Slow burn: longer semi-trailer trial participants in 2014

When the Longer semi-trailer trial was announced at the end of 2011 for an immediate start the next calendar year, The Hub took the name of the project at face value.

However, given the surprise news that there are still 400 allocations available to run the longer trailers, it now seems the longer in the title was a description, namely setting out just how long it would take to get the trial up and running, compared to the typical government initiated study.

Still, with the prospect of having the 1,800 trailers outlined in the scheme back in late 2011 finally all on the road and generating trial data approaching three years after launch, The Hub has found new momentum itself and decided to cast an eye over the latest list of operators now participating.

According to information published by the Department for Transport in June – which it should be noted isn’t complete for the reason outlined above – there are 133 operators and road transport related companies (such as trailer manufacturers) taking part in the trial, which was, of course, remodelled last year after stalling.

Cross referencing the list with our own Motor Transport Top 100 reveals that eleven of the UK’s largest road transport companies by turnover are running longer semi-trailers.

From the top end of the Top 100, notable absences from the trial include: Kuehne + Nagel [4th in the Top 100 last year], TNT Post [which is now the spelling-challenged Whistl and was a new entry at 7th last year in the Top 100], Home Delivery Network (better known as Yodel), UK Mail, Gist, Turners Soham and, rounding out the list, DX Group [19th] and FedEx UK [20th].