RE: Mr Big Stuff News: Go Green With Big Trucks
Tuesday 4th October 2011
A big, old truck...As the number of people who enjoyed our recent article on the massive Caterpillar 797F dumper truck proved, your average PHer has a soft spot for big machines.
...a big, new truck...It's even a concept backed by actual academics: "In order to succeed, a number of different measures will be needed such as better logistics, more efficient engines, more fuel-efficient driving techniques and new fuels. But one of the solutions may also be larger and more powerful trucks," says Anders Ahlbäck, project manager in the Area of Advance for Transport at Chalmers University of Technology.
...and another big, new truck"Longer and more powerful trucks are, of course, not the only solution to the transport sector's climate problems, but they are one of many answers," says Hayder Wokil, product manager at Volvo Trucks. "Here at Volvo Trucks we see it as our mission to pursue development and to make truck transport's environmental footprint as small as possible. Trends thus far show that a smaller climate impact and more efficient transport really do go hand in hand."
Mr Big Stuff: Go Green With Big Trucks
The bigger our trucks, the greener we are, says Volvo
A big, old truck...
So if we told you that Volvo reckons the answer to meeting tough climate requirements in the transport sector is larger, more powerful trucks, you'd probably be quite happy. After all, if the rallying cry of environmentalists were to become 'big trucks!' well, you could probably call most of us paid-up members of Friends of the Earth.
So how does Volvo reach the apparently counter-intuitive conclusion that a Clarkson-esque call for 'more power!' is an environmentally sound solution? Simple, really: with larger and more powerful trucks, more freight can be carried by fewer vehicles, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and the climate impact in relation to the transport work being undertaken (says Volvo).
...a big, new truck...
And growing power units have coincided with dramatic increases in fuel efficiency. Back in the 1970s, for example, 350hp was considered a chunky output for a heavy hauler, while today Volvo is building trucks with 750hp. At the same time fuel consumption has dropped by an average of about 40 per cent, while emissions of nitrogen oxides and particles have been cut by more than 90 per cent.
...and another big, new truck
It's really all very sensible stuff, but all we can hear is our inner five-year-old kid shouting 'big trucks, big trucks, big trucks!'
Discussion
Is the infrastructure in place to handle heavier trucks?
It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.
There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.
Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...
It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.
There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.
Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...
louiebaby said:
Is the infrastructure in place to handle heavier trucks?
It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.
There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.
Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...
Damn you and your sensible, considered viewpoint! It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.
There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.
Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...
louiebaby said:
Is the infrastructure in place to handle heavier trucks?
It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.
There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.
Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...
I agree entirely. An increase in Road Haulage Gross Train Weights will require a rethink in the materials used to surface our roads. Hopefully one day there will be a material used that will not deform under load and create Tramlines in Lanes 1 & 2. It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.
There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.
Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...
Then i won't worry too much about my trailer snaking about between them as i go up the M5 to rallies.
Another post. Why the hell don't we make more sensible use of our motorways, which are a significant capital expenditure. License some trucks to only use the motorways between the hours of say 9pm to 6am, and give them a discount on their road tax, fuel vat etc. That would free up the motorways during the day, and give the trucks the benefit of easier traveling, with much more predictable journey times.
robinessex said:
Another post. Why the hell don't we make more sensible use of our motorways, which are a significant capital expenditure. License some trucks to only use the motorways between the hours of say 9pm to 6am, and give them a discount on their road tax, fuel vat etc. That would free up the motorways during the day, and give the trucks the benefit of easier traveling, with much more predictable journey times.
Except that the drivers would have to be paid twice as much - which would be significantly more than any tax / fuel incentive.Still, though. Big Trucks.
Whilst it does make sense to increase the pontential for each load from a cost , fuel and traffic point of veiw.
I think certain aspects should be tightened up, ie there are allready far too many knackered foreign trucks on our road, and by knackered a i mean poorly maintained unsafe vehicles.
Also weight limits for the actual vehicles pose not real problem, the trucks have come on so much a top line scania drives around with 40tonne load like its not even there, power isnt a problem and brakes are better then they have ever been, but its whether the roads can take it?
I think certain aspects should be tightened up, ie there are allready far too many knackered foreign trucks on our road, and by knackered a i mean poorly maintained unsafe vehicles.
Also weight limits for the actual vehicles pose not real problem, the trucks have come on so much a top line scania drives around with 40tonne load like its not even there, power isnt a problem and brakes are better then they have ever been, but its whether the roads can take it?
Woo! Let's apply this to cars too. Sweden and Holland have been running 50 to 60 GVW's for years with higher rated bogies. Euro 6 is the next problem, the jump from 5 to 6 being almost as big as 1 to 5. It brings the C02 down but can increase fuel consumption, engines are heavier and so less payload at the current weights. Some are predicting 7.5 tonnage being redundant.
School boy said:
Woo! Let's apply this to cars too. Sweden and Holland have been running 50 to 60 GVW's for years with higher rated bogies. Euro 6 is the next problem, the jump from 5 to 6 being almost as big as 1 to 5. It brings the C02 down but can increase fuel consumption, engines are heavier and so less payload at the current weights. Some are predicting 7.5 tonnage being redundant.
Sorry, the clue is in your user ID. CO2 is proportional to fuel consumed. CO2 will not go down if fuel consumed increases.
Beyond Rational said:
More freight, fewer vehicles, longer? Congratulations Volvo, you've invented the train.
+1Around where I live there's a constant battle with freight distribution companies trying to build on old MOD land, with no proposed changes to infrastructure. One such site has snuck in under the radar but has no-where near the volume of traffic proposed by one particular other proposal. It's bad enough without lots of big lorries jamming the narrow roads up- dread to think what it'll be like when one of the new proposals succeeds.
Our country just isn't big enough to support more and more road freight, but I can't see it diminishing in the near future.
f111lover said:
Nah, smaller trucks are the way to go, and use the bloody railways better.
I reckon really small trucks are the way to go. If self driving vehicles are the future the only way people will accept self driving trucks is if they appear small. A series of small van sized automatons could travel as a train down motorways for efficiency and split up to perform deliveries reducing the number of tonne miles that would need to be travelled.
Railways, & canals should be used more for transporting goods.M Powered said:
Sorry, the clue is in your user ID. CO2 is proportional to fuel consumed. CO2 will not go down if fuel consumed increases.
Thank you for your polite response. Next time you get something wrong please be aware I will blow it out of proportion and find something to be rude about. I might be thinking of Nox emissions instead but am sure I have read this in the HGV press which is why AdBlue and other techniques are used but I may be wrongThe haulage industry has been ever campaigning for bigger tonnage vehicles as this reduces the marginal cost of each tonne moved (one driver and unit now moving more load etc.)and increases the industry competitiveness against say trains (though I would argue that EXISTING road transported CO2/tonne/mile would fall). So they want it not to reduce CO2 but to increase the already dominant position in transport of goods. The bigger companies also likely see this as a way of winning new business from smaller companies by lowering rates for each tonne as they are more likely to afford the new units, however the micro margins you see in haulage won't improve as the companies are forever undercutting to win contracts, so they will continue to struggle to make money but our motorways will be likely as busy or busier with bigger rigs - and if getting nailed by a 44t truck does you no good I don't think the laws of physics improve things at 60t.
Edited by Numeric on Tuesday 4th October 13:02
Edited by Numeric on Tuesday 4th October 13:53
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