Urban double-decks can save 520 million road miles

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Transport Engineer  /  October 18, 2016

Urban double-deck trailers semi-trailer manufacturer Transdek UK (http://www.transdek.com/) claims that its approach to urban fgreight distribution is capable of saving up to 520 million road-miles a year.

The company – which will be showing its DUET urban double-decks at the Freight in the City Expo (Alexandra Palace, 2 November 2016), says it is focussing development on increasing volumes carried per vehicle and minimising noise for overnight distribution.

That should strike a chord, given DfT (Department for Transport), FTA (Freight Transport Association) and CILT (Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport) moves towards greater integration of out-of-hours deliveries to retail outlets to reduce congestion.

Transdek managing director Mark Adams insists that an ability to transport twice as much load per delivery is a key driver in reducing the volume of HGV traffic in cities across the UK.

Citing work at the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (SRF), he says: “Based on DfT statistics, we’ve calculated that if just 10% of the UK’s 18 tonne rigids were changed for urban double deckers, this would save 104 million road miles a year, mainly in urban centres.

“Converting half of the trucks would see a reduction of 520 million miles.”

Transdek is also working with the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) to set what Adams describes as new standards for quiet road freight in UK.

At Alexandra Palace, the company intends to introduce a low-height, multi-temperature version of its DUET urban trailer, which features new quiet technology designed specifically for town and city deliveries at night.

“By using a range of double-deck trailer types and sizes, logistics operators could achieve 100% extra load on most of their conventional HGV fleets used for retail deliveries,” continues Adams.

“Transdek’s urban Wedge double-deck trailer, for example, carries exactly twice as much as standard urban artic of the same length.”

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