Reducing waste and promoting sustainability and sustainable supply chain management in the haulage industry is essential for environmental sustainability, cost-effectiveness and longevity within the industry. The haulage industry involves transporting goods over long distances using HGVs, which can result in various forms of waste, including fuel wastage, emissions, and packaging waste.
Here are some strategies to help reduce waste in the haulage industry and promote sustainability in haulage operations.
Efficient Route Planning
The biggest opportunity for reducing waste is implementing and incorporating technology such as telematics and fleet management systems that can monitor vehicle performance, and driver behaviour, optimise route planning and even monitor fuel consumption.
The use of fleet mapping technology or transportation management systems that use data analysis to optimise route planning can heavily reduce unnecessary detours, plan the shortest and most fuel-efficient routes, and reduce empty return trips can save fuel and emissions, minimising the overall environmental impact and is a fundamental step in reducing waste and emissions in haulage operations.
Through monitoring of vehicle performance and driver behaviour, data from these systems can also identify other areas of improvement and help optimise fuel efficiency, enabling better decision-making and resource management.
Eco-Friendly Vehicles
One of the most significant contributors to pollution in haulage operations is the fleet of vehicles used for transportation. Companies can take steps to ensure their fleet is as eco-friendly as possible by transitioning and investing in vehicles with lower carbon emissions, using alternative fuels like biodiesel or electric power, and adopting fuel-efficient driving practices. Regular maintenance and vehicle upgrades can further improve fuel efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint.
Here at TEPS, our fleet has been modernised with the latest Euro 6 Standard trucks, enabling greater power and improved fuel efficiency – making them a greener choice and perfect for use in ultra-low emission zones, reducing congestion charges.
Fleet Maintenance
Regularly maintain and service the fleet to ensure that vehicles are operating at peak efficiency. Properly inflated tires, well-tuned engines, and well-maintained equipment contribute to lower fuel consumption and less waste.
Efficient Tyres
Your choice of tyres can dramatically reduce waste. Research your tyres for effortless efficiency, some revolutionary silica-based tread rubber tyres on the market allow the vehicle’s engine to maintain optimal fuel consumption by keeping the tyres cool, in all conditions.
Education and Driver Training
With the data received from fleet technology on areas such as driver behaviour and vehicle performance, another step that can be taken to reduce waste and promote sustainability is education and training.
Drivers are at the heart of haulage operations, and their actions can significantly impact sustainability efforts and reduce waste. Providing ongoing training on eco-friendly driving practices such as smooth acceleration and braking, maintaining consistent speeds, avoiding unnecessary idling, continuous education and awareness of energy waste and offering incentives for fuel-efficient driving can motivate drivers to reduce waste and contribute to sustainability goals.
Collaboration and Backhauling/Backloads
Backhauling involves using the return trip of a truck to carry additional goods, further optimising the use of resources. Through collaboration, companies can share loads and reduce empty backloads, maximising truck capacity, and reducing the number of journeys needed and leading to less fuel consumption and lower emissions per unit of freight. This method can also see a decrease in logistics costs.
Packaging Solutions
Promoting sustainable packaging solutions, lightweight but sufficient packaging solutions is a balancing act. Finding the right solution to keeping packaging light to reduce weight and waste, but also sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the goods might be a game of trial and error.
The initial thought when looking for packaging that is more sustainable and reduces waste would be to look for lightweight eco-friendly packaging made from recycled materials. Although reducing unnecessary packaging not only decreases waste but also reduces the weight being transported, resulting in lower fuel consumption, some packaging solutions are not fit for purpose and can lead to broken products, pallets and boxes, meaning often the products are disposed of.
Warehouse Management
The way your warehouse is managed can increase productivity, optimise operations and reduce waste, with sustainability being a crucial aspect that can be significantly impacted by the implementation of lean management principles.
While the immediate benefits of lean management lie in efficiency gains and time-saving, its positive effects on sustainability are equally noteworthy, including your environmental impact, long-term viability, and minimising waste, saving money and your impact on the planet.
Implementing Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) or other tools powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) can optimize the storage of your products, ensuring that the best-selling items are located closest to the packing stations. This helps to minimise the time spent by your employees or mobile robots in collecting items, which is particularly advantageous during busy peak periods where efficiency is crucial.
Implementing Recycling and Reuse
Developing systems to have effective and sustainable waste management which includes recycling or reusing packaging materials, especially in the case of returnable packaging can help reduce waste. This approach reduces the demand for new packaging and minimises waste generation. You can also partner with a waste collector who will properly dispose and recycle any waste produced.
Another aspect of recycling and reuse is tyres. Haulage companies can work with local businesses to help recycle or repurpose used tyres for various initiatives; from giving children the playgrounds they deserve to aiding road paving projects or preventing landslides by using them as embankment fillers.
