Volvo's Distribution concept vehicle

[The Insider]

CONCEPT VEHICLE – INCREASED EFFICIENCY PROVEN IN DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS AT SCHENKER

The Distribution Concept Vehicle (DCV) – a joint project between Volvo Truck’s Nordic market organisation, TFK, the Transport Research Institute in Sweden and Schenker Åkeri AB – first presented in October 2004 is now beginning to generate positive feedback from the user, Schenker Åkeri AB.

The vehicle is a concept study with focus on making distribution of parcels and unit goods more efficient and at the same time improving the working environment for drivers. The vehicle is being used in the daily operations at Schenker and has proven to be not only a popular choice among the drivers, but also an efficient tool for distribution transports.

The vehicle is based on a Volvo B12M bus chassis, with the driver’s cab supplied by Säffle Karosseri. SKAB delivered the body, and assembly was carried out by Swedish Firebus in Arvika.

“The DCV is very popular among our drivers and has already lowered the number of hours of sick leave among our staff”, says Henrik Söder, Transport Manager Region Stockholm at Schenker Åkeri AB.


The DCV has a range of ingenious features that improve the ergonomics and the driver’s working environment. For example, in a conventional truck, the driver has to lower the tail lift to fetch parcels, which usually means that the driver jumps down from the cargo platform onto the road or lowers the tail lift halfway and uses it as a step, thereby imposing considerable strain on the joints and knees. In the DCV the driver has convenient access to the cargo area directly from the cab, which makes it easier to fetch small parcels without exposure to this strain, thereby eliminating any potential risk and improving the working environment.

“Our drivers also save time since they can move easier inside and around the DCV. This makes it a more efficient distribution vehicle”, Henrik Söder concludes.

In a conventional distribution truck, the driver may be tempted to speed up his exit by jumping from the cab down onto the road, something that is equally strenuous to the joints and knees. In the DCV, entry and exit take place via the stairs on the right. This also improves driver safety and minimises the potentially hazardous situations that expose the driver to moving vehicles. Since entry and exit and all load-related activity take place on the kerb side, the driver’s vulnerability during loading and unloading in areas with moving traffic is reduced.

In addition, there is less need to use the tail lift since packages can be fetched straight from the cab. This reduces the risk of being hit by the lift.

Improved visibility from the driver’s seat - owing to the low windscreen - gives the driver a better overview and contributes to good communication with other road-users. In addition there are also many additional aids that contribute to improved safety, such as front and side-mounted rear-view mirrors and which are supplemented with a camera to provide good visibility all round the vehicle.
rear-view mirror supplemented with camera

In addition a display monitors the area behind the truck when the tail lift is operated from the cargo area and under-run protection is provided around the entire vehicle.


The drivers who have tested the DCV in their daily operations appreciate in particular these ergonomic advantages.

“After having tested the DCV, I don’t see any disadvantages over the traditional distribution truck. It can be improved, for example reducing the overall height, but the concept in itself is the future of distribution in urban areas”, says Torbjörn Askerup, Operational Manager Stockholm at Schenker Åkeri AB.

Research from TFK shows that in addition to improved working environment for the driver, the implementation of the DCV would have financial and environmental advantages. With the DCV the distribution of parcels and unit cargo could be co-ordinated, with the result that fewer vehicles would be needed. For example, TFK has estimated that every second distribution van, of typical size, could be removed from the streets if all conventional trucks (with a load space of 18 pallets of cargo) were replaced with DCVs. This would reduce the total number of distribution vehicles by approximately 20% in the cities. Productivity in general would improve and the energy consumption per distributed parcel would decrease. What is more, it would have a positive effect on overall exhaust emissions.

“Thanks to the passage between the cab and the cargo area, parcels can be collected fast and swiftly, which results in shorter delivery times. As the DCV can transport a mixed load of parcels and heavier goods it should be possible to replace two vehicles with a single DCV under optimal conditions”, says Gustav Baumgarts, Researcher at TFK.

“All these advantages would optimise the financial and environmental conditions for transport in urban areas as well as reduce the load on infrastructure,” he added.

Schenker Åkeri AB started using the new concept truck in November 2004 and will test the vehicle for five years in the company’s regular distribution operations. During this five-year period, there will be a process of continuous evaluation and follow-up of the results achieved with the new concept. These experiences will be passed on to Volvo Trucks’ product development department.
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