1997.
There are no special requirements that are caused by vehicle length for vehicles up to 24 m in length. If
the vehicle combinations’ length exceeds 24 m, there are however specific requirements to the
constituent vehicle units’ dimensions and equipment. The vehicle units shall not exceed the EU common
dimensions. This means that the width must not exceed 2.55 m (2.60 m for temperature controlled units).
This also applies to containers, swap bodies and other removable bodywork. There are also specific
requirements for brakes, turning radius, steerable axles, pivot points etc.
The on-going pilots of vehicle combinations longer than 25.25 m (timber vehicle ETT and the double
combination DUO2), which both are based on the modular concept, are a new way of combining load
modules 7.82 m and 13.6 m. The EU Directive 96/53/EC thus imposes no obstacle because it does not
specify a maximum weight or length for modular combinations. It is the Swedish regulations that are
affected by the use of modular vehicles bigger than 25.25 m/60 tonnes.
11 Annex: International perspectives
11.1 Definition of long vehicles
When classifying vehicle lengths a 20-foot container (6 meters) has often been the starting point, not
least to stimulate intermodal transport. When Sweden set the maximum length of 24 m in 1968, it was
56
determined by the ability to transport 3 x 20-foot container (TEU10). Until 1968, there were no limitations
on length and in the mid 60's about half of the heavy vehicles were longer than 20 m, a small percentage
was even longer than 25 m and trains longer than 30 m occurred.
Normal classification of long vehicles (Long Combination Vehicles - LCV) is according to UNESCAP11:
Size
Short LCV:
Medium LCV:
Long LCV:
Dimensions and types of specimens
Maximum length of ~ 25 to 26 m (3 TEU) and the
maximum gross weight of ~ 50-68 tonnes
European modular vehicles, B-doubles (Australia,
North America, South Africa, etc.)
Maximum length of ~ 30 m (4 TEU) and the maximum
gross weight of ~ 60-86 tonnes
Intermediate double and Rocky mountain double
(USA), Rodotrem Comprimento (Brazil)
Maximum length of ~ 30 [-53.5 m] (6 TEU) and the
maximum gross weight of ~ 62 to 126 tonnes
Road trains (Australia), Turnpike double (USA)
Figure 11-1 UNESCAP classification of LCV and examples of the types
Figure 11-2 Method for classification of LCV by UNESCAP
10
TEU = Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit = 6,06 m
11
www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/workingpaper/wp_07_02.pdf
57
Long vehicles are made up of different units in the form of trucks, tractors, trailers and cargo carriers.
Basically there are the following modules that can be combined in different ways to different long vehicle
combinations depending on the legislation and regulations where they are used:
Figure 11-3 Modules that combine to long vehicle combinations
58
Figure 11-4 Examples of vehicle combinations in each class
Continuing in this compilation concentrated on medium and long LCV, i.e. vehicles longer than 25.25 m
and heavier than 60 tonnes.
11.2 Overview of LCV in different countries
If we set a "normal limit" for vehicle lengths of 20 m to be the "standard model" the world over, there are
several parts of the world that allows for longer combinations: for example, a number of European
countries (modular vehicles), Oceania, North America, several countries in South America, South Africa,
etc.
Vehicles longer than the modular vehicles (25.25 m, 60 tonnes) occur in a number of different countries,
often with restricted applicability, in general they are only allowed on a designated road network.
59
However, a significant proportion of the world already allows vehicles larger than the normally allowed in
Europe, even if we include the Scandinavian modular vehicles of 25.25 m/60 tonnes.
11.3 Countries that allow short LCV (up to 25.25 m)
Combinations with lengths of 18 m to 25.25 m are used in some European countries (under the so-called
modular concept). They are permanently applicable in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and parts of
Russia. In addition to these countries, pilots are underway in Norway, Denmark and Germany. In addition
to Sweden and Finland they are limited to a designated road network.
Because the HCT study generally concerns vehicles longer and heavier than today's European 25.25 m
combinations, the vehicles up to 25.25 m are not addressed further in this summary.
11.4 Countries that allow medium LCV (25 - 30 m)
In Brazil and New Zealand the medium LCV is the maximum vehicles size allowed.
