Research and analysis

Longer semi-trailer trial evaluation: annual report 2020

Summary of research and findings from year 9 of the longer semi-trailer (LST) trial evaluation.

Documents

Evaluation of the Longer Semi-Trailer Trial: annual report 2020 update

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email webmasterdft@dft.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The Department for Transport began a trial of longer semi-trailers (LSTs) for articulated goods vehicles in January 2012 on roads in Great Britain.

The trial aims to see if using longer semi-trailers achieves the anticipated environmental and economic benefits while assessing their impact on road safety.

2020 headline information

Trial take up Trial maximum: 2,800 LSTs
2,696 (96%) LSTs registered on current or past vehicle special orders (VSOs) and not registered as scrapped (% of trial target of 2,800 trailers)
2,621 (93%) LSTs on the road and submitted trial data (% of trial target of 2,800 trailers)
250 Number of operators with trailers on the road and due to submit data in final period of 2020
Utilisation and kilometres (km) saved
7.2 million Journey legs travelled by LSTs during the trial
899 million km travelled by LSTs during the trial, analysis in 2017 showed LST usage to be 85% trunk, 13% principal and 2% minor roads
66 to 73 million Vehicle km saved by LST operations (end 2020). Lower – upper estimates (upper includes empty return legs that would also be saved)
Published 25 August 2021