How TEPS Reduce Waste and Promote Sustainability in Their Operations
At TEPS, we take our responsibilities to society and the environment seriously. We recognise that sustainability is key for company longevity in all industries, so we make this a priority across our business operations. From the vehicles we use and the functionalities of our site to developing environmentally conscious training programmes for team members, everything we do takes an environmentally responsible approach.
Through these commitments, TEPS strives to create tangible change towards achieving real sustainability goals. Here are our company sustainability practices.
Euro 6 Vehicles
Our fleet has been modernised with the latest Euro 6 Standard trucks, enabling greater power and improved fuel efficiency – making them a greener choice and perfect for use in ultra-low emission zones.
Most Efficient Tyres
We invest in Michelin tyres for effortless efficiency: their revolutionary silica-based tread rubber allows the vehicle’s engine to maintain optimal fuel consumption by keeping the tyres cool, in all conditions.
Ad-Blue Reduces Exhaust Emissions
Our Ad-Blue solution helps diesel vehicles meet the stringent Euro 6 exhaust emission regulations. This advanced, non-toxic and odourless formula has proven to be highly effective in dramatically reducing emissions of harmful NOx particles, making our trucks’ performance more environmentally friendly than ever before!
Active Tyre Management Programme
At TEPS, we take recycling to the next level – even down to how we manage our tyres, as our tyre management process offers a range of sustainability options.
We work with local businesses in Hull who help us to recycle and repurpose used tyres for various initiatives; from giving children the playgrounds they deserve to aiding road paving projects or preventing landslides by using them as embankment fillers. That way, you can trust that none of the tyres will be unnecessarily sent into landfills!
Proactive Idle-Engine Management
We strive to reduce fuel emissions in our fleet by staying on top of idle times and MPG standards. Our real-time communication with drivers helps us monitor average idling times, keeping environmental impact at a minimum while also providing an efficient service.
Waste
Our 10-acre site and 165,000 square feet of supply chain storage space across four warehouses enable us to take great strides towards recycling a variety of waste products.
We have multiple areas designated for different materials, such as wood, plastic, metals and more, which facilitates our current waste management practices with dedicated recycling programmes and utilising recycling services such as commercial waste services and waste collector services, our current success rate of recycled products is an impressive 98%, yet we remain devoted to evolution in this area until the absolute highest standard has been achieved!
Warehouse
Our sustainability mission runs deep and our warehouses in Hull are equipped with the latest PIR lighting technology, powered exclusively through LED. This smart light control system is designed to detect motion in order to illuminate areas only when necessary – a ground-breaking approach that drastically reduces energy usage while still providing ample visibility for staff.
Electric Forklifts
For more than two decades, TEPS has been utilising electric forklifts in our storage facilities. Not only are they better for the environment, reducing the use of natural resources, but our drivers find them more comfortable and easier to handle and operate. This ensures that our teams are better placed to provide the highest level of care for your goods.
Long-Term Thinking
We are excited to announce the construction of our new and improved office space, set to open in 2023! With upgraded amenities and a strong focus on sustainability, our team members will benefit from improved well-being and an elevated work environment. Keep an eye out for more updates as the project progresses.
At TEPS, we believe that economic success must be achieved within planetary boundaries. We strive to provide efficient and sustainable storage and haulage services to our customers while minimising our environmental impact. We are committed to being a leader in the shift to an economy that is sustainable and respects our planet. Our commitment to sustainability extends to our business operations, ensuring that our services are not only reliable and cost-effective, but also minimise our environmental footprint. We are always on the look out for potential opportunities to minimise our impact.
Key Takeaway’s
- Reducing waste and promoting sustainability in the haulage industry is crucial for environmental sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and the industry’s longevity.
- Efficient route planning using technology like telematics and fleet management systems can optimise routes, minimise detours, and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
- Transitioning to eco-friendly vehicles with lower emissions, alternative fuels, and fuel-efficient driving practices can significantly reduce pollution in haulage operations. This includes choosing efficient tyres that can improve fuel consumption and reduce waste, and regular fleet maintenance.
- Education and driver training on eco-friendly practices can motivate drivers to contribute to sustainability efforts and reduce waste.
- Collaboration and backhauling/backloads help maximise truck capacity, reduce empty journeys, and lower fuel consumption and emissions per unit of freight.
- Balancing lightweight and sturdy packaging solutions can reduce weight, waste, and fuel consumption while ensuring product protection.
- Implementing recycling and reuse systems, especially for packaging materials and tyres, helps minimise waste generation and resource consumption.
Learn more about our commitment to sustainability and how TEPS is paving the way for greener haulage solutions.
