Hauliers accused o wasting fuel
Page 6
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Britain's hauliers are spending 15% too much on fuel and wasting millions of pounds a year on uneconomic vehicle management, says an as-yet unpublished report from the Freight Transport Association
and the Department of Energy.
The majority of road transport companies could easily cut their fuel bills by more careful monitoring of individual vehicle fuel consumption, and by ensuring that "rogue" drivers and trucks are brought into line, says the report.
Martin Downer, controller of management information services at the FTA, has been coordinating research for the report, in collaboration with the Department of Energy. He says: "Overall savings of up to 15% are possible for those who do not currently monitor fuel consumption that carefully — 6-8% could easily be achieved by the majority of operators." Downer says that the FTI has collated its findings in a fuel management guide to he operators cut their bills. The Department of Energy — which is studying the associ2 tion's conclusions and recom mendations now — is expect to approve its publication in next few months.
The guide falls into two parts. The first explains how operators can set up and mai tam n proper fuel consumption records; the second explains how this information can ther be translated into significant fuel savings.
The campaign to increase fuel efficiency is part of a wic DoE drive to improve industi
ciency. The road transport ustry's annual fuel bill, convatively estimated at be.ten £2.5 and £2.8 billion, is : UK's single biggest industenergy user. The DoE npaign to cut the haulage intry's over-spending dates 1‹ to 1983.
The Energy Efficiency Office I reveal the results of opermai trials of the aerodyna: fuel-efficient Leyland Daf 5ighter, designed with the lp of NCCB, Argo and Besco dies at a workshop in Cardiff xt week.
Transport Minister Peter ittornley says hauliers are rrently spending £500 million rear too much on derv. Bottomley told delegates at an Institute of Mechanical Engirieers conference last week that hauliers could cut their fuel bills by 15% by eliminating wasteful driving practices.
Saving fuel does not only save money. According to the latest Dip statistics, every year the road transport industry produces:
El 784,000 tonnes of nitrous oxide (40% of the total emitted nationally); C1 4,748,000 tonnes of carbon monoxide (85% of the total); El 578,000 tonnes of unburned hydrocarbons (28% of total); 1=1 27,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (17.5% of total).