Newcastle-based haulier Murray Hogg is enjoying the fuel economy benefits of making an early investment in new Euro-6 compliant vehicles.
Euro-6 came into force at the start of this year, but the company bought its first vehicle to meet the standard last summer. At a time when there was considerable concern across the industry about the negative impacts of Euro-6 regulations on operating costs, Murray Hogg placed an order for 14 new Actros tractor units, which have now all been delivered.
Colin Hogg, a director of the firm, said, “There were a lot of scare stories at the time, about how Euro-6 would have an adverse effect on fuel consumption and reliability. We never believed the rumour-mongers though, and we’ve been proved right.
“The 14 Euro-6 Actros we’re now operating are averaging 9.48mpg, which compares to the 9.39mpg achieved by our Euro-5 trucks. AdBlue consumption by the newer trucks is also significantly lower.”
The new trucks transmit their drive through automated transmissions, and are additionally equipped with Mercedes-Benz Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) systems and Mercedes-Benz FleetBoard telematics systems.
PPC employs three-dimensional GPS mapping to read the road topography for up to three kilometres ahead, then controls speed, braking and gear changes accordingly to maximise fuel efficiency. Mercedes-Benz says the system can cut fuel costs by up to 5%, though some operators have reported significantly higher savings.
FleetBoard provides office staff with a detailed real-time picture of exactly what each truck on a fleet is doing each day. It produces reports on driving style, including incidences of harsh braking, over-revving, ‘green band’ driving, and the use of engine and exhaust braking that can adversely affect fuel consumption. This data can then be used to coach drivers on how to achieve maximum efficiency from their trucks.
The rigid trucks are curtainsiders with bodies built by Lawrence David, of Peterborough, and wear the colours of radiator manufacturer Stelrad. Ken Peet, Stelrad’s Supply Chain Director, said, “Murray Hogg’s use of these new Euro-6 trucks fits in perfectly with our own environmental policy and ongoing drive to reduce our carbon footprint.
“Environmental savings through our logistics operation will help us to make significant progress year-on-year to provide the most energy efficient and cost-efficient service to our customers across the UK.”
