Environmental and sustainability issues are becoming increasingly relevant, and the number of companies and individuals who want to contribute to a more sustainable society is growing steadily. This is also true in the transport industry, where operations are closely associated with fossil fuels and various emissions. So, how can companies and individuals in the transport industry reduce their carbon footprint?
Applicable to drivers
Everyone – from the private motorist to the heavy vehicle driver – knows that driving styles impact fuel consumption. A fuel-efficient engine that is driven optimally from an environmental perspective produces fewer emissions and lowers fuel costs. For this reason, it’s important to focus on the actual vehicle and the driver's driving style.
Most vehicle manufacturers offer various forms of eco driving training, such as instructor-led practical courses or online courses in fuel-efficient driving. These courses teach drivers how to think differently and help them change ingrained behaviours. In addition, drivers learn how to optimally drive the specific manufacturer’s vehicles.
“Driver behaviour affects both fuel costs and your carbon footprint”
Applicable to vehicles and the entire vehicle fleet
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just getting drivers to drive optimally. It has to do with the performance of the entire vehicle fleet. Many fleet management systems are able to read data from the individual vehicles for further analysis and reporting. This allows individual discrepancies to be identified and provides an overview of the performance of your vehicle fleet. For example, you may notice that, despite two vehicles being identical and having the same driving pattern, their fuel consumption over time is totally different. This type of discrepancy in fuel consumption may be due to incorrect wheel alignment on one vehicle, for instance, which produces greater rolling resistance and thereby resulting in greater wear on the tyres, higher fuel consumption, and, ultimately, completely unnecessary costs and unnecessary environmental impact.
“The condition of your vehicle fleet and proactive utilization of data affect both profitability and your carbon footprint.”
Sustainability and profitability go hand in hand
Although the link between fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is well-established, sustainability involves so much more than just fuel. Unnecessary wear or oversights that lead to repairs ultimately result in unnecessary costs and negative environmental impact.
”When sustainability and profitability go hand in hand, we have a win-win situation”
From both a sustainability and profitability perspective, the goal must be to ensure maximum uptime and optimal utilization of your vehicles. And a work tool like a truck requires maintenance – so plan your workshop visits and make sure that all components requiring maintenance are included in the service plan/contract.
Regular maintenance on your truck and trailer safeguards their operation and hopefully prevents unnecessary repairs. This benefits you as well as the environment.
