Increasing road congestion, inadequate infrastructure and the continued need to reduce the environmental impact of trucks means the trucking industry, policymakers and the general public must be open to new ways of increasing highway freight transport productivity,
according to Volvo Trucks North America. This includes use of longer, heavier and more productive trucks as part of the national transportation mix.


New thinking and new investments are needed so truck transportation can be efficient and cost-effective now and in the future, said Scott Kress, senior vice president, sales and marketing. Kress made his comments in Boston during a seminar on climate change policy hosted by Volvo Group North America

"The challenge is to safely deliver more freight, more efficiently in support of current and future demands," Kress said. The trucking industry currently estimates the total amount of freight tonnage in the U.S. will increase 26% between 2006 and 2020, which would mean a similar 26% increase in truck population to keep pace.

Kress noted that statutory and regulatory limits on truck capacities haven't changed in years. Population and economic growth lead to increased demand for freight transportation, yet infrastructure investment has not kept pace and hundreds of significant freight bottlenecks can be found across the U.S., which cost the overall economy tens of billions of dollars each year.

"Do different limits on trailer weight, size and permissible combinations offer improved efficiency while reducing road congestion?" Kress said. "What are the advantages to using longer combination vehicles (LCVs) and under what circumstances are the benefits the greatest?"

He noted that more productive trucks would consume less fuel, contributing to less demand for foreign oil while also reducing emissions, especially greenhouse gases such as CO2. In fact, according to Kress, they have a better safety record than the corresponding tractor/single trailer combination predominant in today's freight hauling.

Volvo Trucks' initiative to promote more productive trucks is closely connected to the company's role as a leader in safety and the environment, Kress said. The company wants to facilitate discussions about use of more productive trucks as a strategy for improving truck transportation in the U.S., and to change public policy on truck combinations.

Kress launched Volvo Trucks' more productive truck initiative at an environmental seminar held last week in Boston by Volvo Group North America as part of the Volvo Ocean Race. Other presenters included Bill Graves, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations, and Leif Johansson, president and CEO of the Volvo Group.