Longer and Heavier Goods Vehicles Study, Industry Survey

This survey is part of a TRL / Heriot-Watt University project for the UK Department for Transport on the potential role of longer and heavier goods vehicles in the UK.
We recommend that you review all the questions and source any relevant information before attempting to complete this survey.  Please note that the questionnaire has to be completed and submitted in one sitting.  All questions are important so please complete as many of them as possible.  Please note that the information will be submitted using secure servers and that any information that you supply will be treated in confidence.

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For your information and views to be registered it is necessary for you to provide the respondent details marked in bold blue.


1. Respondent details
1.1 Name
1.2 Job title
1.3 Company
1.4 Address
1.5 Website
1.6 Email
1.7 Phone
1.8 Mobile

2. Company information
2.1 What is your company’s core business activity?
2.2 What is the geographical extent of your company’s transport operations? Please tick all
      relevant boxes.
      Area of operation Please tick
      Regional
      National
      International
2.3 Which of the following best describes the nature of your transport operation?
      Operation type Please tick
      Haulier/Third party operator
      Shipper with own account fleet not
      outsourcing road transport
      Shipper with own account fleet outsourcing
      some road transport
      Shipper outsourcing all road transport
2.4 How many vehicles do you operate/use?
      Vehicle type Number
      Tractor Units (3-axle)
      Tractor Units (2-axle)
      Rigid Vehicles >7.5 tonnes
      Drawbar trailer(s)
      Semi-trailers
      Other trailers
2.5 What % of the trailers / semi-trailers have more than one deck?
2.6 What % of the trailers / semi-trailers are high cube?   [High cube means that the internal height is equal to or greater than 2.5 meters.]

3. Current operations
3.1 What is your company’s annual freight transport tonnage in the UK (by all modes)?
3.2 What modes of transport does your company use?
      Mode Approximate % of total annual tonnage
      Road
      Rail
      Inland waterways
      Short sea shipping
3.3 What proportion of your company’s total tonnage is containerised?
      Container type % of total annual tonnage
      20 ft containers
      40 ft containers
      45 ft containers

4. Current domestic heavy vehicle operations
This section only refers to domestic freight movement in vehicles with a GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) of 38t or more.
4.1 What % of your company's total road freight
      tonnage is carried in heavy
      vehicles (of GVW 38t or more)?
4.2 What percentage of tonnage carried by heavy vehicles (GVW 38t or more) do you carry with
      vehicles plated at the following weights and what is the average payload within the UK:
      GVW % of tonnage Average payload (t)
      38t
      40/41t
      44t
4.3 What is the average length of articulated
      vehicle trips? 		km
4.4 How does the total tonnage of freight carried by heavy vehicles (GVW 38t or more) split
      between the following commodities?
      Commodity Approximate % of tonnage
      Raw materials
      Processed bulk products (e.g. chemicals, building
      materials)
      Processed food and drink
      Manufactured goods (other than food)
      Parcels
      Waste product
      Other, please specify:
Utilisation of heavy vehicles (GVW 38t or more) you operate
4.5 What proportion of the loads carried in heavy vehicles (GVW 38t or more) are constrained
      by weight, deck-area and / or cubic capacity (sum of the % values can exceed 100%)?
      Constraint % of tonnage
      Weight
      Deck area
      Cubic capacity
4.6 What is the average volume utilisation of heavy vehicles (GVW 38t or more) in terms of
      pallets, deck area and Cube capacity:
      Volume utilisation Approximate %
      % of maximum number of pallets
      % Deck area coverage
      % Cube capacity
4.7 What is the level of empty running on heavy vehicles (GVW 38t or more)?
      % of trips
      % of distance travelled
4.8 Is your company planning to make greater use of high cube /
      double deck vehicles over the next 3 years? 		Yes No
      If so, by how much will this reduce the amount of lorry movement?
      % of trips
      % of distance travelled

5. Potential LHV (Longer Heavier Vehicles) Operations
5.1 For your company to optimise its road freight operation, what would be the ideal maximum
      weight, length and height of heavy vehicles?
      Weight limit (tonnes)
      Overall vehicle length limit (m)
      Length of an individual trailer (m)
      Combined length of trailers on a
      multi-trailer vehicle (m)
      Height limit (m)
5.2 Please rate the following LHV combinations on a scale of 0-4 in terms of the amount of
      potential benefit to your transport operation (0=no benefit 4 = large benefit)

LHV
type 		Scale
(0=no benefit  4 = large benefit) 		Very unsatisfied Unsatisfied Slightly unsatisfied Slightly satisfied Satisfied
A
B
C
D
E

5.3 Are you aware of any technical limitations associated with the
     above vehicles that would compromise road safety? 		Yes No
     If yes, please specify indicating LHV type.
5.4 Are there other types of LHVs (different from those above)
     which you would like to use? 		Yes No
     If yes, please specify and explain why you would
     like to use this vehicle.
5.5 How much of your total freight tonnage would be likely to transfer to the LHV combination
      that would be most beneficial to your company?
      Tonnage
      % of total
5.6 What proportion of the freight tonnage transferring to this LHV would come from the
      following sources:
      % of transferred tonnage
      from existing lorries
      from rail
      from water-borne transport
5.7 If your company was able to use its preferred  LHV combination(s) by how much could
      it cut the annual distance travelled by existing vehicles?
      Approximate %
5.8 How would the company’s usage of LHVs be affected by their restriction to particular
      classes of road: (% reduction in useage relative to free access to all roads)
      Restriction % in reduction in total usage
      Only Motorways
      Only Motorways and other trunk roads
      Only Motorways, trunk road and all other A roads
      All roads except non-trunk roads in urban areas
5.9 What proportion of LHV trips would start or end at the following type of premises:
      Premises Approximate %
      Warehouses / Distribution centres
      Factories
      Ports
      Rail terminals
      Other, please specify:
5.10 How many of your company’s production / distribution premises would be able to
      accommodate LHVs?
      Premises  
      Number  
      %  
5.11 What factors would be likely to constrain the company’s use of LHVs? (5-point scale)
      (0=not a constraint, 4=very constraining)

 Restriction (0=not a constraint, 4=very constraining)
 Very unsatisfied Unsatisfied Slightly unsatisfied Slightly satisfied Satisfied
 Capital investment in new vehicles / trailers
 Lack of manoeuvring space at company premises
 Lack of manoeuvring space at customers’ premises
 Lack of manoeuvring space on roads used by company
 Driver skills
 Lack of benefit
 Road access restrictions / need to couple-decouple trailers at
 intermediate locations
 Others, please specify:

5.12 Has your company had experience of operating / using LHVs in
     other countries?		 Yes No
     If yes, please provide some information
     about benefits and problems.

6. General Comments
6.1 Do you have any general comments on LHVs or this
      survey?
6.2 Can we contact you again if we have any further questions
      about your potential use of LHVs? 		Yes No