Brazil
Brazil normally allows maximum 19,8 m/57 tonnes. With special permission and on designated roads, Bdoubles up to 30 m and 74 tonnes are allowed. There are special requirements for these vehicles, such as
tandem operation.
New Zealand
New Zealand allows "High Productivity Motor Vehicles"; HPMV. Normally the vehicle size is restricted to
20 m/44 tonnes. For longer/heavier vehicles, there is a Performance Based Standards (PBS) scheme
where each individual combination will be rated as "High Productivity Motor Vehicle" and can be allowed
on a specific designated route. The HPMV permit may cover weight or length or both, but /the focus is
primarily length.
Formally, there is no maximum length but PBS criteria provide some limitations to HPMV combinations
and they normally do not reach the class "Long LCV." Pro forma standards specify the maximum length of
22.3 m, which is in the class "short LCV." In addition to this, there are also longer non pro forma vehicles.
If the combination is longer than 25 m it requires special written permission from railway operators in
order to pass rail crossings. However, it is rare that such a permits are given, thus combinations longer
than 25 meters are rarely used on routes with rail crossings and lengths over 25 m are rarely seen.
Around 1,000 vehicles are now classed as HPMV, representing about 5 percent of New Zealand's entire
heavy vehicle fleet. Of these, most follow the pro-forma design (22.3 m). About half of HPMV-vehicles are
classified for higher weight than 44 tonnes, but many of them do not use this increased weight limit
because the goods being transported are usually volume goods.
11.5 Countries that allow long LCV
Long LCV (over ~ 30 m) are allowed in Australia, USA, Canada, Mexico and South Africa.
Australia
Best known for its long vehicles is Australia. Extremely long vehicles have been permitted in some parts of
the country, mainly undeveloped or sparsely populated areas, basically as a substitute for rail transport.
Up to 60 m and 132 tonnes gross combination weight (GCW). There are also extreme special cases with
even longer combinations.
The longest "normal" Australian vehicle is the B-double at maximum 26 m/68 tonnes. For longer versions,
there are special rules.
Since 2007 the Performance Based Standards (PBS) have been in use. PBS is a system that provides rules
for vehicle performance rather than applying fixed rules for weight and dimensions. The system includes
16 standards related to safety and four standards related to infrastructure. By classifying roads into four
levels, one can allow vehicles which meet certain PBS criteria to operate on certain routes. This enables
the vehicles to be optimized to suit the current infrastructure.
60
Performance Based Standards were first developed in Canada, but has since been adapted and developed
in Australia and Australia is now the leader in the application of PBS.
Level
Level 1
Network access by length
(m)
Typical
vehicle
Class 'A'
Single
Articulated
Description
Class 'B'
L ≤ 20 (general access)
Level 2
B-double
L ≤ 26
26 < L ≤ 30
Level 3
A-double
L ≤ 36,5
36,5 < L ≤ 42
Level 4
A-triple
L ≤ 53,5
53,5 < L ≤ 60
(Sometimes called B-train) is a tractor with two trailers
where the front semi-trailer has a fifth wheel at the rear of
the second semi-trailer is attached. The first semi-trailer
with a fifth wheel in the back is sometimes called link.
(Double Road train) consists of a tractor with two semitrailers where the last trailer is coupled to a dolly.
(Triple Road Train) is the same type but with three semitrailers
Figure 11-5 Australian example of Performance Based Standards
Vehicle
Weight
(tonnes)
Length (m)
Nine axle B-Double
62,5 (68)
25
Double Road Train
79 (85,7)
36,5
115,5 (125,2)
53,5
Triple Road Train
Illustration
Figure 11-6 Long LCV in Australia
The various "base variants" above can then be expanded with various combinations of both B doubles and
semitrailers with dolly to even longer combinations units, B-triples, AB triple BAB-quads, etc. Some
examples of the configurations are shown below.
61
Types:
A:
B-double (B-train)
B:
B-triple
C:
Double (A-double)
D:
AB-triple
E:
BAB Quad
F:
ABB Quad
G:
Triple
H:
2AB Quad
Figure 11-7 Different configurations of LCV in Australia
The United States
In the United States, the different states have individual regulations and allow different sized
combinations. On the federal roads there are some general federal rules. The longest vehicles allowed in
Colorado (35.5 m) and the heaviest in Michigan 74 tonnes.
