Can compliance pull 60 tons of double-hung trains be popularized in China?

If the car train with a total length of 32 meters and can carry more than 70 tons of goods is introduced into China, can it further improve the construction of efficient land transport logistics network and promote the freight industry to move towards a more energy efficient and efficient direction?

Do you remember the modular car train that Scania exhibited in Qingdao some time ago? Simply put, this double-trailer train mode can be simply understood as a tractor, a full trailer and a half trailer three parts, in which the full trailer is set up with a standard traction saddle. The three parts of the tractor, full trailer and semi-trailer are connected to each other by the traction saddle on the tractor and full trailer to form a complete trailer axle automobile train.

The total length of this Scania double-truck train is around 25 meters, starting from the cargo unit, through the Asian standard 1X1.1 meters of pallet transport, the maximum load design is 72 tons.

It is understood that Scania launched this "double train" transport mode mainly in order to achieve more energy saving and efficient transport. As He Mochi, president of Scania China Group, said, the mode of double-suspension train is to achieve the optimization of road transport through the combination of different transport unit modules.

Scania believes that to achieve the improvement of transport efficiency, existing and optimal technology should be applied to the appropriate transport system. Market-based solutions should be selected to carry out transport in the most sustainable and economical way.

According to Scania's calculation, compared with the ordinary coupling combination, the transport volume of the double-suspension train can be increased by 50%, while the fuel consumption is not increased much, and the average transport unit cost of various comprehensive cargo combinations can be reduced by 34%, which greatly improves the transport efficiency.

In fact, the double-hanger train is not a new product, this mode of transport has been operating in North America and parts of Europe for nearly 20 years.

In simple terms, with the flexible combination of different transport modules such as tractors and trailers, double-hung trains can not only improve the efficiency of road freight transport, but also have positive significance for the future development of multimodal transport and the overall upgrade of the logistics industry. It is understood that the maximum total mass of this type of double trailer can reach 72 tons, and the total number of axles can reach 9 axles.

For example, at the end of 2021, in order to solve the shortage of truck drivers in Europe, how to increase capacity on the existing basis and other problems, a German logistics company began to trial two 32-meter long ultra-long truck combination in Spain, the trailer from the famous German Schmitz, in the choice of the front, with the 1990s Iveco a flat-top truck. Total cargo weight increased from 40 tons per trailer to 70 tons.

It is understood that this modular transport system used in Spain is based on the cargo unit as a starting point, through the maximum definition of pallet transport 7.82 meters long exchange box and 13.6 meters long semi-hanging box, the two boxes can be combined with the trailer chassis to form a different combination of car train mode.

According to the calculation, the 32-meter car-train trailer axle combination can save at least 25% fuel consumption per ton kilometer compared to two ordinary tractors. After 2 months of use, the fuel saving effect of these two car trains is very significant.

Of course, in Europe, North America, Australia and other overseas regions, the rise of "double train" transport mode, which is closely related to local transport conditions and working conditions and other factors.

Of course, according to our country's current regulations, this "double-hanger car train" mode can not be legally on the road for the time being, according to the provisions of GB1589 issued in 2016, the truck train can be 20 meters, the longest is the mid-axle car, but the length is only 22 meters, and the total length of the overseas popular double-hanger train has reached about 25 meters. According to the current situation, it is an ultra-long and overweight vehicle, which cannot be compliant on the road.

However, many companies have already begun research and testing, and related products have been unveiled. Our domestic commercial vehicle enterprises SAIC Hongyan and Geely Remote successively released the products of "double-hung train" last year.

The model of the SAIC Hongyan Jieshi H6 double-truck train is different from the "Scania way"; But it is also divided into three parts, the traction head, the semi-trailer (front car), and the middle axle trailer (rear car). The dimensions of the front compartment reach 13600x2500x4000mm, and the dimensions of the rear compartment are 10260x2500x4000mm. The maximum load can reach 141.5 cubic meters and the maximum total mass can reach 60 tons.

On January 17, the remote car released the first new energy double-trailer train in China, which is composed of three parts: tractor + connected semi-trailer + semi-trailer, and the tractor is equipped with 13L methanol power independently developed by the remote car.

There are three types of long-distance car dual train models: 18-meter nine-axis model, 22-meter nine-axis model and 22-meter six-axis model. The 18-meter model can load two 20-foot standard containers; The 22m model can be loaded with 1 20ft +1 40ft standard container. The long-distance methanol double-loading train can be matched with the railway X5 multimodal transport car, and it can carry out the dumping transport independently.

Although it is currently illegal in China, it is currently reported that the new version of the "road vehicle profile size, axle load and total mass limits" has been exploring the feasibility of double-hanger car trains in the consultation draft, and many relevant domestic enterprises have launched feasibility verification.

Moreover, it is reported that the double-trailer train will realize demonstration application during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, and pave the way for the full application of the double-trailer train in the early stage of technical reserve research.

Today, with the world's longest and most modern road trailer axle network and already the world's largest logistics market, China has all the prerequisites for building the world's most sustainable and efficient road transport system.

Adopting this "sustainable" mode of transport means safety, compliance, economy and energy saving. Compared with the ordinary care combination, the transport volume of the double-link train can be increased by 50%, while the ton-kilometer fuel consumption can be reduced a lot, and the average transport unit cost of various comprehensive cargo combinations can be reduced by 34%, which greatly improves the transport efficiency.

By using this mode of transportation, it also reduces transportation costs, reduces traffic congestion, improves traffic safety, and promotes the development of multimodal transport. Moreover, the axle load standard of automobile train is higher than that of ordinary trailer, and the total vehicle weight is more evenly distributed on more tires through more number of axle, the unit pressure is reduced, and the wear on the road is lower.

For example, He Mochi, president of Scania China Group, has said that Scania's double-hanging train can be a unit more than the current module, which is equivalent to a 50% increase in transportation efficiency. It believes that in China, for example, part of the line from Xinjiang to Xi 'an can also use the combination form of tractor + semi-trailer +Dolly+ semi-trailer, with a total length of 32 meters, which is 100% more efficient than the current transportation.

In summary: This model of car train can better serve logistics enterprises and improve the overall operation economy. Lower transportation costs per ton kilometer, which in turn leads to increased revenue per vehicle, and fewer drivers to perform more transportation tasks, which virtually reduces operating costs. In short, car trains are a very sustainable mode of transport.

Of course, such transport mode can be deeply cultivated in Europe, North America, Australia and other places for many years, and the local road transport environment is inseparable, whether it is suitable for our national conditions in China, at least for the moment is still open to question. After all, the key is that this mode of transportation is now difficult to adapt to China's roads and crowded venues.

For the "double-hung train" transportation mode, there are card friends who have a very unique insight: Due to the length of this kind of double-hanging train is longer than the ordinary semi-trailer, it is easy to have traffic accidents, turn and turn in narrow places will be larger than the ordinary semi-trailer inner wheel difference, will increase the difficulty of overtaking the car, loading and unloading time will be longer than the ordinary semi-trailer, will increase the difficulty of reversing the driver, and so on.

Moreover, in addition to the problems of the road network and driver training, in order to fully promote the double-hanger train, it also needs the establishment of the necessary mobile area of the logistics center, but also needs road infrastructure, road network traffic density detection, personnel safety awareness and many other factors go hand in hand, so for our China, the large-scale popularization of the double-hanger train mode still needs a long time to go.