Samworth Brothers Supply Chain Of Leicestershire Boosts Sustainability Efforts With New Volvo FM LNG Trucks
Following a four-week trial of a demonstrator unit provided by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre South & East, Leicestershire-based Samworth Brothers Supply Chain has added six Volvo FM LNG (liquefied natural gas) tractor units with Globetrotter cabs to its distribution fleet. The trucks, which meet Transport for London’s three-star Direct Vision Standard (DVS) rating, will operate around the clock, logging up to 250,000 kilometres (155,342 miles) per annum. Samworth expects the trucks to serve its fleet for four-plus years. Samworth Transport Manager Dave Alexander says the FM LNGs are only the beginning of the company’s LNG journey.
“Running on biomethane allows us to make a significant and immediate reduction to the carbon footprint of these vehicles vs. the diesel models they replace,” Alexander says.
The LNG Approach
Launched in 1998, Samworth Brothers Supply Chain has chilled distribution sites in Leicester, Penrith, Callington, and Bristol from which it provides temperature-controlled distribution services to companies in the Samworth Brothers Group, as well as to external food manufacturers, retailers, and other distributors. The supply chain company has more than 120 articulated vehicles and roughly 200 trailers in its fleet. In 2013, it began efforts to enhance the fleet’s fuel efficiency, saving 300,000 litres (79,250 gallons) of fuel that year, which equated to a reduction of 800 tonnes (882 U.S. tons) of carbon dioxide emissions.
Based on the Volvo FM, the FM LNG is ideal for regional-haul work. It uses Volvo G13C engines based on the Volvo D13K engine that can output the same maximum 460 horsepower (343 kilowatts) and 2,300 newton-metres (1,696 pounds-foot) of torque as a standard 460-HP diesel power plant, but with 20% less CO2 emissions. The G13C, which uses small amounts of diesel to initiate ignition of the air-fuel mixture, matches the driveability, reliability, and service intervals of its diesel counterpart and provides equivalent engine braking without the need for a separate retarder, lowering overall engine weight and reducing complexity.
The Best Package
The next-generation Volvo FM’s cab features large windows and narrow, raised A pillars, as well as lowered door lines and side mirrors—all contributing to first-rate visibility. Samworth specified its FM LNGs with Volvo’s Drive ++, Living, and Media packages, which equipped them with remote control locks, electrically controlled air conditioning, an electrically controlled adjustable interior sun blind, a sleeper control panel, a 35-millimetre (1.37-inch) overlay protector, and other features. The trucks also include Fuel and Active Safety packs that include such features as I-See predictive cruise control, adaptive cruise control with forward collision and advance emergency brake system, and driver alert support. The inclusion of Volvo Connect allows Samworth to monitor the trucks’ fuel efficiency and carbon reduction data, track them in real time, and more.
“For the routes these trucks will be operating on we believe the FM is the best package on the market and is built for excellent visibility,” says Alexander. “Being three-star compliant also helps us to future-proof our fleet; it is due to be the minimum requirement for Greater London from 2024, plus there’s always the potential this could extend to other cities we deliver to as well.”
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Source: Volvo