Concerning LCV there are basically three types of vehicles in the U.S.: Rocky Mountain Doubles, Turnpike
Doubles and Triples. In addition, there are Western Doubles, a tractor with two 28 ½ foot trailers, but
these are not classed as LCV if the weight does not exceed 80,000 lbs. (~ 36 tonnes).
Rocky-Mountain Double:
Turnpike Double:
Triple:
consists of a tractor with 1:48
ft. trailer and a 28 ½ ft. trailer
consists of a tractor with two trailers
of 48 ft. or longer
consists of a tractor with 3 trailers of
28 ½ ft. each
Figure 11-8 Main types of LCV in the United States
Different states in the U.S. allow various forms of LCV. Within the states that allow LCV, there are specific
designated routes where LCV may be used. Within the one state, different roads can be allowed for
different types of LCV. There can also be time-related constraints, where LCV is only allowed during
certain hours of the day or certain parts of the year.
62
Figure 11-9 American states that allow different kinds of LCV, 1
Figure 11-10 American states that allow different kinds of LCV, 2
Canada
In Canada, the provinces have considerable freedom to set their own regulations and to provide
nationwide traffic solutions there is a Memorandum of Understanding that specifies minimum levels of
weight and dimensions. Normal maximum dimensions are 23 -25 m/63.5 tonnes depending on
configuration. A typical semi-trailer combination is over 23 m, while various forms of doubles are allowed
up to 25 m. In addition to this, the provinces can allow larger vehicles (LCV). In relation to this, some
states have chosen to implement Performance Based Standards. PBS originated in Canada but has since
been further developed, especially in Australia.
In Canada, several provinces has a special system called SPIF (Safe, Productive, Infrastructure-Friendly),
which sets special requirements for the vehicles (all sizes). The SPIF program started in the year 2000 and
has since then been further developed in several phases. Vehicles that do not meet SPIF standards get the
gross weight reduced by 3,000 kg. Nearly 30 different configurations of SPIF combinations are specified.
Most Canadian provinces allow LCV. The LCV is typically defined as vehicles longer than 25 m and they
require special permits. The vehicle combinations are basically the same as in the U.S., i.e. Rocky
Mountain Doubles, Turnpike Doubles and Triples. Doubles can be either A-Doubles or B-Doubles. In some
cases, they allow a higher gross weight for B-Doubles than A-Doubles.
A crucial difference from the U.S. is that Canada generally do not permit higher gross combination
weights for LCV than for other combinations, the LCV focus here is on length.
63
Types
Dimensions
Rocky Mountain Double Max 32 m/63.5 tonnes. The length can vary between provinces.
Turnpike Double
Max 41 m/63.5 tonnes. The length can vary between provinces.
Triples
Max 35 m/53.5 tonnes. The length can vary between provinces.
Figure 11-11 Canadian types of LCV
Usually LCVs in Canada are only allowed on roads with at least two lanes in each direction. There may also
be time limitations and even special speed limits.
Mexico
Mexico allows combinations up to 31 m and 66.5 tonnes on certain highways. Dimensions and weights
are dependent on the type of road and vehicle configuration and are controlled by the total axle load and
formula related to bridges. 17 different base configurations for vehicle combinations specified.
Mexico has a classified road network:
• ET Highways (Transportation axis) is the highest class
• A Highways, high standard, part of the primary road network
• B Highways, lower standard than type A, but still associated with the primary road network
• C Highways, secondary network, which connects to, and connects different parts of the primary
network
• D Highways, a feeder road network, primarily in more urban areas
53 foot trailers are only allowed on the ET-Highways. In all other cases, the maximum trailer length is 45
feet. LCV are permitted on ET-, A-and B-Highways.
The combinations are Doubles and B-doubles. Previously vehicles up to 39 m/81 tonnes were allowed, but
this has recently been reduced with respect to road safety and infrastructure damage, primarily bridges.
South Africa
Normal maximum vehicle size in South Africa is 22 m/56 tonnes and larger vehicles are currently being
piloted in combination with Performance Based Standards, primarily for timber transport. Some 60 socalled "Smart Trucks" are now on the roads.
