Longer trailers better for environment and boost for transport industry, says Wincanton
Oct 12, 2011
The Government's plans to allow a long term trial of longer trucks onto UK roads could save the transport industry almost 400 million a year and see harmful CO2 emissions reduced by up to 163,000 tonnes annually.
The development, which will see some commercial vehicles increase in length by up to 2.05 metres could result in a significant reduction in the numbers of heavy vehicles on the roads, helping to reduce traffic congestion across the country.
That's according to Wincanton, the largest UK-owned logistics company, which has carried out extensive research into the benefits longer trucks will bring to its customers, the road network, the environment and the transport industry itself.
For the past few months the Department for Transport (DfT) has been consulting on whether or not to allow longer trucks onto the UK road network and has this week announced it is backing their introduction via a comprehensive trial.
Wincanton has been working closely with the DfT throughout the process and its comprehensive study found that longer vehicles will help transport companies reduce their impact on the environment, while at the same time help shield the industry, its customers, and consequently the wider public, from rising costs including increasing fuel prices.
Wincanton's research agreed with the government's findings and concluded that the trial of longer trailers would:
- Increase unit load capacity by an average of 15 per cent, or four pallets which is equivalent to 40, 32" television sets or 17,000 boxes of aspirin
- Lead to estimated CO2 savings in the UK of up to 163,000 tonnes
- Result in fuel savings of up to 85 million annually, again mitigating against rising costs
Welcoming the DfT announcement Dave Rowlands, technical director at Wincanton, said: "Longer semi-trailers will be integrated into Wincanton's fleet almost immediately as a key element of our sustainable transport strategy and our commitment to reduce our impact on the environment.
"Not only will the introduction of longer trailers drastically reduce the amount of CO2 into the environment, it will also ease congestion on UK roads, improve productivity by some 15 per cent and reduce crippling fuel costs which, in turn, can help us limit our customers' exposure to rising costs."
He added: "We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment across the board whilst at the same time helping our customers to reduce their overheads, and the introduction of longer trailers is another tool in our portfolio of solutions for us to do so.
"We're delighted that the Government has agreed with our assessment of the benefits of longer trucks. We urge the Department for Transport to evaluate the trial quickly so as to speed their acceptance as a vehicle standard which will allow the industry to operate the trailers at their optimum level. "
Dave Lowther, Operations Services Director at Screwfix, a key customer of Wincanton operating nearly 100 trailers from five major bases in the UK, said: "We always try and embed sustainability into all aspects of our operations and we welcome any avenue to lessen our impact on the environment. The adoption of the longer semi-trailer offers a significant opportunity to help us reduce carbon emissions from our transport operations".
