If you’re the manager of a smaller haulage company, I’ve got one question for you: how do you fuel your fleet? In the past, the answer was obvious – diesel was the only way to go. Today, however, that’s not necessarily the case. Biomethane has become increasingly popular over time for a variety of reasons. Read on for more information as to why those in the logistics industry are gassing up the idea of running solely on gas.
The Small Haulage Company and the Benefits of Switching to Gas
The push to go green has done nothing but increase, especially over the past few years, and this is especially true for the logistics industry. More and more people are becoming interested in living as environmentally friendly as possible (and regulations are being put in place to enforce this). Interestingly enough, over the past six to nine months or so, it has actually been the small and medium haulage company operators that have voluntarily decided to do their own part by switching from diesel- to gas-powered vehicles.
The benefits, both for Mother Earth and for the businesses themselves, are obvious. Not only is biomethane renewable, it also emits about 70 percent less CO2 than diesel does. In fact, taking just one diesel-powered vehicle off the road and replacing it with one that runs on renewable energy is the equivalent of removing up to 80 passenger vehicles from the road. Additionally, it’s 35 to 40 percent cheaper than fossil fuels. Overall, making the switch is a win-win. Who said you can’t save money and save the planet at the same time?
It is currently estimated that there are 300 dedicated gas trucks actively in use in the UK, with predictions that this number will rise to over 1,000 by next year. CNG Fuels, a company that owns and operates biomethane gas refuelling stations, has mentioned that many of their customers who own small businesses in the logistics industry have said they’re adding hundreds of new trucks to their fleet – all of which run on biomethane. Some have even said they don’t plan to buy another diesel lorry again.
CNG is sure this change is mostly due to the statistics mentioned above – after all, the numbers don’t lie and the results have proven to be very beneficial to small haulage company operators. They think that, at this point, the change from diesel- to gas-powered vehicles is inevitable; the only question is how quickly this technology will be adopted. If you look at the trends so far, it doesn’t seem like they’re wrong.
Whether you’ve already made the switch from diesel to biomethane or are still in the process of seeing if the renewable gas is right for you and your company, one thing is for sure: it’s becoming more and more popular within the logistics industry. All in all, it seems going green is a go.
Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Haulage Exchange provides services for matching a driver or haulage company with available jobs. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.
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