In January 2012 the federal government started a nationwide 5-year test pilot with long trucks. The term of a long truck is defined in the regulation of traffic law regarding vehicles and vehicle combinations with an excess length (LKWÜberlStVAusnV). According to that regulation, a long truck has a maximum length of 25,25 metres and a valid gross weight of 40 tons. Furthermore, a long truck is permitted to have a valid gross weight of 40 tons during the leading and trailing process in intermodal transport. In addition, the infrastructure that is allowed to use (Positive-network) is defined in that regulation as well. In an attendant scientific investigation of the test pilot, which is coordinated by the Federal Highway Research Institute, the estimation of market potenzial has been evaluated. Moreover, this investigation was based on actually observed and captured empirical data of the transport process. Additionally, these investigations were also a part and input for further analysis concerning vehicle safety and environmental impacts. Hence, the fundamental work focus on that investigation was primarily the development of the design, coordination, implementation as well as an analysis of the empirical data collection. Within one year and on a weekly basis, a total of 13 500 transport processes including a 2,35 mill. driving performance, 144 000 tons of transported goods and 37 000 hours of driving time were investigated as well as analyzed by the use of an online questionnaire. As investigated, no participating company of the test run adopted the long truck as a substitute of rail freight transport. In addition, instead of the conventional truck the long truck was adopted for pre- and post -haulage in intermodal transport. Due to these findings, statistical evaluations concerning transport demand effects as well as modal-shifts are not possible, and were therefore not conducted. However, the basic framework and requirements were already created and designed. In the meantime, publicists, commercial and media experts as well as both participating and nonparticipating transport companies in the test pilot have been interviewed, and were asked to make an assessment of the pilot run and characteristics of long trucks. These assessments included subjects concerning operational areas, criteria of selection means of transport and expected advantages as well as disadvantages of long trucks. In addition, infrastructure requirements, potenzial changes in logistical processes and transport chains as well as a general assessment concerning market areas of long trucks were included in these assessments made by the parties involved. The statements of nonparticipating companies were similar to assessments made by the participating companies. As a new aspect, potenzial competitive disadvantages of small business companies were mentioned. According to these experts’ assessments, infrastructural aspects, for instance general adequacy as well as capital expenditures and adaptation requirements were assessed in a controversial manner. All in all, the qualitative interviews of nonparticipating parties and experts represented arguments discussed in corresponding publications. The market potenzial of long trucks has been estimated with the help of a descriptive analysis of statistics concerning transports of goods for German trucks. As a result, approximately 2-9% of all transports respectively 3-7% of the driving performance of conventional trucks could be replaced by long trucks. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting