Longer, Heavier Vehicles (LHVs)

    
Stan Robinson LHV

Longer, heavier vehicles (LHVs) are just that – longer than the 16.5m EU artic length and heavier than the 44 tonnes currently allowed on UK roads. They are currently illegal in the UK. Those who support the adoption of LHVs – or sometimes longer or heavier vehicles – do so because they can carry far more payload or load volume, therefore making truck journeys more efficient and, by taking trucks off the road, reducing congestion.

What are the benefits of LHVs?

Advocates of LHVs say that for 30% more length, the vehicles can carry 60% more and that this is a necessary step to controlling the proliferation of traffic on our road network.

The increased size of the vehicle also makes it more efficient in terms of fuel economy per tonne carried: a fully laden LHV could save more than 15% of fuel (and hence carbon emissions) per tonne carried over a given distance.

Some suggest that extra weight is not necessary; extra length alone would allow those many deliveries which typically 'cube out' long before maximum weight is reached – eg low-density loads such as insulation or toilet rolls - to be much more efficient.

What do LHVs look like?

There are a number of proposed versions of LHVs – the most common are:

  • a rigid vehicle towing a semi-trailer, with the front of the trailer resting on a dolly (potentially up to 25.25m long / 60 tonnes overall weight);
  • an articulated lorry pulling an extra semi-trailer with the front of the second trailer sitting on the rear axle of the first (up to 25.25m / 60 tonnes);
  • an articulated lorry running full standard length with a further trailer (resting on a dolly) behind it (up to 32m / 80 tonnes);
  • a conventional articulated lorry with a longer trailer (up to 18.75m / 44 tonnes).

Few advocates of LHVs propose an overall weight of more than 60 tonnes (60,000kg) or a total length of more than 25.25m.

Who are the strongest UK advocates?

The issues have been debated by most interested parties within road haulage, but operators Dick Denby of Denby Transport, with his Eco-Link and Stan Robinson have each spent much of their own time and money engineering and testing innovative designs and lobbying MPs for a UK LHV trial.

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