Global logistics company Hoyer GmbH Internationale Fachspedition, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, is investing in its vehicle fleet by acquiring 34 new Iveco trucks for its Chemilog business unit. These are all fitted out with extensive driver assistance systems.
A trial run is also being given to a vehicle that runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG). In this way, the company is clearly acknowledging its responsibility towards its employees and the environment.
All of the vehicles ordered from the long-standing partner, the international utility vehicle manufacturer Iveco, have a lane departure warning system, adaptive cruise control with integrated emergency brake function, an alertness assistant and sensor-operated fifth-wheel coupling. The new technology is aimed at reducing significantly the number of rear-end collisions and unintentional changes of lane. In addition, all of the new vehicles have a navigation system and an engine-independent air conditioning system.
“We are hoping on the one hand to achieve an appreciable improvement in road safety, and on the other to increase significantly the satisfaction of our drivers,” says Dr Roland Pütz, director of the Chemilog business unit at Hoyer.
Twenty-seven of the new trucks will be used on long-distance routes, while seven trucks have a super-light design and are suitable for a vehicle load capacity of 30 tonnes or more. The investment volume for these state-of-the-art vehicles is 2.6 million euros.
Hoyer is also entering the test phase with its first LNG vehicle, likewise constructed by Iveco. While conventional tucks operate on diesel fuel, LNG vehicles run on liquefied natural gas--and consequently with substantially lower emissions. The first operations will commence in short-distance applications, bearing in mind Europe’s still sketchy filling station network for refueling with natural gas.
“In the light of the existing environmental standards, the procurement of additional LNG-operated vehicles for chemicals logistics at Hoyer will come into consideration as soon as blanket-coverage refuelling is possible in Europe,” says Dr Pütz. “From the pilot operations we are already expecting to receive insights regarding, for example, driveability, range, and consumption, and are thereby preparing for future purchasing decisions.”
The Hamburg-based logistics firm also will use the findings from its trial run to help its long-standing supplier Iveco with the latter’s approval for hazardous goods transportation with the newly developed natural-gas-fueled vehicles--which is anticipated before the end of this year. This means that Hoyer is coming closer to its own declared objective of reducing the CO2 proportion per tonne kilometre by a total of 25% by 2020.