On the first of December, 34.5 meter long trucks are allowed to drive on Sweden's roads

"The road network designated by the Swedish Transport Administration for longer vehicles is a great first step for us to implement longer vehicles in our daily traffic. to be able to do this, however, we are dependent on the municipal roads being opened up for this traffic and we therefore hope that all municipalities will have a clear and smooth process for allowing longer vehicles", continues Ylva Öhrnell, head of sustainability, DHL Freight. 

The introduction of longer vehicles is an issue that has been investigated for almost 15 years,10 years ago, in 2012, the High Capacity Transport (HCT) program was started at CLOSER. CLOSER has since then been the hub for the research conducted within the program.

The government decided in 2022 that 34.5 meter long trucks can now drive on roads in Sweden, which was made possible thanks to great work within the CLOSER network, a decision that will become reality on the first of December this year. It will bring great environmental and cost gains not only for the Swedish transport industry but also for Sweden as a whole.

Initially, the opening will take place for two different vehicle combinations and on an almost 600-mile state road network. To get the first and last bit, a municipal road network will also be added. Opening of additional road networks will take place in the summer of 2024, and here large parts of Sweden's business community have the opportunity to make proposals for additional roads to municipalities and the Swedish Transport Administration. When it comes to the municipal road network (and sometimes also state ones), it is important to also see if the load-bearing capacity for roads and bridges needs to be increased, as it should be BK4-classified and at least BK1.

The part of the road network that is now being opened is mainly parts of the European road network. In order to look at the possibilities of opening additional road networks, a number of tests will continue, mainly those focused on traffic safety issues, but there is also research into the possibility of electrifying the HCT vehicles.