On 1 December, the administration announced that the Swedish Transport Administration opened its road network to 34.5-metre-long trucks to make transport more efficient and reduce the impact on the climate.
“The advantage of longer trucks is that fewer trucks are needed to transport the same amount of goods. According to our calculations, this means that we can reduce emissions from heavy goods vehicles by between 4 and 6 per cent. The change will streamline the logistics process and reduce transport costs, improving the company’s overall competitiveness,” says Sandra Nordahl, head of the unit at the Swedish Transport Administration.
The new regulations opened approximately 590 kilometres of state roads on 1 December 2023. This network includes a main road system of about 450 kilometres and about 140 kilometres of state connecting roads, which were identified in cooperation with 160 affected municipalities.
One consideration for longer trucks is the need for increased overtaking distance. Studies have been carried out to assess the impact of longer vehicles on overtaking times. Although overtaking distances are slightly longer, there is no significant increase in road safety risks. Longer HGVs are equipped with signs at the front and the rear so that other road users can anticipate overtaking manoeuvres.
The Swedish Transport Administration has developed technical regulations to ensure road safety and functional compatibility with the designated road network. Omar Bagdadi, an investigator at the Swedish Transport Administration, says: “The first stage of our work is now complete. Two different vehicle combinations have been approved. The Swedish Transport Administration is now starting a new phase of regulatory work to be able to approve other combinations”.
Sweden is a pioneer in this initiative, with Finland being the only other European country to allow such long trucks. The successful implementation of this road opening is attributed to the joint efforts of the Swedish Transport Administration, companies, 160 municipalities and the Swedish Transport Agency. This milestone follows a change in traffic regulations that allowed longer trucks to be integrated into the Swedish road network.
Photo credits @ Wusel007, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons