UK Department for Transport recommends extension of limit on semi-trailer length
By Bradley Osborne - 23rd August 2021
UK – The UK Department for Transport recently published the results of a nine-year trial and consultation into the introduction of longer semi-trailers (LSTs) on UK roads, which found that they are safer, more economical, and less polluting than current semi-trailers. The department is now considering a roll-out of the new LSTs in 2022.
The LSTs which were the subject of the trials are up to 15.65m in length, over two metres longer than the current legal limit of 13.6m. By extending semi-trailers by two metres, a tractor trailer combination can carry two more rows of pallets or three more rows of goods cages per journey. Studies found that LSTs could remove up to 1 in 8 freight journeys by carrying the same amount of cargo in fewer lorries.
