The most important thing we need is a mind shift. So what happens if we don't consider trucks as a sort of car but as a sort of barge moving along roads in stead of rivers and canals? What do we think then about speed, an extra crew member or acceptible payload?
Suddenly we have a barge that doesn't need to plough itself trough the water but goes nicely on wheels.
Or what happens if we consider trucks as a sort of train moving on the motorway in stead of a railway? What do we think then about the number of trailers, the number of trucks on a road section, so called slots in air transportation?
Okay, assuming a mind shift has taken place, here is the trick...
We halve the truck speed!
What?
We halve the truck speed!
Why should we?
The required energy per kilometer due to air resistance is proportional to speed squared. Doubling the speed means quadrupling the energy. Halving the speed means quartering the energy.
The effect of speed is huge. For example in nature speeds seldom exceeds 50-60 kmph. A higher maximum speed means a much higher maximum power of the creature. The extra bones and muscles needed to submit this extra power must be maintained which costs energy every minute of life.
Why shouldn't we?
Safety: Isn't it dangerous if cars are passing those trucks by a speed difference of 40 to 80 kmph? This would only be dangerous if a slower vehicle suddenly moves to another carriageway. But since trucks are no longer cars anymore they don't have the right to overtake other cars. This would only be permitted on special road sections.
Costs: if we would halve the speed we would permit to double the pay load at the same time in order to keep the transportation costs the same.
Practicle implementation: how is this to be implemented on ordinary dual carriageways and should private cars also drive only 40 kmph? No, that won't be necessary fortunately. We have two strategies, the middle lane and slots.
A middle lane like at norwegian roads enables traffic in both directions to overtake alternately. Lots of new builded dual carriageways are already equipped with a central berm which can be transformed into a middle lane.
Okay it costs a little bit, but the revenues are emission savings of 75%! - due to freight transportation.
The use of slots (like for airplanes) for road transportation would be the real innovation. Freight traffic will receive every hour a slot of lets say one kilometer per 10 kilometer road section. This slot is moving with 40 kmph along the road. Trucks are only allowed to drive in such a slot. The remaining 90% of the road time/space is available to non freight transport vehicles. This approach requires no infrastructural adaptations, but merely a sort of electronic road timetables.
Saving 75% of traffic emissions only by means of a mind shift. I don't know a more cost effective way.
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