The European Union is targeting a 30% modal share for rail and inland waterway transport over distances greater than 300 kilometres by 2030. An ambitious goal which raises questions about its feasibility. Contributing author Dr. Eugen Truschkin highlights the role of semi-trailers as a vehicle for transshipment from road to rail. Can the ubiquitous semi-trailer, the workhorse of the road, really be the key to unlocking the modal shift?
Despite the EU’s modal shift goals, the modal split has seen little change in the past decade. As a result of the prevalence of semi-trailers, technologies for transshipping this equipment from road to rail are gaining more and more importance. To illustrate: in 2024, EU road freight transport remained dominated by semi-trailers, accounting for 77% of transport performance, and 95% of which are non-craneable.
The number of semi-trailers in the EU has grown significantly, increasing by about 50% in the last decade from 2 to 3.1 million. At the same time, the ratio of cranable to non-cranable trailers in production remained unchanged (95% non-cranable vs 5% cranable). Freight forwarders and shippers seem to consistently choose semi-trailers as the main loading unit for European road freight, showing a clear preference for non-cranable units at the same time.
In Germany specifically, around 70% of all semi-trailers are owned by small transport companies (defined as employing fewer than 50 employees), posing additional challenges for a shift to rail due to low competence in combined transport and the general “path dependency” effect, causing a “locked in” in the road transport. In other words, the habit of using road transport makes a shift to rail more difficult. Smaller companies, in particular, are often even less inclined to use combined transport, as they typically lack the resources, experience, and bargaining power needed to adapt their operations to alternative transport solutions.
Techniques to load semi-trailers onto trains exist in vertical and horizontal form. They both offer unique advantages and disadvantages, which impact their business case. The following pictures show vertical and horizontal semi-trailer transshipment technologies that have been accepted onto the EU transport market at the time of writing.
Vertical and horizontal technologies
Vertical technologies (where semi-trailers are loaded onto a train with a crane) offer a manageable investment requiring only transfer baskets, as well as immediate operational readiness, and compatibility with existing conventional terminals. However, they also present drawbacks, such as slower loading and unloading compared to horizontal options, and a greater space demand in traditional terminals which already operate at high capacity. Their primary application is as an additional offering in standard combined transport terminals and for industrial operations with dedicated tracks.
Horizontal technologies offer the advantage of much faster loading and unloading compared to vertical systems, along with partial compatibility with existing terminals operated by companies such as CargoBeamer and Helrom with the latter also boasting operational capacity independent from terminals. Other operators, such as CFL Multimodal, utilise Modalohr technology. However, these technologies necessitate large-scale investments for both terminals and rolling stock (for Helrom: rolling stock only), and a significant drawback is that the technologies are generally not interoperable. Therefore, they are best suited for high-traffic lanes with dedicated terminals. In case of Helrom, it is suited also for industrial operations with dedicated tracks).
Current trends and future outlook
Despite the compatibility challenges, semi-trailers drive the growth of combined transport and are the most dynamic unit. In the case of Germany, it accounted for 34.15% of the total combined transport performance, with a compound annual growth rate of 14% in the period between 2005 and 2024. However, other solutions could further encourage the modal shift from road to rail. Even as non-cranable semi-trailers continue to play a major role, there is potential for more intermodal-friendly options, such as practical 45′ stackable loading units which help optimise infrastructure and increase capacity.
A pivotal question persists: Why load an entire semi-trailer onto a train when only the goods matter? Transporting the trailer (including wheels, frame, et cetera) adds unnecessary costs. Alternatives like the Stackmax 45 (see below), a stackable swap body with similar capabilities to a semi-trailer, present promising solutions.
Stackmax appears to be the first EU innovation which combines the benefits of a semi-trailer (payload, efficient loading and unloading from four sides) with the benefits of a container (stackabillity and less tare weight compared to semi-trailers). This solution would be compatible with all existing conventional intermodal terminals in Europe.
Despite these novelties, a rapid shift from semi-trailers is unlikely in the short to medium term due to the current ownership structure, established investments, and the lack of EU-wide policy initiatives preferring specific loading units for combined transport.
Semi-trailers will continue to play a leading role in both European road and combined transport. Although new technologies and intermodal-oriented solutions are developing, substantial changes in market structure and stronger policy support are needed to accelerate the modal shift from road to rail.
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