RoRo vs Huckepack

RoRo or Huckepack? In transport, RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) and Huckepack are two important methods in combined transport that make it possible to transport goods efficiently across different modes of transport: train and ferry. In this blog, we compare the methods and explain their technical requirements and areas of application.

What are the similarities?

Roll-on / Roll-off from the ferry versus trailers on the rail wagon. Let's not focus on the differences first, but on the similarities, because after all, both run in intermodal transport. Both variants are allowed a gross train weight of 44 tons and both require reinforcements in the chassis. And for both vehicles lowering is recommended, as the air spring must be completely deflated both on the train wagon as on the ferry.

Yellow plates

The Huckepack chassis is lifted by crane for loading onto the train and is subjected to considerable deflection in the process. It is therefore essential that the grab edges are supported against the load-bearing beam. The distance between the gripper edges (yellow plates) was already defined years ago. However, the vehicles were much shorter back then and today there is considerably more leverage to the right and left of the grab edges. With RoRo, the trailer must always be firmly anchored to the bottom of the ship, even when the ferry is traveling through the rough North Sea. And that's why each side needs 4 ship fastening straps, each with a tensile force of 12 tons.

Keder, Tube and Buckle

The standard tarpaulin tensioning tube on the front side is sufficient for the tubular trailer. The Huckepack, on the other hand, prefers the more stable Keder rail, which it needs at the latest when encountering opposite traffic in the tunnel. And for speeds of up to 140 km/h, tarpaulin tensioners with a belt brake and an additional mechanical latch for the buckle are required. And last but not least, the train driver needs reinforced crossbars and 5 fastening straps per bar.

Would you like to know more?

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