Currently, several solutions are being studied in Europe aimed at increasing transport capacity, mainly by utilizing existing types of vehicles. The most important ones include:
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increasing the permissible total weight of a vehicle combination from 40 to 44 t (ignoring the distinct British regulations here) or even 48 t, while maintaining the currently legally permitted length level, which is a maximum of 16.5 m for a semi-trailer combination and 18.35/18.75 m for a combination with a trailer
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simultaneously increasing the permissible weight and length of the combination: weight up to 60 t, length up to 25.25 m
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increasing the length of the combination to 25.25 m with an increase in the permissible total weight to only 48 t
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increasing the height of the combination by 10 cm while leaving other width, length, and permissible total weight restrictions unchanged
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increasing the weight of the combination to 84 t and the length to approximately 40 m.
Introducing non-lengthened but slightly heavier combinations onto European roads seems to be the simplest solution, based on currently operated means of transport (tractors and semi-trailers). Technically, these means are already adapted to higher loads today, and the entire increase in the permissible total weight of the combination can be utilized for an increase in payload, which would rise from approximately 25-27 t to 29-31 t, i.e., by 15%, with a 10% increase in the combination weight. Some of the first published results of studies concerning combinations with a weight increased by 4 t (to 44 t) are very encouraging. During last year’s IAA commercial vehicle trade fair in Hanover, the largest in the world, the IVECO concern presented the so-called Transport Concept, which is a specially prepared combination consisting of a tractor unit and a semi-trailer. It was characterized by a total weight increased from 40 to 44 t and three other elements influencing cost reduction:
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installation of many covers on the tractor and semi-trailer (among other things, the front bumper was extended to about 180 mm above the road level, and covers appeared on the side of the cab eliminating the gap between the tractor and the semi-trailer)
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optimization of the tractor’s powertrain components in terms of mechanics based on innovative components that IVECO is currently developing with the future Euro 6 emission standard in mind
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use of innovative tires with lower rolling resistance; road tests have proven that these tires can reduce fuel consumption by up to 4%.
The Transport Concept was also distinguished by the use of practically all currently known systems and solutions that increase safety (ESP, TPM, second-generation ACC, lane departure warning system, blind spot detection on the right side, lane change assistant on the left side, reversing assistance provided by a TV camera and sensors).
Tests conducted so far have proven that using the Transport Concept provides the user with a number of benefits, including: a 15% increase in payload; a 9% increase in the number of Euro-pallets carried; a 15-20% increase in profits and a 9% increase in revenue; a 13% reduction in the fleet required to transport the same mass of goods; a 24% reduction in fuel consumption (liters/ton of payload); and a 25% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the advantages, the discussed combination is burdened with two disadvantages. The first is the increased axle loads of up to about 1 t. In the case of Western countries, where the condition of roads is good, this issue does not pose a major problem. However, in Poland, the movement of 44-ton combinations would have to be limited to a network of selected national roads and motorways. The second disadvantage is that this solution only works for transporting heavy loads, not volumetric ones. Increasing the payload of a combination as a result of raising its total weight is therefore not a universal solution. A better solution seems to be the second proposal, which consists of simultaneously increasing the permissible weight and length of the combination (weight up to 60 t, length up to 25.25 m). Such long and heavier combinations are often referred to as the European Modular System (EMS), although other names also occur. In German literature, one can encounter terms such as EuroCombi, Megaliner, or Gigaliner. In the further part of the article, however, the name EMS will be used. The idea of EMS is not new. The first trials and implementation of this system were carried out in 1995, and the Swedish concern Volvo Truck Corporation has been among its ardent proponents from the beginning. It pointed out and still points out numerous benefits resulting from this proposal. It is based mainly on standard transport units currently used in Europe in the form of: 4×2, 6×2, 6×4 or less frequently 8×2/8×4 chassis and 3-axle semi-trailers with a length of 13.6 m and 2-, 3-axle, center-axle trailers with a length of up to 7.82 m. In addition, there are two non-standard elements: a 2-axle dolly and a special 3-axle semi-trailer, accommodating a container/swap body with a length of 7.82 m at the front, equipped with a fifth wheel at the rear for attaching another semi-trailer. From these transport units, like universal modules (hence, among other things, the name of the EMS system), as many as 5 configurations of road trains can be built, most of them weighing a maximum of 60 t and measuring 25.25 m in length:
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configuration A – 2/3-axle tractor unit coupled with a 3-axle 13.6 m semi-trailer, then connected to a center-axle trailer with a length of up to 7.82 m
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configuration B – 2/3-axle tractor unit connected to a special semi-trailer, which is then coupled with a standard 13.6 m semi-trailer
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configuration C – 4-axle 8×2/8×4 chassis connected to a 3-axle trailer
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configuration D – 3-axle 6×2/6×4 chassis coupled with a dolly and a 3-axle 13.6 m semi-trailer
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configuration E – 2-axle chassis connected to two center-axle trailers with a length of up to 7.82 m.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 6/2007.