03 February 2023

SAVE THE DATE – HIGH CAPACITY VEHICLES FOR SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT ROAD FREIGHT

CLECAT will be present at the Transport and Logistics Munich on the 9th May with a side-event on high capacity transport for sustainable and efficient road transport. High-Capacity Vehicles (HCVs) have been introduced in various EU Member States or are being tested. These vehicles have been designed to operate on existing roadways with limited or no additional infrastructure investment. HCVs can contribute to improving the efficiency and safety of road transport operations and reduce transport costs and energy demand. Today smart technologies can be made available to further facilitate their use by road transport operators, with increased road safety. 

Despite the known benefits, there is often opposition to the introduction of HCVs due to fears that increasing the weight and dimensions of trucks might increase risks for other road users or even the infrastructure. It is also argued that larger freight vehicles would induce a reverse modal shift from rail waterborne transport. Nevertheless, various studies have found that HCVs contribute to the decarbonisation of road freight transport. They lower fuel consumption and GHG emissions per unit of cargo transported by reducing the number of trips required to move the same amount of freight.

CLECAT is gathering a roundtable of experts, who will demonstrate how high-capacity vehicles can support sustainable and efficient transport, also in multimodal transport operations.