LHV from D-TEC now also road ready for Germany

KESTEREN - Trailer builder D-TEC, in collaboration with Van der Most Transport, has introduced the first Longer Heavier Vehicle (LHV) that is suitable for road transport both in the Netherlands and in Germany. In addition to the technical adjustments that were needed to make the vehicle suitable for driving on German roads, the new LHV also has a lower deadweight.

The D-TEC LHV is suitable for three 20ft containers or one 20ft and one 40ft container. The combination consists of a Combidolly at the front with a Flexitrailer, Portmaster or a 40ft chassis behind it. “Our customers decide for themselves which combination they want. One customer may mainly use the LHV as a combined vehicle, while the other has a lot of variable work and sometimes only needs to use the second trailer for transport. That flexibility is very important for some customers,” explains D-TEC director Gerrit van Vlastuin.  

Less CO2 with LHV's 

Van der Most Transport Van der Most Transport opted for a Combidolly with a fixed 40ft chassis for this LHV to create the lowest possible deadweight. This low deadweight was achieved in part by D-TEC redeveloping its Combidolly, resulting in weight savings of around 200kg. “In combination with a lightweight fixed 40ft chassis from D-TEC, we have achieved the optimum in terms of deadweight, with a reduction of 1500kg compared to our other LHVs,” says Mark van der Most of Van der Most Transport. “This weight savings was essential in making an LHV that was suitable and interesting for transport to Germany. This is partly due to the limited maximum weight in Germany, which is 40 tonnes for road transport. In our view, it’s important to also use this new LHV on the routes where LHVs are permitted. The big advantage of an LHV is that we can carry more load and that carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 30 percent compared to a regular combination vehicle.” 

Deep-sea container specialist

Van der Most Transport is a specialist in road transport of all sorts of deep-sea containers. The relationship with D-TEC started in 1993 with the delivery of the first ‘Combitrailer’. Deliveries of multifunctional container chassis soon followed. Because Van der Most Transport is an important customer for D-TEC on its Dutch home market, when it comes to new developments, the trailer manufacturer gets the input of the transport company.  D-TEC has been developing and producing container chassis for over 30 years. The trailer manufacturer supplies an extensive range of container trailers, including the well-known Flexitrailers, Combitrailers and Portmasters, which are sold throughout Europe.