Safeguarding Our Environment
I’ve written about the effects that Brexit could have on our industry, but today I want to draw your attention to climate change and the steps that are being taken on a governmental, local and within our own business to safeguard our environment.
Week after week, we are watching severe weather events unfold on our news bulletins. As I’m writing this, we are shook by the Californian wild fires that are still a blaze. At home, we have been witness to some major weather events over the past 12 months with; Storm Ophelia, Beast from the East and most recently Storm Callum.
Ultimately, we need an immediate reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions – the catalyst for our warming climate. This is a brief overview of how our industry is making changes to do just that.
European Emission Standards
European Emission Standards, determine the maximum amount of exhaust emissions that are permitted from new vehicles operating within the European Union and EEA member states.
Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle (EEV) is the term given to vehicles that are classified as being clean according to the European emission standards. In ATC, all of our trucks adhere to the latest EURO standards and find out more about them in our fleet section.
Low Emission Zones
In addition to the European Emission Standards, there are also low emission zones set up throughout Europe which we have to pass through in order to get to our data centre clients. Penalties are given to those companies who do not adhere to the standards that are in place to protect the health of the public and the environment.
An example of a “Low Emission Zone” is in London. This zone covers much of the greater London area and operates 24hours a day. Any vehicle that does not adhere to the parameters are fined.
Toll Charges
In an article released in EuroActive.com, Sam Morgan discussed how MEPs are backing the introduction of road toll charges that are charged based on the CO2 emissions a vehicle emits. This is another example of efforts that are being made on a European level to regulate the CO2 emissions and to encourage truck users to invest in cleaner modes of transport.
Eco Driving System
The Eco Driving System is our chosen fleet management system here in ATC. It is well regarded among the transport industry and is designed to offer a “better insight into the driver’s driving style and fuel consumption”.
The objective of this system is to improve driving styles, thus reducing the level of fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, maintenance costs and accidents.
So how does this system work? Well it asseses each driver using an ECO Score which determines the efficiency of the drivers behaviour while in the vehicle. It examines breaking behaviour, speed, number of revolutions (rpm), emergency stops, gear changes, stopping and more. This is a great system for us as it allows us to continuously monitor the quality of our drivers and identify if training is required to ensure we are operating within European standards.
Safeguarding Our Environment
Protecting our environment for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren is incredibly important to me and my team. We put a constant effort into our fleet and operations to ensure we meet environmental standards for legal compliance and our own corporate social responsibility.
In addition, our carbon footprint feeds into the data centres that we work with and who have invested in 100% renewable energy, so it is imperative that we as a company are compliant with those standards put in place by our clients.
There is always more to do, but I’m proud to say that ATC is driving the movement in our industry towards a cleaner and safer environment.
Thanks for reading,
Alan Young
Founder and Director
P.S. If you have any questions on this blog or indeed any of our services, drop a mail to alan.young@atc-logistics.com
