Year: 2012
Type: book
Abstract: In the United Kingdom (UK), the length of a goods carrying vehicle is limited to a maximum of 16.5m for a standard articulated \nvehicle and 18.75m for a draw-bar combination. In October 2011, the Department for Transport announced trials of extended \nlength semi-trailers with the aim of investigating the impact of increasing the length of an articulated vehicle up to a new \nmaximum of 18.55m, an increase of 2.05m. \nA number of countries in the European Union (EU) have opted to either permit or trial vehicles that are substantially longer than \nthose currently permitted or under trial in the UK, with the extension of length often accompanied by an increase in the maximum \ngross weight of the vehicle. The European Commission is currently undertaking a review of the EU Directive that governs the \nweights and dimensions of vehicles operating in the EU. \nThis study assesses the environmental, economic, safety and practical impacts of increasing the maximum length of vehicles in \nthe UK to 25.25m, while maintaining the maximum gross weight at the current UK limit of 44 tonnes (with such a vehicle herein \nreferred to as a ‘High Capacity Vehicle’ or ‘HCV’). The scope is limited to the consideration of 25.25m vehicle variants that are currently in use in the Netherlands.
Authors: David Z. Leach, Christopher Savage
Institution: University of Huddersfield
Language: English
Subfield: Transportation
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W166288644