Articulated tipper vehicles meet a range of requirements for the construction industry
The construction industry was booming for years – especially in the recent period of low interest rates. However, the boom years of the zero-interest policy have been over as of mid-2022. Since then, the European Central Bank has been gradually raising the base rate to over four percent. Even though interest rates began dropping again in mid-2024 and are currently around the three-percent mark, investors have not benefited much. Building loans remain expensive. And there are other reasons why the number of incoming orders is falling in the industrial, residential and private construction sectors. Consistently high material prices, supply shortages for some materials as well as high construction and financing costs – partially the result of stricter climate and environment requirements – are leading to cancelled contracts in many places and a generally pessimistic mood on the market. Sustainable recovery can only be achieved through targeted political measures, stable material prices and an improved financing situation for private and public investors.
Increasing transport efficiency
To emerge from the current downturn, the industry must address key challenges: stabilizing high material costs – particularly extreme fluctuations – and resolving the shortage of skilled workers, from tradespeople to construction engineers. At the same time, improving efficiency is crucial. So, what solutions could drive progress? Sustainability through the recycling of construction materials, the digitalisation of operations and logistics with the help of AI and robotics, and innovative transport solutions, such as the advanced S.KI tipper semi-trailer from Schmitz Cargobull, hold significant potential to reshape the industry. Modern tipper trailers like this transport goods quickly and reliably and unload them efficiently. They are easy to handle and offer a high load-bearing capacity. As a result, construction specialists can enjoy gains in productivity, efficiency and safety. Serial construction, modular design, 3D printing and the recycling of materials also help to improve economic efficiency. Recycling in particular can help to keep empty runs in tipper semi-trailers to a minimum, which can be real drivers of cost.
Recycling construction materials
Normally, off-road-ready tippers – regardless of whether they are a tipper truck body with a maximum load volume of 23 m3 or a tipper semi-trailer with a load volume of 24m3 or more – transport loose bulk goods like soil, sand, gravel, rock, asphalt or cement to construction sites but must travel back empty once they have deposited their load.
If construction materials are recycled and reprocessed directly at the construction site, empty runs like this can be heavily reduced, saving on diesel and CO2 emissions. According to information from the “Initiative Kreislaufwirtschaft Bau” (Circular Economy in Construction Initiative), over 90 percent of the more than 200 million tonnes of mineral construction waste that is accrued in Germany is currently recycled. For instance, cold recyclers can be used to process asphalt surfaces on site, milling off the existing surface, granulating it and using supplied aggregates like bitumen to process the asphalt for direct reuse.
Wide range of tippers
Tippers with a rounded or box body in steel or aluminium are used to transport construction materials and come in different lengths, with different dropside heights and material thicknesses. With its S.KI SOLID, S.KI LIGHT or S.KI Heavy Duty tipper semi-trailer, Schmitz Cargobull offers a wide range of tipper trailers in a standard, high-volume or thermally insulated design. Its portfolio also includes the M.KI rear tipper for truck bodies. The recently enhanced S.KI SOLID tipper semi-trailer with a rounded steel body is now 280 kilograms lighter, which enables more payload and lower transport costs per tonne. The electro-pneumatic version of the underride guard made from high-strength steel can be safely and conveniently controlled from the driver’s cab or by pressing a button on the trailer.
Increasing transport efficiency
To emerge from the current downturn, the industry must address key challenges: stabilizing high material costs – particularly extreme fluctuations – and resolving the shortage of skilled workers, from tradespeople to construction engineers. At the same time, improving efficiency is crucial. So, what solutions could drive progress? Sustainability through the recycling of construction materials, the digitalisation of operations and logistics with the help of AI and robotics, and innovative transport solutions, such as the advanced S.KI tipper semi-trailer from Schmitz Cargobull, hold significant potential to reshape the industry. Modern tipper trailers like this transport goods quickly and reliably and unload them efficiently. They are easy to handle and offer a high load-bearing capacity. As a result, construction specialists can enjoy gains in productivity, efficiency and safety. Serial construction, modular design, 3D printing and the recycling of materials also help to improve economic efficiency. Recycling in particular can help to keep empty runs in tipper semi-trailers to a minimum, which can be real drivers of cost.
Recycling construction materials
Normally, off-road-ready tippers – regardless of whether they are a tipper truck body with a maximum load volume of 23 m3 or a tipper semi-trailer with a load volume of 24m3 or more – transport loose bulk goods like soil, sand, gravel, rock, asphalt or cement to construction sites but must travel back empty once they have deposited their load.
If construction materials are recycled and reprocessed directly at the construction site, empty runs like this can be heavily reduced, saving on diesel and CO2 emissions. According to information from the “Initiative Kreislaufwirtschaft Bau” (Circular Economy in Construction Initiative), over 90 percent of the more than 200 million tonnes of mineral construction waste that is accrued in Germany is currently recycled. For instance, cold recyclers can be used to process asphalt surfaces on site, milling off the existing surface, granulating it and using supplied aggregates like bitumen to process the asphalt for direct reuse.
