Now it is ready for longer vehicle crews on our Swedish roads

As of August 31, it will be permitted to drive vehicles with a total length of up to 34.5 meters. This is possible after a change in the traffic regulation, but it will take until the turn of the year before we see any longer vehicle crews on our Swedish roads.

This is because there will be new vehicle requirements that regulate the technical requirements for the new vehicle trains and which must be decided by the Swedish Transport Agency. These include requirements for equipment that the vehicle trains must have in order to be approved, requirements for stability, starting ability on slippery road conditions and space requirements in the infrastructure. These vehicle requirements have been out for consultation in the spring, and the Swedish Transport Agency is expected to decide on the new requirements in the fall of 2023. Based on that, the Swedish Transport Administration plans to open a continuous road network of approximately 5 900 kilometers for vehicles up to 34.5 meters from December 1.

The advantages of longer and heavier transports are many. More goods can be transported over longer distances with fewer vehicle units. Something that reduces emissions. Calculations made by the Swedish Transport Administration say that emissions from heavy truck traffic can be reduced by between 4 and 6 percent with longer vehicle crews.

The vehicle combinations that will be approved by December 1 are two. Additional combinations will be approved later. The two combinations that are now approved are a so-called A-double and AB-double. A-double is a vehicle combination consisting of a trailer truck connected to a trailer and a dolly with an attached trailer. An AB double is a vehicle combination consisting of a truck with superstructure connected to a dolly with an attached link which in turn is connected to a trailer.

If you want to take part of the Swedish Transport Agency’s material and see which requirements will probably apply to the new vehicle trains, you can find them via the link HERE in Swedish. When the new page opens, you will find them under the link named Konsekvensutredning.

HERE you will find the Swedish Transport Administration’s information about the new vehicle trains in Swedish.