The classification follows the Australian PBS pattern where there is no maximum dimensions/weight, but
vehicles are classified by PBS. The largest vehicles are currently 42 m/176 tonnes for the mining industry.
12 Annex: Effects of the use of long vehicles
12.1 General effects
Generally long vehicles create economies of scale and to increase transport work without increasing
traffic work to the same level. in this way one will achieve increased transport efficiency, reduced
emissions, reduced traffic, improved logistics efficiency and reduced overall costs.
The general effects of longer vehicles can be summarized as:


More freight per vehicle combination;
o Efficient vehicle utilisation
o Lower transportation cost per goods unit
Fewer vehicles for a given transport work;
o Fewer trips for a given amount of goods
o Fewer drivers per goods unit
o Fewer vehicle miles for a given transport
64



o Reduced road space occupied per goods unit
o Fewer vehicles to administrate
Lower fuel consumption per unit of goods transported;
o Lower costs per goods unit
o Lower emissions per goods unit
Reduced risk of accidents;
o Fewer vehicles fronts exposed to the surroundings
Reduced road wear;
o The load is spread over more axles – depending on the chosen configuration
These effects can be achieved almost anywhere when increasing the vehicle size and the size of the effect
is usually proportional to the increase in vehicle size.
In order to achieve these effects there are certain requirements:
• Requirements for more efficient logistics
• Requirements for sufficient volumes of goods
• Marginal requirements for adaption of infrastructure
• Marginal investment in vehicle adaptation
• Need for adaptation of driver training
The use of LCV vehicles as described above can be grouped into two main categories:
• Countries where long or medium length LCVs have been used for a long time and has given
readily understandable experience
• Countries where different pilots are on-going or have been completed and has produced
preliminary experiences
Pilots are usually done with a limited number of vehicles which can result in too positive experiences.
Often they are built on an ideal application, which is well suited for the purpose. Furthermore, there is a
risk that the parties involved can be particular skilled and extra cautious. For example, the drivers
involved are often the most talented and skilled within the participating companies.
12.2 Experiences from different countries
Australia, the United States, Mexico and Canada have been allowing LCV for relatively many years, and
they are used in some form of "normality". This means that there are only few published evaluations of
the impacts. In general, they are assessed to work completely normal as expected.
In the other countries, pilots are underway in at different scales and different levels of monitoring.
A literature research has provided limited information about studies of the effects in the different
countries.
New Zealand
Only a few vehicles over 25 meters are used in New Zealand and no larger studies of these have been
identified.
Studies have shown that the step from 20 m to 22.3 m in length increases productivity, as well as in those
cases where the weight is increased from 44 to 62 tonnes.
Amongst both authorities and the business community in New Zealand there are concerns about the fact
that HPMV vehicles are not used to the extent they could be used and thus the efficiency potential is not
exploited. This prompted new studies on the feasibility of developing new pro-forma criteria for higher
vehicle weights with same impact on the road, upgrade the infrastructure so that these larger vehicles will
be able use a wider road network and to simplify a range of administrative processes - all to encourage
more use of HPMV vehicles and to get better acceptance of these vehicles with local authorities.
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Australia
Most transporters have been able to streamline especially containerized shipments significantly, using
longer and heavier vehicles for many years. Though the regulations have been adjusted in various ways
over the years.
With traditional vehicles one can o often only transport two 20-foot containers or one 40-foot container.
Depending on the combination and the container weights, it has been common only to be able to
transport a fully loaded 20-foot container or two empty 20-foot containers per vehicle. Because of the
longer vehicles one can now transport double the number of containers per trip. A few examples:
Grain Shipments in 20-foot containers; one company transports 120,000 tonnes of grain to a shipping
port annually. Each return trip is 280 km. With traditional vehicles one could only transport one fully
loaded 20-foot container or 3 empty containers per trip. With larger vehicles one can transport two fully
loaded containers or 4 empty per trip. For this company, the use of longer vehicles annually reduced the
number of trips with 2,400, kilometres by 672,000 and reduced fuel consumption of 245,000 litres of
diesel, equivalent to saving of 612 tonnes of CO2.
