The document summarizes an inquiry conducted by the Swedish haulage industry in response to a government inquiry on road wear costs and taxation. The industry's inquiry found that: 1) 75% of pavement repair costs are due to non-traffic factors while 25% are due to traffic, 2) using a 4th power law, the road repair cost per ton-kilometer was calculated for 11 types of HGVs with two-axle lorries and EU semitrailer rigs found to cause the highest costs, and 3) 74-tonne high capacity vehicles cause the lowest road repair costs. After this finding, the government cancelled its proposed fee for road wear which was found to be 8 times higher than actual costs

1. HVTT 152018-10-03
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
Johan Granlund
WSP Sverige AB

2. HVTT 15
Johan Granlund
• MSc. Civ. Eng.
• ABECE drivers license since -91.
• 17 years at the Swedish Natl. Rd Adm.
• 18 years as consultant on vehicle – road
interaction; since 2014 at WSP.
• Advisor to Public Road & Transport
Administrations in Norway & Sweden, to
Swedish Association of Road Transport
Companies, and to vehicle manufacturers.
• Test driver for Nokian Tyres.
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
Ahvenisto Race Track

3. HVTT 15
Outline
To make freight more sustainable, Sweden raised GCW to 74 tonnes in 2017/2018.
The government also made an inquiry on road wear and taxation.
The paper summarizes the haulage industry´s opposing inquiry:
• Road wear effect by 4th Power Law for 11 HGV´s.
• Governmental accounted cost for road maintenance & repair.
• 25 % traffic and 75 % nontraffic cause to pavement repair costs.
• Road repair cost per ton*100 km for each of 11 HGV´s.
• Two axle lorry and EU-semitrailer rig cause highest road cost.
• 74 t high capacity vehicles cause lowest road repair cost.
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The proposed fee for road wear is 8 times higher than accounted cost for road repair due to haulage.
After this finding by the industry´s expert inquiry, the government cancelled the proposed fee.
Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs

4. HVTT 15
Background
Sweden is by area Europe´s fifth largest country, but has only 22 inhabitants per km2.
While heavily industrialized, Sweden is still a very rural country with long transport distances.
Hence, we have a long tradition of increasing the freight capacity of HGV´s in domestic freight.
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Since July 2018, vehicle combinations with GCW
up to 74 tonnes are operating on roads classified
to bearing capacity class 4 (BK4), without need for
special permit.
Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs

5. HVTT 15
The Value of Roads...
… is created by the transports on them!
Each road shall be designed for relevant traffic & climate.
Thus, two key components for asset management are:
• pavement age, and
• premature (and preventable) pavement failures.
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
2300 year old Via Appia Antica; R Botev
Photo:O.Thelberg

6. HVTT 15
Research Approach
Literature study on non-/traffic load factors shortening road service life.
Economic analysis based on:
• Governmental accounted cost for road M & R.
• Data on HGV traffic & transport work.
• Pavement degradation effects as per the 4th Power Law (FPL).
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
Pavement fatigue damage. Photo: ACEA.

7. HVTT 15
Overview of Results
25 % traffic and 75 % nontraffic cause to costs for pavement repair in Sweden.
• Road wear effect & road repair cost per ton*100 km for 11 HGV´s.
• Two axle lorry and EU-semitrailer rig cause highest road repair cost.
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
• 74 t high capacity vehicles cause lowest road repair cost.
Picture: ACEA.

8. HVTT 15
Literature study
• Abrasion from studded winter tires on cars &
deicing with road salt.
• Climate & ageing / oxidation of binders.
• Imperfections in road construction and
maintenance (e.g. insufficient frost insulation &
poor drainage), as well as effects of delayed
maintenance.
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
Abrasion due to studs on soft aggregates: ROADEX
Other factors than traffic loading causing shortened pavement life, such as:

9. HVTT 15
Economic Analysis
Annual total expenditures for maintenance of paved state roads was split as per
earlier research by the Swedish Transport Administration (STA):
• 75 % cost for non-traffic related road damages, and
• 25 % cost for repair of traffic load related road damages.
Reference cost for road damage from HGVs:
The 25 % expenditures were divided by measured HGV traffic work, as well as by
average Equivalent Standard Axle Load per HGV on Swedish roads: 1.3 ESAL10.
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
Insufficient frost insulation

10. HVTT 15
Pavement Degradation Effect
With the Fourth Power Law (FPL), the road damaging effects of
11 types of full laden HGVs were calculated.
The impacts of axle and tire configurations were calculated with
a version of the FPL modified by the Danish Road Directorate.
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs

11. HVTT 15
Road Repair Cost per HGV type
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs

12. HVTT 15
Summary
To make freight more sustainable, Sweden raised GCW to 74 tonnes in 2017/2018.
The government also made an inquiry on road wear and taxation.
The paper summarizes the haulage industry´s opposing inquiry:
• Road wear effect by 4th Power Law for 11 HGV´s.
• Governmental accounted cost for road maintenance & repair.
• 25 % traffic and 75 % nontraffic cause to pavement repair costs.
• Road repair cost per ton*100 km for each of 11 HGV´s.
• Two axle lorry and EU-semitrailer rig cause highest road cost.
• 74 t high capacity vehicles cause lowest road repair cost.
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The proposed fee for road wear is 8 times higher than accounted cost for road repair due to haulage.
After this finding by the industry´s expert inquiry, the government cancelled the proposed fee.
Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs

13. HVTT 15
Bad Roads are Costly...
In Northern Sweden, truckers claim road roughness increase faster than monetary inflation.
The uneven settlement on Rd 950 increased from 20 to 50 SEK in just 5 years...
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Johan Granlund, WSP Sverige AB
Reduced Pavement Service Life - Causes and Costs
20 SEK bill
50 SEK bill
THE END
Photo: Helgums Grus ABPhoto: Helgums Grus AB