Lighter tipper trucks offer greener future for Lafarge

NEW, lighter, more fuel efficient tipper trucks are helping reduce the carbon footprint of Lafarge's transport fleet.

The eight-wheelers have been developed with body manufacturers Wilcox and PPG along with tipper ram suppliers Hyva and Edbro.

They have been on the road for three months and are at the vanguard of Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK's commitment to its green agenda - a commitment highlighted by the recent achievement of the Carbon Trust Standard.

The Standard is the world's first award which requires an organisation to measure, manage and reduce its carbon emissions and actually make real reductions year-on-year.

Weight savings of at least 200kg have been achieved on the trucks thanks to slimmer and lighter tyres and redesigned bodies and lifting gear. This means each of the nine new trucks can carry an extra 200kg of load, improving fuel and delivery efficiency.

Nick Elliot, Lafarge A&C UK's National Transport Manager, who was behind the weight-saving initiative, explained:

"We have made simple changes which have added up to quite a remarkable achievement."

The changes have improved load and fuel efficiency which in turn offers a reduction in carbon output of 9 tonnes of carbon per year Nick said:

"The new trucks offer a 0.3 litre saving per delivered tonne on fuel meaning over three months they have been able to carry an extra 324 tonnes of material compared to the old trucks using the same amount of diesel. This equates to a saving of 16 lorry movements and a consequent reduction in carbon emissions of 2268kg. Take that saving over a year and it's more than 9 tonnes of carbon not being released into the atmosphere. This may not be a huge amount in the grand scheme of things but every little helps and we all have our part to play in protecting the environment."

Development of the trucks took just nine months and Lafarge plan to introduce more of the new designs into the fleet year on year. Further fuel efficiency initiatives are also planned as part of the company's sustainability commitment to operate in the most environmentally responsible way possible.

www.lafarge.co.uk