Container transports between the Port of Melbourne and Somerton intermodal terminal usually takes
3.75 hours for a round trip. 40,000 TEUs are transported each year and with conventional vehicles this
requires 70 trips per day (three TEUs per trip). Larger vehicles that can take 4 TEUs per trip can reduce the
number of trips by 50 percent for heavy 20-foot containers, 25 to 50 percent with lightweight 20-foot
containers depending on the vehicle and 50 percent with light 40-foot containers.
The United States
In the United States, LCV combinations have been allowed in some states for many years and this is why
there are no current analysis of the effects. In an on-going debate about permitting LCV on a wider road
network there is information on productivity effects but these are more theoretical calculations and the
result in are effects proportional to the differences in vehicle sizes.
Canada
A number of Canadian provinces have allowed LCV for several years, but usually with higher weight aren’t
allowed than for standard vehicles - only the length is different. Analysis of the use has primarily been
made in Alberta and Ontario, but since LCV has been allowed for over 30 years, most analyses are
relatively old, Most of them are from the 1990’s, based on slightly different conditions than at present.
Therefore, it may be difficult to draw conclusions on the validity of results today.
In a study from Ontario (Long Combination Vehicle Program Review) it is noted that LCV has been allowed
in several provinces for 25 years and this has worked to their full contend. The study covers the period
August 2009 - November 2010. In the last month there were 2,180 trips with LCV with a total mileage of
696,800 km.
LCV are mainly used for transport of consumer goods, packaged foods, and supplies for manufacturing.
Estimates are that companies in Ontario with extended use of the LCV would reduce transport costs,
mainly fuel costs by $ 320 million or 70 million litres of diesel per year.
In Alberta, recent studies show that the use of LCV increases safety, it reduces the chance of being
involved in a collision with up to 58 percent, compared to a standard semi-trailer combination. "LCV as a
group has the lowest collision rates of all types of vehicles using the road network where LCV is allowed"
(Alberta provincial government). A summary of several studies from the Canadian government shows
quite unanimously the following effects of the use of LCV. Some variations occur depending on the exact
type of vehicles being compared. The figure also includes LCV primarily used at night on the main roads
and each that LCV usually replaces two standard combinations.
•
•
•
Transportation costs will decrease by 20-33 percent
Logistic costs are reduced by 20-30 percent
Fuel consumption (and hence CO2) decreases by 25-35 percent
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•
•
Road wear is reduced by 25-40 percent
The number of vehicles in motion is reduced by about 30-40 percent
Mexico
Experiences reported from Mexico is the traditional: the number of vehicles on the road per load amount
decreases, reduced traffic density, reduced fuel consumption, improved air quality, reduced risk of injury,
reduced road wear and reduced logistics costs. Disadvantages are the costs of adapting road
infrastructure and longer overtaking times on two-lane roads. To make sure LCV do not constitute major
obstacles, there are specific requirements for minimum power output.
It has also been found that the introduction of LCV in Mexico has not resulted in any significant transfer of
goods from rail to road.
South Africa
In the large-scale pilots in South Africa it has been found that the theoretical savings with LCV vehicles (in
South Africa called Smart-Trucks) has largely been confirmed in reality.
The first Smart Truck-vehicles based on the Performance Based Standard application, was put into service
in late 2007 and in the fall of 2012, there were 58 licensed vehicles, primarily in the timber transports but
also in some other industries.
An analysis of the use of 31 vehicles in 2011 shows the following effects compared to if the transports had
been performed with traditional vehicles:
Figure 12-1 Analysis of 31 Smart-Trucks use in 2011
Source: http://hvttconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Ses_A_5_-Nordengen.pdf
On top the 31 vehicles have saved about 4100 trips in 2011.
Some of the transports with Smart Trucks have a different structure than transports performed with
conventional vehicles, so a comparison is not entirely relevant (Timbernology and Unitrans). In those
cases where comparison is possible there was an average of 17 percent reduction in fleet size, fuel savings
from 9.4 to 15,1 percent (same for CO2). A similar analysis has also been made on safety (accidents) and
road wear.
