Sweden to increase truck allowable total weight up to 64 tons
In Sweden currently, total weight of combination truck may not exceed 60 tons. However, it is bound to change. New regulations will become effective since June which will increase total weight of a truck operating on public roads by 4 tons. The change affects the BK1 roads which constitute 90% of all public roads in Sweden.
Information on new legal developments permitting over 60-ton trucks to operate on public roads has been circulating for a while. Every now and then the media have leaked some data on allowable total weight. It is supposed that new regulations has been influenced by the similar law in Finland where gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the staggering 76 tons. The main reason for new legislation is ecology and environmental protection. New regulation are to help meet the transport demand, but at the same time live up to all the requirements of reducing negative influence of this economy sector on natural environment. Increasing GVM up to 64 tons means heavier combination trucks, and this in turn will reduce CO2 emissions and affect the transport quality by improving its security and ton-kilometer profitability as more load will be carried by a single vehicle.
What does it mean to Polish carriers providing LTL and FTL service between Europe and Sweden? Gross vehicle mass is determined by the distance between outermost axles of a vehicle or combination truck. It is 18 meters or more in case of 64 tons of GVM. Besides, the final drive axle should be fitted with air-spring suspension system or equivalent. In brief, it means that increasing GVM affects only these vehicles which are fit to transport such heavy loads.
Carriers of oversize loads may be interested in new GVM regulations. The change in law means that permits for transporting oversize cargo on public roads will automatically have higher maximum weight since June.
It may be assumed that the figure of 64 tons is not yet a final word of the Swedish legislator on the matter of allowable combination truck total weight. The legally binding weight limit will probably be even higher, but it will affect roads of a different category.
Patryk Szymański
Vice President of Scandinavian Express