Wide range of tippers
Tippers with a rounded or box body in steel or aluminium are used to transport construction materials and come in different lengths, with different dropside heights and material thicknesses. With its S.KI SOLID, S.KI LIGHT or S.KI Heavy Duty tipper semi-trailer, Schmitz Cargobull offers a wide range of tipper trailers in a standard, high-volume or thermally insulated design. Its portfolio also includes the M.KI rear tipper for truck bodies. The recently enhanced S.KI SOLID tipper semi-trailer with a rounded steel body is now 280 kilograms lighter, which enables more payload and lower transport costs per tonne. The electro-pneumatic version of the underride guard made from high-strength steel can be safely and conveniently controlled from the driver’s cab or by pressing a button on the trailer.
Modern tippers are generally easy to operate and are often equipped with an intuitive control system. At the same time, Schmitz Cargobull tipper vehicles are regarded as robust, durable and relatively lightweight. For additional safety, the tipper semi-trailer can be equipped with cargo area and rear area monitoring, and a digital on-board weighing system. They are equipped as standard with a tyre pressure monitoring system including an auto-location function. The Schmitz Cargobull telematics system also enables data to be transmitted to the TrailerConnect® portal, where it is then available for further processing in real time, thereby ensuring better monitoring of vehicle performance and the transport status.
Increased performance through digitalisation
With the help of digital fleet management and connectivity, construction companies can plan how their construction vehicles are deployed flexibly, take action to improve their performance, streamline refuelling cycles, reduce downtimes and improve transparency. The day-to-day coordination of construction vehicles, machinery and workers is almost impossible to imagine without telematics. Modern fleet management programs apply a holistic approach to the management of human and machine resources, bringing transparency to the performance and costing in the company’s own operations and structures. Transparency is essential for identifying potential savings, which ultimately help to protect a company’s competitiveness.
E-mobility for tippers
And that’s not all. Tipper-based transport may become even quieter and more economically efficient in the future, while also being free from climate-polluting gases. A large number of truck manufacturers are gradually launching climate-friendly trucks and tractor units with electric drives, some of which are already equipped with hydraulic tippers. The journey to creating an electric articulated tipper vehicle to contribute to decarbonisation should not last too much longer. Initial experience using electric trucks has shown that they only consume half the energy of a diesel truck for the same transport performance. Combined with the toll savings in Germany, it will not take long to pay off the higher procurement costs for this type of battery-powered articulated vehicles.
Electric charging infrastructure on construction sites
Electric trucks are still around two and half times more expensive than diesel-powered tractor units and the current lack of charging infrastructure is even more troublesome for transport firms. On construction sites, in particular, vehicles would not be able to recharge during their breaks due to a lack of charging stations. This could change if the number of battery-powered construction machines increases, which also require mobile charging capacities. As an alternative, tests are already underway with fuel-cell-powered trucks and trucks with H2 combustion engines, which could be ready for series production soon. In certain circumstances, these trucks would be better suited to transporting bulk goods away from public roads. Because they aren’t equipped with heavy batteries, these vehicles promise a higher payload – an essential factor for the construction industry.
Increased performance through digitalisation
With the help of digital fleet management and connectivity, construction companies can plan how their construction vehicles are deployed flexibly, take action to improve their performance, streamline refuelling cycles, reduce downtimes and improve transparency. The day-to-day coordination of construction vehicles, machinery and workers is almost impossible to imagine without telematics. Modern fleet management programs apply a holistic approach to the management of human and machine resources, bringing transparency to the performance and costing in the company’s own operations and structures. Transparency is essential for identifying potential savings, which ultimately help to protect a company’s competitiveness.
E-mobility for tippers
And that’s not all. Tipper-based transport may become even quieter and more economically efficient in the future, while also being free from climate-polluting gases. A large number of truck manufacturers are gradually launching climate-friendly trucks and tractor units with electric drives, some of which are already equipped with hydraulic tippers. The journey to creating an electric articulated tipper vehicle to contribute to decarbonisation should not last too much longer. Initial experience using electric trucks has shown that they only consume half the energy of a diesel truck for the same transport performance. Combined with the toll savings in Germany, it will not take long to pay off the higher procurement costs for this type of battery-powered articulated vehicles.
Electric charging infrastructure on construction sites
Electric trucks are still around two and half times more expensive than diesel-powered tractor units and the current lack of charging infrastructure is even more troublesome for transport firms. On construction sites, in particular, vehicles would not be able to recharge during their breaks due to a lack of charging stations. This could change if the number of battery-powered construction machines increases, which also require mobile charging capacities. As an alternative, tests are already underway with fuel-cell-powered trucks and trucks with H2 combustion engines, which could be ready for series production soon. In certain circumstances, these trucks would be better suited to transporting bulk goods away from public roads. Because they aren’t equipped with heavy batteries, these vehicles promise a higher payload – an essential factor for the construction industry.