Investigating the likely technical effects in the UK if EU regulations were amended to permit articulated vehicles to be 19.4 m long or with a GVW of 44 tonnes on 5 axles

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has recently been considering their policy towards the permitted masses and dimensions of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The European Directive 96/53/EC partially constrains the masses and dimensions that can be permitted for goods vehicles within national traffic. Previous studies have been based on the presumption that the UK would work within the existing EU legislation. However, the European Commission has also been reviewing its policy on the control of goods vehicles and weights, and a recent ongoing study will analyse several scenarios. Two of those scenarios include permitting heavier 44 tonne articulated vehicles on 5 axles, and permitting longer vehicles of up to 19.4m in length. The main objective of this report was to investigate the likely technical implications in the UK in terms of vehicle specifications, performance, safety, infrastructure and emissions if the EU Directive is amended to permit these changes.