In road wear it was found that the first (and smallest) Smart Trucks introduced gave marginally less road
wear, but as the constructions have been refined and vehicle combinations become larger, road wear has
reduced drastically due to more axles per loaded tonnes of goods - in some cases as much as 50 percent
lower load.
Accident rates have been analysed and an index of the number of accidents per million kilometres driven
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has been calculated. The index for standard vehicles is 4.6, while it is only 0.69 for the Smart Trucks, a
remarkable difference in favour of Smart trucks. A contributing factor is that Smart Trucks in general are
driven by drivers who are considerably more experienced than normal.
The conclusions drawn are that Smart Trucks show improved safety (lower accident risk), improved
productivity, reduced CO2 emissions, reduced road wear and no effect on the structural safety of bridges.
12.3 Conclusions
Most of the analyses are about the vehicles' technical design and how they can be used in relation to the
infrastructure. Significantly fewer analyses have been made for logistical effects and these have been
especially summarizing in their form. The most extensive analysis has been done in The Netherlands on
the effects of the introduction of the 25.25 m concept.
Although reports about the use of the longest vehicles are at a summary level, it can be concluded that
effects from the theoretical studies have been achieved in general: higher efficiency, lower costs, fewer
vehicles doing same transport work, lower fuel consumption and hence lower CO2 emissions per tonnes,
unaffected or improved safety, unaffected or marginal transfer of goods from rail, unchanged or lower
road wear and small costs of adapting infrastructure.
As a rule of thumb for the most important parameters it can be noted that with an increase in load
capacity by 50 percent, reduces the number of vehicles by 30 percent, fuel consumption per tonnes by
about 15-25 percent, and transportation/logistics costs by about 15-20 percent.
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13 Annex: HCT and traffic safety
Background
There are concerns among scientists, the public and politicians that HCT-vehicles are more dangerous and
less secure than conventional vehicles, as HCT-vehicles are heavier and/or longer. As the need for
transports and energy-efficient transports is increasing globally, there is an international interest in
Sweden's experience of 25.25 meter vehicles and pilots with HCT-vehicles. Especially since the traffic
safety is studied systematically. The fears and risks mentioned are the same nationally and
internationally.
In order to investigate the potential safety risks of HCT-vehicles the "Traffic Safety Effects of High Capacity
Transport and Compensatory Measures" have formulated with SAFER as a host of the program. The
program is intended to identify security risks, study their mechanisms and make suggestions for
compensatory measures to balance any reduction in safety.
SAFER builds up a R&D consortium that will conduct the program together. The consortium is made up by
the government, the business community, academia and research institutions, and the program is carried
out in close cooperation with CLOSER. A program coordinator from SAFER (Jesper Sandin, VTI) has been
put in the position to drive the business forward, take care of administration, scientific quality control,
organize and conduct meetings with the steering committee and possible workshops.
The program is scheduled to run between 2013 and 2016 (3-4 years). The main funder initially is
Trafikverket and in-kind efforts in the vehicle and transportation industry and academia through its
strategic research funding. In the long term links with FFI and their programs should be examined.
Problem description
In general studies of accident data shows a slightly increased risk of accidents per vehicle kilometre, and
that the increase is due to the vehicle combinations’ character. Other studies show that the difference in
the accident rate compared to conventional vehicles will be small, at least on the larger and safer roads.
Several studies say that if you count the number of accidents per unit of goods transported, the risk of
accident is expected to be reduced with longer and heavier vehicles. Any adverse safety effects could thus
be offset by the lower number of vehicles needed to transport a given amount of goods. Some studies
conclude that longer and heavier vehicles may even produce a net positive effect on road safety. In
summary, the literature shows that it is very complex to estimate how traffic safety in general would be
affected by the introduction of longer and heavier vehicles.
Regarding more specific traffic situations, several research papers mentions that the risk of overtaking
accidents will increase with longer and heavier vehicles. However, there are no studies that can quantify
the risk when overtaking in terms of accident risk. Meeting margins have been used as an indirect
measure of risk in a number of field studies where overtaking of different long vehicles has been
analysed. The results indicate that the average meeting margin is smaller for the longer vehicle in the
studies, but without statistically significant difference.
