Advantages of CT
Individual economic advantages
44-tonne regulation
This advantage is financially worthwhile in many market segments, because the 44-tonne regulation means that the same amount of freight can be transported with fewer truck journeys. Our example shows the impact of the 44-tonne regulation on a regular transport service.
Kombiverkehr has managed to ensure that vehicles with a total weight of 44 tonnes no longer require a special exemption permit. If the vehicle is suitable for the transport of the loading units, a note to this effect in the vehicle registration certificate by the licensing office will suffice. Either the booking/reservation confirmation and/or the shipping order must be carried on the first leg, and the collection slip on the final leg as evidence of the use of Combined Transport in case of traffic checks.
Exemption from vehicle tax
Vehicles are exempt from vehicle tax as long as they are used exclusively for the first and final leg of Combined Transport and are appropriately marked.
An application for a refund of motor vehicle tax may be submitted to the responsible tax office for goods vehicles and tractor-trains that use the Rolling Roads and for semi-trailers shipped by unaccompanied Combined Transport.
Exemptions in the event of driving restrictions
An updated summary of driving restrictions in Germany and Europe is published annually by the Association of German Freight Forwarders and Logistics Operators (Deutscher Speditions- und Logistikverband [DSLV]), the Consortium for the Promotion and Development of International Road Transport (Arbeitsgemeinschaft zur Förderung und Entwicklung des internationalen Straßenverkehrs [AIST]) and Austria’s Consortium of International Road Transport Operators (Arbeitsgemeinschaft internationaler Straßenverkehrsunternehmer). This contains a list by country of driving restrictions on Sundays and public holidays, seasonal and holiday driving restrictions, as well as regional and local driving restrictions for heavy goods traffic, nighttime driving restrictions and driving restrictions in the hazardous goods and special transport services sectors.
You can obtain further information from the DSLV by calling: +49 (0)2 28/9 14 40-0 or email info@dslv.spediteure.de.
Fixed journey times
Most operators now offer their customers timetables for direct and shuttle train services with fixed journey times. Improvements in the handling of operations in the terminals mean that it is generally possible to adhere to fixed timetables, which in turn makes transport planning easier, thus helping to optimise production processes along the logistics chain.
Reduction in vehicle costs
Reduce your fixed and variable vehicle costs by having your loading units for Combined Transport moved by rail for the main leg of their journey. The use of tractor units on the comparatively short first and final legs by road will lower your vehicle costs: the result will be less fuel, fewer repairs, and less wear and tear on operating resources.
You also need fewer vehicles when using Combined Transport to handle your operations than is the case with transport by road alone. Fixed vehicle costs also fall as a result of vehicle and tax savings.
Spare vehicle and staffing capacities
By opting to use Combined Transport to move your loading units, you benefit from spare vehicle and staffing capacities. Scheduling vehicles specifically for the first and final leg to the terminal frees up vehicle and staffing capacity, which you can usefully deploy for other transport services. This further enhances the flexibility of your tractor units.
Tolls only on the initial and final legs
Tolls for using federal motorways only need to be paid on the initial and final legs, which are short distances compared with the main leg of the journey. The use of Combined Transport thus means lower tolls than is the case with end-to-end road transport.
Simplified compliance with working time regulations for drivers
Compliance with existing social legislation is straightforward when using Combined Transport as drivers are only used to cover the “short distances” of the initial and final legs, which is highly conducive to flexible working arrangements. This advantage of Combined Transport gained even greater significance with the new regulations on driving and rest times and the introduction of the digital tachograph on 1 May 2006.
Incidentally, the time spent on Rolling Road trains also counts as a rest period, since it offers sufficient opportunity to sleep.
Fixed timetable for planning certainty
Possibility of buffers
Motivated driving personnel
Predictable costs thanks to price certainty
General advantages
Exploiting the advantages of road and rail
The strength of the railway lies in its ability to transport large quantities of freight over long distances with a high level of safety. Roads are superior when it comes to the flexible distribution of goods locally. The respective advantages are best exploited by combining both modes of transport, without the need to reload the cargo.
Relieving pressure on the roads
Using Combined Transport helps to relieve the pressure on the road infrastructure. Nearly 50 million tonnes of cargo were shifted by Combined Transport in Germany alone in 2005. This equates to the removal of around 10,000 truck journeys a day from Germany’s roads.
High level of safety in rail transport
The advantages of rail transport are particularly significant not only for hazardous goods, but for all other goods with high safety requirements: the service running on guided track, the central operations control and monitoring, the train radio telecommunications system and the timetabled services are the basis for safe transport by rail. Accidents are an extremely rare occurrence thanks not only to the safety advantages of the “track” system, but also to due compliance with a host of regulations and control measures.
CO2 savings help to protect the environment
According to the Transport Emission Model (TREMOD) of the IFEU Institute in Heidelberg, every truckload shifted onto the railway reduces emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2 by 60 grams per tonne and kilometre compared with transport by road alone. In Combined Transport, including the initial and final leg, this equates to an average two-thirds reduction in CO2 emissions.