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There will be no 25.25m vehicles on our roads

8th November 2012
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Page 4, 8th November 2012 — There will be no 25.25m vehicles on our roads
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

By Derren Hayes

THE DEPARTMENT for Transport (DfT) has quashed any suggestions of using 25.25m-long combinations – also known as high-capacity vehicles (HCVs) – in its longer semi-trailer trial.

The dismissal follows this week’s publication of research by the University of Huddersfield, which was sponsored by Kimberly-Clark. It found that HCVs could reduce transport costs by £226m, CO2 emissions by 96,000 tonnes and lorry kilometres by 4% (CM 1 November) if it fulfilled its potential for achieving 1.4 billion articulated vehicle kilometres (15% of the overall total).

A spokeswoman for the DfT said: “We have no intention of allowing semi-trailers of other vehicle combinations that go beyond the dimensions in the current trial. It is based on extensive research, last year’s consultation and our own impact assessment. This work showed that the greatest net benefits would come from the type of trailers that we are now trialling.” She added that the purpose of the trial was to verify the usage of 14.6m and 15.65m trailers in real-world operations.

As the evaluation of the trial was now under way, she added, the DfT would not be able to assess it properly if it changed the terms halfway through the trial.

However, Peter Surtees, the European logistics director at Kimberly-Clark, said the longer semi-trailer trial was already showing benefits less than a year after its launch, but that these could be further enhanced by allowing 25.25m combinations, operating at 44-tonnes, to be included in it.

Surtees said it would be “practical” to include HCVs in the longer semi-trailer trial. “I think there is a case for moving these things forward under the same umbrella. Hopefully this report will start the debate,” he added.


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