DACHSER expands its line-haul fleet with the cross-border ecocombi
The DACHSER branch in Zevenaar, the Netherlands, has expanded its line-haul fleet with a Longer Heavier Vehicle (LHV) for cross-border transport to Frankfurt, Germany. Also known as the ecocombi, the new vehicle option offers 30 percent more space and therefore helps reduce traffic as well as emissions.
DACHSER has been using ecocombis in the Netherlands since 2009, and from now on, one will also drive daily on one of the fixed lines to the DACHSER branch in Frankfurt, Germany. “We’re very proud of this new development,” says Stefan Raimondo, General Manager of DACHSER’s Zevenaar Logistics Center. “At DACHSER, we are continuously engaged in making our logistics processes more sustainable and efficient. Thanks to the close and smooth cooperation with our partner Van Ooij, we were able to achieve this together.”
The LHV offers major advantages in terms of the environment and logistics. It can carry up to 30 percent more volume per transport, which requires slightly more fuel, but with it DACHSER can save 124 trips per year on this route, or 60,750 kilometers. This in turn saves 20,000 liters of diesel, or about 63,000 kilograms of greenhouse gases.
In Germany, the legislation is different from that in the Netherlands—for example, regarding the turning radius—and not all combinations are permitted. The TÜV-approved Actros ecocombi DACHSER is 25 meters long and has a turning radius of just 12.5 meters. It is equipped with a WABCO weighing system and a rear-view camera system. The drivers have also been trained by means of a theoretical and practical exam at the Dutch driver licensing authority (CBR) and thus meet all the requirements.
Aat van der Meer, Managing Director DACHSER Benelux, is pleased to see that the LHV is catching on elsewhere. DACHSER Netherlands was one of the first freight forwarders to start using LHVs in 2009. “We’ve been supporting wider international deployment from the very first,” he says. “In addition to the significant fuel and carbon savings, the use of LHVs, especially on international routes, can help resolve part of the current and future driver shortage. It’s a win-win situation.”
According to Raimondo, the future of LHVs looks promising: “We expect the already strong growth in the number of ecocombis to increase even further. Rising diesel prices and the previously mentioned savings certainly contribute to this. We are therefore already working on setting up another ecocombi line to Germany.”
Focus on efficient logistics and technological innovation
This progress in process efficiency also plays into DACHSER’s long-term climate protection strategy. In pursuing this strategy, the Germany-based logistics provider focuses on efficient logistics and technological innovation. The company believes this is the best way to help achieve the 2 degree target set by the Paris Agreement as well as the climate targets of the European Union and many other countries over the medium and long term. To this end, DACHSER works together with customers and partners who are also keen to actively shape how logistics moves to adopt low- and zero‑emission technologies. DACHSER concentrates its climate protection initiatives on four key fields of action: process efficiency, energy efficiency, research and development, and corporate citizenship. The latter refers to a commitment to society and social issues that goes beyond DACHSER’s own direct business interests.
