On January 26, 2018, the 2017 China Freight Industry Annual Conference organized by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing was held in Beijing. CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd. won the “2017 Golden Freight Award” of China’s road freight industry with its Central-Axle Van-Type Combination Vehicles Project. The jury believed that such innovative project had a profound impact on promoting the standardization and modernization of the road freight vehicles, exploring and researching on the feasible development of multi-trailer combination vehicles in the road transportation industry of China, and facilitating the transformation of logistics and transportation equipment. Song Yanwen, Manager of Vehicle Manufacturing and Technology, attended the awarding ceremony on behalf of the Group.
Central-axle van-type combination vehicles are “new species” in China. In 2015, CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd. contracted a project on developing the "General Technical Requirement for Central-Axle Trailers” for the Science and Technology Office under the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China, proposed the technical requirement on central-axle trailers in China through the research on relevant standards and product technology from Europe, and finished the development of the Requirement. Meanwhile, the semi-trailer research institute of CIMC Vehicles (Group) has developed China’s first central-axle van-type combination vehicle and commissioned CIMC Vehicles Shandong Co., Ltd. for its production. On April 25, 2016, a conference for launching the mandatory testing on the performance of this vehicle was held by the Ministry of Transport. After 35 days of testing, the vehicle was proved to be qualified for all tested items and valuable first-hand data, criterion, and evaluation methods for the Ministry to revise related industrial standards were achieved through the testing. From 2016 to this day, CIMC Vehicles Shandong has released three announced types of central-axle van-type combination vehicles, followed the new GB1589 regulation of China, and taken the lead in contributing to the efforts of China’s logistics industry to reduce cost and increase benefits.
With the use of central-axle van-type combination vehicles that combine both benefits of transportation with dumping trailers and transportation with dumping containers, the frequency of transportation can be lowered through reasonable coordination and time for loading and unloading can be reduced by up to 70% or 80%. The utilization of the chassis can be lifted. The emission can be effectively lowered and the cost of logistics can be reduced by 30% to 40%. Song Yanwen believes that the application of this technology can be a great boost to the technological advancement of central-axle trailers and combination vehicles and the product upgrade of van-type trailers in the semi-trailer industry and that it can be the guidance for the express delivery, logistics, and transportation companies to upgrade vehicles and adjust structures so as to improve transportation efficiency and lower the cost.
It is reported that central-axle van-type combination vehicles will be widely used in China, with nine listed logistics companies such as JD Logistics, S.F. Express, and YTO Express buying such vehicles for trial based on their needs for growth. Recently, the Ministry of Transport has launched a demonstrative operation project on modular combination vehicles with the central-axle ones as the pilot ones, participated by more than 10 major road freight companies in China.