HEINLOTH relies on effective transport solutions with ECO-Trailers

After the HEINLOTH corporate group – the logistic experts has already taken sustainable paths with the expansion of intermodal transport, the logistics specialist from Roth is now focusing on another innovative transport system with so-called ECO-Trailers, thereby advancing its sustainability strategy.

(Roth near Nuremberg) ECO-Trailers are High Capacity Vehicles (HCT), meaning vehicle combinations that are 32 meters long and can transport up to 70 tons of total weight. HCTs offer the advantage that, despite their length and large transport volume, they only require one tractor unit. Marcus Studener, Director of Forwarding and responsible for Scandinavian traffic at HEINLOTH, explains: “By attaching a second trailer to a tractor unit, we save fuel on one hand, and on the other hand, we gain more flexibility in times of driver shortages. By saving on labor input, we are counteracting resource scarcity.” The CO₂ emissions are reduced by up to 25 percent through the use of ECO-Trailers. “We see great potential in ECO-Trailers,” says Studener. “Especially in terms of sustainability and resource conservation, they are a step into the future. The logistics transfer is constantly changing – with innovative solutions we want to keep pace and contribute our part to this change. The ECO-Trailers are a building block in this process.”

Finland as an important sales area

Currently, the Roth company is operating on Finnish roads. In Germany, only so-called EuroCombi (long trucks) are permitted on certain sections, which, at a maximum of 25.25 meters, do not reach the capacities of the HCTs. While the initial focus of Scandinavian traffic was mainly on Sweden and Norway, traffic to Finland has been consistently expanded since the beginning of 2019. Finland has thus developed into another large and important sales area for HEINLOTH. Meanwhile, Heinloth manages almost 400 vehicle units in Scandinavian traffic. A crucial factor for the ECO-Trailers is the so-called Dolly unit, which acts as a connecting unit between two trailers and effectively replaces a tractor unit. The ECO-Trailers thus help to manage the increasing transport volume and make transport more sustainable.

Photo: © Aleksandr Vojik