After traveling to distant countries such as the USA, Australia or South Africa, the time has come for a trip much closer.
This time the series of articles Unusual Vehicles of the World visits Scandinavia.
The region called Scandinavia, which is located in northern Europe, consists of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Interestingly, such a set of countries that belong to this group is given by the Scandinavians themselves, because in most other countries this land also includes Finland and Iceland, and even the Faroe and Åland Islands. However, we will traditionally focus on the vehicles that travel the local roads, and especially on the curiosities that drivers may encounter.
In Scandinavia, Volvo and Scania definitely dominate
photo by Taina Sohlman - stock.adobe.com
The Scandinavian routes are dominated by trucks from two manufacturers: Scania and Volvo. This is understandable, because in the end you have to support the local industry. Both of these brands come from Sweden. Scania, whose history dates back to the 19th century (at the beginning it was engaged in the production of railway cars), has its main factory in Södertälje. In this town, located near Stockholm, trucks, tractor units and buses are built.
The Volvo brand is based in Gothenburg. It is true that for some time the owner has been a Chinese concern, but the characteristic logotype is still associated with Swedish technical thought. Volvo Trucks is a piece of history. The first trucks of this brand appeared in 1928, and currently, on average, about 190,000 of them are sold annually.
Regarding the share of both Volvo and Scania in the Scandinavian market, around 80% of the trucks (over 18 tonnes) on the roads of northern European countries are represented by these 2 brands. Of course, other producers are trying to break through their hegemony, but Scandinavia remains relatively hermetic in this respect.
photo by Wolfgang - stock.adobe.com
Norway is another country that allows larger and larger trucks. We mentioned them in the USA and Australia when writing about road trains. When it comes to Europe, the Scandinavian countries dominate in this. Norwegian, approved for traffic, "megatrucks" are already 24 m long and weigh 60 tons. Given that the routes that drivers will find there often lead through slopes and are winding, it is a really big challenge to drive such a powerful vehicle. Even longer and bigger trucks are moving around Finland. There, the length allowed by the authorities is 34.5 m (10 m more than in Norway) and the permissible total weight is 76 tons.
An indispensable association associated with Scandinavia is COLD. Especially problematic when traveling around the Arctic Circle. The further north we go, the more difficult the conditions are in the winter season. For this reason, snow chains are mandatory here. Traveling you can find winding, narrow roads and with additionally icy surfaces. We know very well that the heavier the car is, the more difficult it is to drive up hills or even pass oncoming vehicles. Often the driver is forced to pull over to the edge of the road. That's why it's better to be equipped with chains. Heavy transport is required to carry min. 3 chains (1 for the front axle and 2 for the drive axles).
Can you imagine that during your journey all you see is the horizon in front of you and the horizon behind you? In addition, only sea waves can be seen on the sides? You don't have to imagine, because you can experience it for yourself when traveling between Denmark and Sweden. This is the longest bridge in the world that connects two countries. The Øresundsbron is a crossing over the Øresund strait with a length of almost 8 km. It was built in 2000, and it starts in Copenhagen and runs all the way to Malmo. When traversing this route, at some point you can actually see only the infrastructure of this cable-stayed bridge and the vastness of the Baltic Sea. An amazing sight and feeling worth seeing with your own eyes. There are many such bridges in Scandinavia.
Certainly, an equally charming route to take when we are in Scandinavia is the European route E6. It runs along the coast of Norway, i.e. beautiful brick views. You can see beautiful fjords, mountains and the Norwegian Sea. Sounds interesting right? Let's add a 24 km tunnel ride to the Scandinavian road attractions. It is located near Norwegian Bergen.
Scandinavia, in addition to attachment to native truck manufacturers, is certainly a region that encourages you to visit it, because you can find there a lot of interesting elements of road infrastructure that cannot be found anywhere else in Europe. However, it should be borne in mind that this is usually associated with difficult road conditions.
