Defense cannot make use of 550 new trucks in combination with a special container for the time being. The combination of the Scania Gryphus truck and the ISO standard 8-foot container turns out to be just a few centimeters too high to be allowed on public roads.

According to the Road Traffic Act, vehicles higher than 4 meters are not allowed on public roads. The ministry is now going to request an exemption so that the trucks with containers can still go on the road "for a certain period of time and specific routes in the Netherlands". As long as there is no permission for this, the combination will remain in the garage.

The supplier has indicated that it will solve the problem if its measurements also show that the combination is too high, writes outgoing defense minister Ank Bijleveld to the House of Representatives. In July, the ministry reported to the House that all Scanias are allowed to drive on public roads. New measurements indicate that they are still too high, according to the minister.

Defense has purchased more than 2800 Scania Gryphus trucks. More than 1600 of these receive an ISO standard 8-foot container. The container can, for example, serve as a workshop or command post. The other Scanias will be equipped with a loading platform. About 550 containers have now been delivered. The rest will be delivered in the coming years.

The Scania Gryphus is higher on the wheels. This was deliberately chosen because people in the truck are better protected against roadside bombs. This also makes it easier to deploy the vehicle in difficult-to-reach terrain, according to the Ministry of Defense. Earlier this year it was announced that the new trucks are too big for the garages at the barracks in Oirschot.

Also read: Cooperation Ministry of Defense and Munckhof

Scania Gryphus in Oirschot
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