Has the peak era of semi-trailers passed?

2023/07/24 09:01

Semi-trailers are the main force in the domestic transportation market, especially in long-distance cargo transportation, semi-trailers almost dominate the world. The axle of a semi-trailer is generally installed behind the center of gravity of the vehicle, so it cannot maintain the balance of the body independently. At the same time, the semi-trailer does not have driving force and needs to be driven by a tractor.


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According to different application fields, semi-trailers are also divided into many types, such as flat-bed type, gooseneck type, concave beam type, warehouse grid type, box type, container type, self-unloading type, etc. Compared with ordinary trucks, semi-trailers can increase transportation efficiency by 30-50%, reduce transportation costs by 30-40%, and reduce trailer axle fuel consumption by about 20-30%.


However, with the continuous development of vehicle technology, models such as center axles, double-trailers, and car trains have emerged in China, and some of them have advantages over semi-trailers in terms of length limit and cargo loading.


Some car owners wonder: Has the peak era of semi-trailers passed? Will semi-trailers be eliminated in the future?


From the current point of view, this worry is completely unnecessary. We mainly analyze from three points:


1. The semi-trailer is more in line with China's national conditions.


my country has a vast land area, with plains, hills, and mountains widely distributed. Compared with foreign road transportation, domestic road conditions are more complicated and harsh. In addition, there are problems such as uneven development of road networks in various regions and lagging infrastructure construction of transportation stations.


Compared with other models, the semi-trailer is flexible, fast, has a large carrying capacity, is efficient and relatively stable, and can meet the vast majority of cargo transportation needs.


At the same time, compared with emerging vehicles, the input cost of semi-trailers is lower. Most logistics companies and retail investors in the domestic general cargo transportation market are more willing to choose cost-effective semi-trailers.


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2. Look at the current number of semi-trailers in European trailer axle countries.


Judging from the development status of the global logistics industry, Europe's logistics system is quite developed, both in terms of transportation and supporting technologies, which are at the global leading level, such as lightweight, standardization, specialization, intelligence, and remote control. Some people say that the development of the European semi-trailer industry today is the tomorrow of the development of my country's semi-trailer industry, and there is a certain reason.


But even in European countries with such advanced vehicle technology, the transportation volume undertaken by semi-trailers accounts for almost 70%-80% of the total transportation volume. According to relevant statistics, the sales of semi-trailers in Europe this year reached about 680,000. It can even be predicted that the market share of semi-trailers will continue to grow steadily for a long period of time in the future.


3. There is no model that can completely replace the semi-trailer.


If semi-trailers are about to withdraw from the arena, at least new models need to appear and be applied on a large scale. From the current point of view, there is no new model that can completely replace the semi-trailer.


Whether it is domestic or foreign, the types of trailers are nothing more than semi-trailers, full-trailers, central axles, and car trains.


Needless to say, full trailers have been developed in China for a period of time. Due to poor driving stability, high speeds are not allowed, and the driving difficulty is also high, so it is difficult to apply them on a large scale.


Center axle trailers, although according to the regulations, center axle trailers can be made longer and have a lot of cargo loading space, but they can’t support the center axle trailers. The chassis is low, and the passability of potholes is not dominant. The purchase cost and maintenance cost are also relatively high. It is easy to swing up and down or left and right when running, and the driving difficulty is also high. and other fields.


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Car trains, at a glance, car trains are indeed very cool, with two or more carriages, they can carry more goods. However, although automobile trains have a wide range of application fields abroad, they have been lukewarm in China due to their shortcomings such as high purchase cost, poor driving stability, easy tail flicking or skidding, high trailer axle requirements on road conditions, and high driving difficulty.


It can be seen that the status of semi-trailers in the arena may not be shaken for a while. Of course, we refer to compliant semi-trailers. As for those models that have violated regulations or have been modified, such as flat-bed dump trucks, 17.5 large trucks, and ultra-large and ultra-wide container semi-trailers, under the background of strict investigation by the traffic control department, they may face investigation, fines, scrapping, elimination or permanent ban.