The Russian Highways State Company, alongside the National Haulage Operator (NATCAR brand) and the KAMAZ Innovation Center, is launching a new project aimed at comparing the economic efficiency of commercial freight transport when using toll and free highways.
In the course of six months, two NATCAR freight trucks will run exclusively down the Russian Highways roadnet. In the meantime, two other company vehicles will travel using only free public roads.
“The Russian Highways State Company pays a great deal of attention to the economic effects for transport and logistics companies, including issue of savings. Collection, analysis and consolidation of data obtained during the monitoring will enable us to calculate technical and cost indicators of the efficiency of vehicle use along diverse routes, in different modes, with an assessment of the depreciation effect,” noted Konstantin Makiev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Russian Highways State Company.
The main goal of the experiment is to compare fuel consumption, driving time, time spent in traffic jams, number of stops, repair and maintenance costs, as well as wear and tear of main truck parts and other aspects applied to various types of roads.
“The study will be carried out employing KAMAZ-54901 vehicles manufactured in 2023; all trucks partaking in the research are non-customized and comply with the technical specs established by KAMAZ PAO. A group of analysts with the Research and Technical Center will process and study the results, assessing fuel efficiency, driving quality, and also assess the wear and tear of essential truck parts and assemblies. In order to ensure the experiment validity, all participating drivers will undergo a training course in efficient vehicle driving as part of the program developed by our Innovation Center,” revealed Marat Sadykov, Director of the Division for Design and Technological Changes of KAMAZ PAO.
Each vehicle participating in the project will first undergo diagnostics to determine its current technical parameters. At the same time, a mandatory requirement for all trucks is to have a mileage not exceeding 5,000 km.
Director of the Logistics Department of National Carrier JSC Evgeniy Bolshakov thanked the Russian Highways for the opportunity to take part in this unparalleled project. “This project is not just about comparing vehicles on different roadways. It demonstrates trust in our company and its cargo vehicles. This project is not only a technical research, but also a strategic partnership aimed at developing more efficient logistics and transport infrastructure strategies. We are proud to be able to contribute to the development of the industry, backed by experience and innovative solutions.”