Besides overtaking situations, there is today very little knowledge of how long vehicles can affect other
traffic situations, e.g. ramps to the motorway/, roundabouts, intersections, and walking or cycling paths.
The literature often mentions that longer and heavier vehicles can be expected to have a negative impact
at intersections caused by the length of the vehicle and/or slower acceleration. Studies need to be done
to determine if this is the case.
A frequent problem in the assessment of safety risks is the lack of exposure data. When large vehicles
tend to use larger and therefore safer roads, you have to take into account their exposure to traffic on
different roads. One consequence of this is that only trucks that run on the same type of roads can be
compared, and the results cannot be generalized to other types of roads. Another problem is to figure out
how much the different vehicle models have been used, i.e. its mileage.
An important part of the program is to investigate the possibility to implement, adapt and complement,
Performance Based Standards (PBS) to Swedish conditions. PBS is a way to control HCT-vehicle
characteristics and allow them on the road network. In a performance-based assessment the vehicle's
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characteristics are assessed from a number of standard criteria and not based on how the vehicle is, for
example, designed to for a given level of performance. PBS has been implemented for HCT-vehicles in
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Research fields
As the first step, the program has formulated a number of hypotheses to capture the concerns and risks
that exist when it comes to HCT and road safety. The hypotheses should be seen as starting points for
project proposals and studies, and the list will be revised and completed during the program.
Hypotheses regarding HCT and road safety:
• An HCT vehicle is more dangerous than a conventional vehicle, i.e. there's something in the
vehicle characteristics that make them dangerous. This is argued in the literature (Knight et al
2008).
• The larger the vehicle, the greater the proportion of (serious accidents).
• The consequences in a frontal impact with a heavier vehicle will be worse than with ordinary
vehicles.
• It is more risky to overtake a long vehicle than a short one, since it takes longer to pass and
thereby increases the exposure.
• At ramps to motorways, a longer vehicle can make other road users miscalculate the available
access window /slot
• HCT vehicles are particularly dangerous to vulnerable road users due to their larger sweep and
that they are more difficult to maintain overview of and control due to its size.
• The safety gained through fewer vehicle movements are eaten up by the increase in traffic
induced by the higher transport efficiency.
• HCT vehicles are particularly difficult to manage in the snow and ice and therefore unsuitable.
• We do not know what traffic situations cause the most accidents involving heavy vehicles.
• Longer vehicles are more dangerous at intersections because they spend more time in the
intersections compared to shorter vehicles.
• Fewer vehicles are needed to transport the same amount of goods, which reduces the exposure.
• Does the fatigue of the driver correlate to vehicle size? I.e. are larger vehicles to a greater extent a
cause of single-vehicle accidents, where the driver is injured
• Compatibility in collisions with road equipment, ex. guardrails, and bridge piers. How well does
today's road equipment handle heavier vehicles?
Methods
The program develops and uses several methods to achieve desired results. This means that several
scientific and practical skills will interact within the program.
• Environmental analysis (e.g. through literature studies)
• Surveys and interviews
• Traffic simulation
• Accident data: statistical analyses, and studies of fatal accidents
• Technology development
• Field studies on risk evaluation and analysis
• Driving simulator studies
• Verification and demonstration of technology and safety solutions
• Implementation methods
• Incident analysis in the event of incidents and accidents that occur in connection to the pilots and
demonstration projects with HCT-vehicles
Expected results
The expected results of the program are broadly to:
• Clarify, confirm, or falsify concerns and security risks, and if possible describe their mechanisms,
effects and extend
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•
•
Propose compensatory measures which balance any reduction in road safety.
Develop a thorough proposal for how the PBS can be implemented and adapted to Swedish
conditions
Development 2015, 2020, 2030
2015
A small number of longer and heavier vehicles do test runs with exemption for specified routes. Field
studies are carried out together with the pilots to study vehicle performance in different traffic
environments, and how they affect the surrounding traffic and road users. Since only a few vehicles are
running on designated roads, the findings from field studies cannot be generalized to the entire transport
network.
2020
More HCT vehicles are used on designated parts of the road network. By 2020, it is possible to see how
the transport pattern is changing, and how this in turn affects the traffic and road safety on a larger scale.
