Scandinavian countries have become pioneers in the European freight transport market with the so-called road trains that are 34.5 meters long, which is almost 9 meters longer than standard trucks in Europe.
Finland started this segment of transport five years ago. Sweden started borrowing it last year. There, from December 1, 2023, such long trucks are now completely legal. This happened after test long trucks showed good results and a significant increase in the volume of transportation.
Despite the increased load, axle weight norms were not violated and no aggressive "hit" on the road surface. With this mode of transport, engine emissions turn out to be significantly lower than they would be if two tractors with trailers were used. Now the Swedish experience is being studied in other countries in Europe.
Similar technology is being prepared for launch in the Netherlands. At the beginning of this year, Denmark also took a course to use auto trains for long distances, and they are currently in test running mode.
Initially, this transport specialist started with the Scania R500 Highline auto train with a length of 25.25 meters and a total weight of less than 60 tons, which served a route between Finland and Sweden. Then the truck had only one trailer.
When vehicles with a length of 34.5 meters and a total weight of 74 tons were allowed to travel on the road, an additional towing semi-trailer was also installed, which increased the transport capacity by another 9 meters.
In the new overall dimensions, the road train fits well in turns, passes through intersections without any problems, and at the same time the road safety of road trains is at the same level as that of ordinary TIRs.
Of course, the stopping distance becomes a little longer. That is why such vehicles are marked with special signs with large black letters LONG on a yellow background in a red frame. They are visible from afar and this acts as a warning to other road users.