Overview
Lerum Freight BA adapted some of the lessons learned in the EU project RECODRIVE, in which the Western Norway Research Institute was one of the partners, to look for improvements in fleet management in order to achieve fuel savings, CO2 reduction and a decrease in the total transport volume. Fleet management includes incorporating optimal practices in the following areas:
- purchasing of trucks,
- itinerary improvements,
- maintenance,
- driver training and
- logistics optimisation.
The project aimed at showing how freight companies can reduce institutional, practical and knowledge barriers related to adopting more environmentally benign transport solutions. The goal was also so ad the project experiences are drawn upon by other freight transport companies.
Funding
Results
The results from the model estimation show that weight load has a significant effect on fuel consumption. If this load is increased by 10 tonnes, the expected fuel consumption increases with 0,11 litre per 10 km. Average speed has the expected significant effect. If it is increased from 30 to 40 km an hour the average fuel consumption falls with 0,5 litre per 10 km. If average speed is increased from 50 to 60 km an hour the same effect is much less, 0,2 litre. The effect of increased speed is therefore highest when speed level is low. Overall average speed is 63 km an hour. If relative time spent using more than 90% of maximum torque is increased by 10 percentage points, average fuel consumption increases by 0,7 litre per 10 km. On average, vehicles spend 20% of driving time with this torque use. If a vehicle has 200 more horsepower than another vehicle and they are equal in all other aspects, the one with more horsepower will have 0,57 litre higher fuel consumption. In the winter season the vehicles use about 0,14 litre more than in summer and the average fuel consumption for a vehicle with an independent trailer is 0,3 litre higher than the average for a semitrailer. If relative time spent rolling without engine load is increased by 10 percentage point, fuel consumption is reduced by 0,12 litre per 10 km on average. A similar increase in relative time spent running idle means fuel consumption goes up by 0,12 litre. The effects of these two indicators are roughly equal in opposite directions.