Indications in previous field studies can be falsified or verified.
Traffic safety
Period:
2013
Action
Stakeholders
To examine the hypotheses regarding HCT and Trafikverket
road safety the SAFER program "Road Safety
Impact of High Capacity Transport and
Countervailing
Measures"
starts
The first road project SAFER implemented.
SAFER, VTI and Trafikverket
2014-2015
Field studies conducted on longer vehicles
SAFER, VTI and Trafikverket
2016-2020
We have enough knowledge about hypotheses
regarding HCT and safety and can make
decisions based on it.
Trafikverket
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14 Annex: Acronyms
Accis
AIS-system
BRT
CO2
DUO2projektet
DUO-Trailer
ERS
ERTRAC
ETT-vehicle
ETT-project
EV
FFI
FoI
Vehiclekm
FTL
GCW
GIS
GHG
HC
HCT
HPMV
IAC
IAP
ICT
ITS
IVU
kWh
Lbs
LTL
NCR
NOx
PBS
Passengerkm
Pkm
PM
R&D
Safer
Skogforsk
SPIF
ST
SWOT
TCA
TCE
Automated Command and Control Information System
Automatic Identification System, an automatic tracking system used for navigation
Bus Rapid Transport
Carbon
Pilot projects with vehicles of 32 meters and cargo weighing up to 80 tonnes
Vehicle combination with tractor, dolly and two semi-trailers
Electric Road Systems
European Road Transport Research Advisory Council
Vehicles used in the En Trave Till project
En Trave Till project (One Stack More)
Electric Vehicle
Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation
Research and Innovation
Amount of kilometers driven by vehicles
Full Truckload
Gross Combination Weight
Geographic Information Systems
Green House Gasses
Hydrocarbon - hydrogen
High Capacity Transports
High Productivity Motor Vehicles
Intelligent Access Conditions
Intelligent Access Program
Information and communication technologies
Intelligent Transport System
In Vehicle Unit
Kilowatt hours
Pound (weight)
Less than truckload
Non Compliance Report (IAP related)
nitrogen oxides, NO and NO2
Performance Based Standards
Passenger kilometers
Passenger kilometers
Particulate matter
Research and development
Chalmers Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre
Swedish forestry research institute
Safe, Productive, Infrastructure-Friendly
Larger Stacks project for heavier vehicles in timber industry
Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
Transport Certification Australia (Authority of IAP)
Transport Certification Europe (not established yet)
72
TCS
TEU
TFK
Tonnes-km
UNESCAP
V2X
V2V
V2I
VTI
Transport Certification Sweden (not established yet)
Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit = 6,06 m
TfK Transport Research
Number of kilometers driven with 1 tonnes (goods)
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is the
regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region
Vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-anything communications
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication
Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication
National Road and Transport Research Institute
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15 Annex: References
http://hvttconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Ses_A_5_-Nordengen.pdf
Improving the Sustainability of Road Freight Transport by Relaxing Truck Size and Weight Restrictions –
Alan McKinnon.
Ljungberg, Christer. Road pricing i Holland – den eviga historien, Reflexen nr 2, Trafiktekniska föreningen,
juni 2010, Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat. Road pricing in the Netherlands – Overview, Power Point
Presentation, 13 January 2010, and Road pricing in the Netherlands – Lessen learned, Power Point
Presentation, 21 April 2010
Link to the Swedish Tax Agency, car tax tables:
http://www.skatteverket.se/skatter/fordonsskatt.4.18e1b10334ebe8bc80002921.html
Löfroth, C. & Svenson, G. Skogforsk Resultat 17, 2010 and Skogforsk Working Paper 723, 2010
TRAFIKANALYS 2011b. PM 2011:13 Methodology Report Varuflödesundersökningen (Goods Flow Survey)
2009
TRAFIKANALYS 2011. Statistics 2011:7 Lastbilstrafik (Truck Traffic) 2010
TRAFIKANALYS 2010. Statistics 2010:16 Varuflödesundersökningen (Goods Flow Survey) 2009
Traffic Analysis: Lastbilstrafik (Truck Traffic) 2011
www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/workingpaper/wp_07_02.pdf
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