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It was only recently announced that the Danish Logistics and Transport Company (DSV) is to acquire the Deutsche Bahn Schenker (DB Schenker) company. The purchase will ultimately be finalised in the course of next year, once all regulations have been fulfilled. The purchase depends on the approval of the Supervisory Board of DB Schenker and the Federal Government in accordance with the Federal Budget Code (BHO), although there are no known indications to the contrary. DSV has now acquired DB Schenker for a total of 14,8 billion euros. Around 1 billion euros of this purchase price is to be invested in Germany.

DB Schenker now wants to start a pilot project in Sweden. More precisely, it is about 35-metre lorries, so-called gigaliners. In Sweden, these will be trucks that are around 35 metres long and can transport up to 60 tonnes of cargo. In Germany, the gigaliner has so far been characterised by a length of 25,25 metres, which can transport a load of 40 or 44 tonnes (EC Directive 96/53/EC) The new Swedish legislation came into force on 1 December 2023. It allows the use of Gigaliners on certain routes, such as the route between Trelleborg and Gothenburg. So far, it is not possible to speak of unconditional use and there are still some voices criticising the use of these vehicles.

The aim of this initiative is to reduce or significantly lower CO2 emissions and thus counteract climate change in its entirety. The government is hoping for a reduction in emissions of 4-6% and transport costs would of course also fall if more cargo can be loaded into the vehicle.

In order to be able to realise the project more effectively, DB Schenker would like to make use of several auxiliary companies. It is working with a car manufacturer, a trailer hire company and a transport company for at least three years. This should make it easier to determine whether the use of gigaliners is profitable and makes sense in the long term. The possible extension to longer routes, which are not yet covered by the regulations, will also be examined.

In principle, these lorries can only be used under EU law if such a legal basis exists - an agreement between two different countries constitutes such a legal basis. Such an agreement already exists between Germany and the Netherlands. This agreement relates to cross-border transport between Germany and the Netherlands and allowed the use of extra-long lorries for the first time (Germany and the Netherlands sign agreement on long trucks).

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