Increase capacity, reduce fuel consumption – long trucks make it possible. Our system partners are also using them more and more frequently. LSU Schäberle – an OSL partner since 1995 – has just expanded its vehicle fleet with a type 2 long truck. Since the beginning of November, the combination of a semi-trailer and a 7.82-metre swap body has been used on the line haul to the OSL HUB.
The longer swap body offers over 50% more usable loading volume than a conventional tractor unit with a semi-trailer, without requiring proportionally more energy. This means fewer trips for the same or higher shipment volume, lower CO₂ emissions and reduced strain on infrastructure. The advantages at a glance:
- More loading space – the combination offers additional pallet spaces and optimises capacity, especially for high-volume shipments.
- Improved fuel efficiency – thanks to the larger volume, consumption per loading metre is reduced, saving resources and costs and lowering emissions.
- Stronger ‘network performance’ – shipment flows can be bundled on the fixed scheduled services to the HUB, which has a positive effect on transit times and planning.
The Heinrich Gustke haulage company, an OSL partner since 2019, was already involved in the first field trials with long trucks. Since then, a type 2 long truck has been part of the fleet. In future, this could also be emission-free: the company has just conducted a practical test with the long truck and a fully electric semi-trailer tractor on the Rostock – Stapelfeld – Rostock route. Consumption, range and charging performance were impressive, and the haulage company plans to permanently add a Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric tractor unit to its fleet in the near future.
Four OSL partners currently use long trucks to deliver to the central hub: Güttler Logistik, IGS Schreiner, LSU Schäberle and Rüdinger Spedition.