FTA: Platooning is ‘next step’ for sustainable road haulage

Written By Reagan Nyandoro

20/10/2017

Scania Trucks platooning demonstration, Trier, Germany, 2011

Truck platooning has been hailed as the “next step” for sustainable road haulage by the Freight Transport Association, whose members together operate about half of the UK’s total HGV fleet.

Between them, the organisation’s 16,000 members run a total of 220,000 goods vehicles; the FTA also represents 70% of sea and air freight operators and over 90% of rail freight operators in the UK.

Following the DfT announcement in late August that truck platooning will be trialled on real-world public roads, FTA head of national policy Christopher Snelling welcomed the effort to cut the carbon footprint of fleets, as well as running costs.

He said: “Platooning could be an innovative means of reducing fuel use so saving costs and reducing carbon and air quality emissions.

“Driving closely together, platoons of trucks take up less space on the road, and travelling at constant speeds can help improve traffic flows and reduce tailbacks.”

He recognised the need to ensure the safety of platooning systems on real-world roads and to test that the technology is able to deliver the promised benefits.

But he also called for the trial to take place as soon as possible – it was first outlined back in November 2016 and with the UK logistics sector accounting for 11% of the non-finance business economy, the FTA is keen to see fleet operators given a quick and clear indication of whether platooning is feasible for the future.

Efficient Logistics in the Short Term

There are already a variety of technologies that are able to improve fleet efficiency and cut costs and carbon from road freight operations.

3T Group’s transport management systems do just that, using a wealth of real-world data from your own operations to identify potential cost savings, as well as accelerating the speed of deliveries throughout your supply chain.

Our 4PL platforms are already delivering substantial savings for real-world users and can be adopted quickly for effective savings even before the first truck platooning trials begin in 2018.

To learn more about 3T Group’s different transport management systems and 4PL services, send us your contact details via our Contact page, or call us on 0116 2824 111 today.

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