Volvo Trucks has been championing the introduction of these vehicles across the whole of Europe for years – and even ran trunk tests in the UK under licence in the 1970s, as did ERF. Volvo’s argument for adopting, what it calls a European Modular System (EMS) for road transport throughout the Continent would enable the demand for road transport to be met by fewer trucks.

Volvo says for the same number of tonne-miles the road space used by trucks will be reduced significantly, as will fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions. Hauliers’ costs will be reduced and there will be less wear and tear on roads.

Last month the manufacturer hosted a seminar in Gothenburg that was attended by European authorities and transport organisations. Volvo Trucks presented its concept for better pan European transport solutions based on the EMS concept.

In 1995 Sweden and Finland made EMS combinations legal. Despite the obvious benefits of the bigger trucks, perceived public concerns about road safety combined with worries over the financial implications of increased road damage brought the EC out in opposition to their introduction.

The Nordic countries stuck to their guns and now 60-tonne combinations of 25.25m are permitted by the EC. The result of the Scandinavian’s resolve was EU Directive (96/53/EC).

Wide interest

This EC approval has lead to trials in the Netherlands and the authorities there have been testing the 25.25m modular system since December 2000. Since the opening of its eastern borders, Germany has seen a 30% increase freight traffic and is interested in introducing the 25.25m modular system. Interest is also high in Denmark, some of the new EU member states, as well as Belgium.

Swap bodies and other combinations enable two ‘modular’ rigs to carry the same quantity of goods in long-haul traffic as three standard European combinations. The modular concept is also compatible with the system of combined traffic used on European railways.

As a direct result of two domestic hauliers conducting their own crusade, the UK government has been keeping its eye on this particular ball.

Over the past few years, Dick Denby and Stan Robinson have been working on similar solutions to the EMS truck.

Denby calls its system the B-Double or Eco-Link. Its vehicle is based on a standard 16.5m artic combination. The first – specially designed – trailer is reinforced to accommodate a second fifth wheel mounted above the trailer bogie. Attached to this is a standard semi-trailer taking the overall length of the combination to 25.25m.

Running on a total of eight ‘road friendly’ axles the combination conforms to the 1996 EU Directive 53 in the same way the EMS vehicles do. Dick Denby says that his Eco-Link vehicle has performed to all current standards at the MIRA VETAC trials and he is pressing the DfT to permit a national on-road trial of the vehicle. Denby claims that his vehicle represents volume productivity gains of 57.5% and payload productivity gains of 40% over a standard artic. It can operate at 60 tonnes with an 8% gain in fuel productivity. In terms of road damage at 44 tonnes the Denby B-Double imposes 2.37 tonnes per linear metre compared with 2.66 tonnes for a 44-tonne 3+3 artic. Denby says running at 60 tonnes, road wear is slightly more. In terms of manoeuvrability the B-Double can go where most standard drawbar combinations can go and unlike drawbars has the flexibility to deliver each trailer separately.

Road safety

Road wear aside, opposition to such vehicles from the authorities is based around road safety fears – motorists misjudging overtaking manoeuvres and road occupancy – but Denby says the B-Double would only be used on major routes in the same way that 25.25m combinations are in Sweden.

Denby says that the biggest advantage of this type of combination is in terms of volume trunking. Like the EMS, two of his vehicles equate to three standard drawbars and two in convoy occupy less road space than three artics, reducing the volume of CO2 emissions, levels of lorry traffic on the roads and making the transport of goods by road more efficient.

Volume trunking

Stan Robinson has taken a different technical approach. His vehicle works on the showman’s road train principle of a tractor, trailer, and towed dolly with second semi-trailer. Robinson’s combination is specifically designed for high volume trunks with pallets in mind and he says that if legal he would use it with double-decked trailers as well.

Running on 11 axles, it could operate up to 84 tonnes, but he sees the operation of his style of vehicle being restricted to licensed routes running from depot to depot. Robinson’s vehicle has participated in VETAC trials and he says its performance is close to accepted road safety standards.

At a recent RHA Transport and Warehousing Group Seminar, Denby and Robinson demonstrated their vehicles’ manoeuvrability on a disused airfield. Both vehicles demonstrated they conform to turning circle requirements – despite Robinson’s road train being well over 25.5m.

The Denby vehicle can negotiate a slalom of cones spaced 12m apart but the road train, due to its additional length, needed an extra 3m between cones. After the demonstration ROADWAY took the opportunity to drive Stan Robinson’s road train. We took it through the slalom and around the airfield and found it surprisingly easy to drive, the trailers following the tractor unit’s track closely.

ROADWAY says

To their credit, both operators have funded the developments of the vehicles themselves. The DfT is considering applications to permit road trials similar to those taking place in Holland. There has been some opposition from the Rail Freight Group and others and doubts have been expressed by the police, but neither men seem phased. Robinson told ROADWAY: ‘I hope that an on-road trial will be approved and I intend to be the first man to drive the road train out of the yard.’

What both men are doing is to be applauded and they deserve support from the industry as a whole. The Scandinavian model of the EMS proves these vehicles can be operated safely and efficiently and there is no doubt that potentially they have a significant role to play in reducing congestion, pollution and improving efficiency, not to mention the role they could play in reducing the driver shortage and helping operators to manage working time.