They’ve been trying to have these continental lorries and trailer arrangements for decades:
Extra-long “eco-friendly” lorries which cut down the number of freight journeys could be on the roads next year, the Government has announced, amid a shortage of long-haul drivers.
Longer-semi trailers (LSTs), which are up to 2.05m (6.8ft) longer than the current limit of 13.6m (45ft), could save up to one in eight journeys by fitting more freight in, according to a nine-year trial by the Department for Transport (DfT).
The Government had initially planned to conduct a 15-year trial until 2027, but last year consulted on ending the scheme early after it concluded that the experiment had yielded enough data.
Used to be “to be like the continent”. Now it’s “green”. Justifications change but not the desire.
One wonders how long the trucks will have to become to add sufficient space for the 8 – 10 tons of batteries which will be necessary to get the damn thing to move a few miles. That alone will reduce the total length of freight journeys possible because the vehicles will be holed up at a charging point for hours on end. And as for overnight deliveries……….
Some of Princess NutNut’s Faery Dust is required.
I wonder how they’ll get around corners.
Seems reasonable enough, regardless of the motivation, as long as they don’t end up in towns and on B roads.
15 year trial? Thankfully the likes of Stephenson, Brunel and Benz just got on with transport innovations otherwise we would still be using sedan chairs.
“I wonder how they’ll get around corners.”
We used to have shorter vehicles than the continent to protect the environment. It all rather depends on what you mean by “the environment”…
When did HMG start using “semi-trailer” to describe the trailer of an artic? And why? Ignorance among young civil servants? Do they call the tractor of the artic a “semi-tractor”?
@dearieme – I’m not sure they do call them that, but technically they are semi-trailers, which differ from trailers in that they lack a front axle. A typical artic consists of a tractor and a semi-trailer. In othther countries there are vehicles with more than one trailer (especially Australia) but not in the UK.