Vehicles employed in the first and final leg to or from the nearest suitable terminal within 150 kilometers may have a total weight of 44 tons (in contrast to vehicles in normal road transport with a permissible maximum weight of 40 tons). The transport of larger quantities here leads to a reduction of truck journeys.
For vehicles employed during the first and final leg of CT no vehicle tax is due, provided that the journeys take place within 150km air-line distance from or to the terminal.
Road tolls for kilometers driven by truck can be reduced or even avoided by using CT. Toll fees apply only to routes on highways and some federal highways during the first and final leg of the transport.
Vehicles employed during the first and final leg of CT are exempted from driving bans on Sundays and public holidays. However, the distance traveled by truck may not exceed 200 km from the train station to the consignee/consignor or 150 km from the port terminal to the consignee/consignor.
Rail and ship transport in CT usually take place in scheduled services, by which predictability and an optimal order processing can be guaranteed. Every kilometer not driven by truck leads to a reduction or to the elimination of driver rest periods. The consequences are free personnel capacities, reduced costs for maintenance, and compatibility of family and work through short first and final leg transports instead of long-distance transports.
Summarizing cargoes on mass means of transportation creates cost advantages per transported ton.
The use of CT diminishes truck traffic on the road. The negative perception of trucks in long-distance traffic by the population is reduced (empty highways and federal highways, less traffic jams, less pollutant emissions, etc.).
The summary of cargoes on mass means of transportation and the reduction of truck transports has a positive impact on the CO2 balance per loading unit. In particular, rail and inland waterways are considered to be environmentally friendly modes of transport. In the course of the Federal Government's climate protection goals, an increasing shift from road to rail or inland waterway is being sought (ECOTransIT, TREMOD).
Permanent transport monitoring, central operating control of track-guided traffic routes (rail) and inland waterway transport result in a high level of transport safety, especially concerning the transport of dangerous goods.
CT combines the strengths of the individual modes of transport: regional point-to-point delivery by truck, bundling of large volumes over long distances by means of mass transportation, such as rail, inland waterway or ocean vessels.
