Trailer Design Guideline

Strenx®: The fastest route to efficient transport

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If you are in the trailer business and want to increase payload, reduce maintenance, save fuel, and streamline production while being environmentally responsible, then this document is for you.

Improvements in design and production methods can significantly benefit road transport vehicles like trucks and trailers. Material selection is a key factor that influences the performance and cost of these vehicles. High-strengh steels (HSS) like Strenx^® performance steel allow for lightweight solutions, directly translating to financial savings and less CO₂ emissions.

HSS makes a natural choice for companies looking to improve their products and to be more competitive. Successful companies using HSS are at the forefront of material, design and process development while still benefiting from years of experience using conventional steel. By introducing HSS, these companies are gaining new knowledge that they can apply in product design and fabrication.

At SSAB, we help our customers unlock the full potential of our advanced high-strength steels. By choosing Strenx^® performance steel, you get more than just high-quality steel. We are happy to share our knowledge with you so that you can select the right steel grade for both design and production.

You can also download the Trailer Design Guideline on SSAB Download center.

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Using advanced high strength steel (AHSS) in developing lighter and stronger trailers is proven to have a big impact on the economical performance of the vehicle. It is well known that both trailer manufacturers and transport operators can gain part of the financial benefits, but the advantages in terms of lower CO₂-emissions should also be noticed.

Benefits for the trailer manufacturer

Using high-strength steel (HSS) to develop lighter and stronger trailers can have a big impact on the economical performance of the vehicle.

Benefits for the logistics operator

A lighter and stronger trailer also has a direct and obvious benefit for logistics operators.

Environmental savings

In addition to the financial benefits, a lighter vehicle will reduce environmental impact by saving primary energy resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Semi-trailers

Heavy trucks and trailers are the dominant modes of road freight transport in both Europe and the U.S., and account for a significant proportion of the fuel used in the transport sector.

Volume-limited cargo

Let’s now consider the impact of weight reductions on lowering fuel consumption, emissions and raw material input for a tipper (dump) trailer with a gross vehicle weight of 44 tonnes (see tables below).

Weight-limited cargo

When hauling weight-limited cargo, reducing the vehicle’s weight allows for a higher legal payload, so fewer vehicle-km are needed to transport the same amount of goods.