Other News (archive)

2 October 2012 – TNT Express' best drivers from 20 countries will compete this week in Grevenbroich, Germany, during the finals of the company’s annual "Drive Me Challenge". 

The express delivery industry is associated with speed. Yet speed is not what will matter most. The prize will go to the team of driver and co-driver that demonstrates the best eco-safe driving techniques and customer service. Their skills will be tested on a circuit that recreates real world tasks, such as collecting and delivering multiple parcels under tight deadlines.

Drivers will also be tested on their health knowledge by North Star Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which offers health and safety services to truck drivers in East and Southern Africa. Volkswagen will provide the vehicles (VW Crafter 30/35 vans) and Lysanda will provide the on-board technology to measure fuel consumption.

In its six years of existence, the Drive Me Challenge has become a major event within TNT Express with drivers travelling long distances to take part. "I’ll be coming from +40 degrees Celsius so the cold weather will be a welcome relief", said Murray Henderson, the Australian finalist. "I have never been to Europe, I expect to have a splendid trip and an opportunity to meet other TNT drivers", said Macdonald Saasa of South Africa.

Besides its motivating effect, the Drive Me Challenge has helped TNT Express engage drivers on the importance of road safety, driver health, fuel efficiency and excellent customer service.

See the DriveMe Challenge on Facebook and Twitter.

5 July 2012 - TNT is to be the first express delivery company to trial new longer trailers on UK roads as part of its daily operations. The 15.65-metre trailers – two metres longer than the standard semi trailers currently in use – will allow TNT Express to carry a 15% greater payload, significantly improving its efficiency and capabilities for customers.

The trailers will be introduced on TNT’s route between its main UK hub at Kingsbury, in Staffordshire, and the Llantrisant depot in Mid-Glamorgan, Wales.  The trial is part of a Government initiative within the transport and logistics industry, which authorises the use of longer trailers for the next 10 years.

"In days of high fuel prices, these innovative, modern trailers offer exceptional loading capacity and space utilisation to keep freight costs down to a minimum," said Simon Harper, Director of Operations TNT Express Services UK & Ireland. “With bigger loads on each vehicle, we will cover fewer miles per volume of parcels which will help with fuel consumption and reduce our CO₂ emissions," added Simon.

The trailers incorporate other innovative features to further reduce tyre wear and fuel usage such as the ability to raise the centre axle which only deploys if the load weight on either of the other two axles exceeds 90% of the permitted axle load of 9 tonnes.

20 January 2012 – Using an aerodynamic trailer tail can cut truck fuel consumption by 6 percent. This is the result of a five month test performed by TNT Express in the Netherlands. TNT tested a trailer equipped with “EcoTail”, a foldable and retractable rear wing produced by the Dutch company Ephicas. TNT drove the vehicle every day between the towns of Ede and Duiven, which are separated by a distance of 26 km. The tests showed 1.65 liter of fuel saved per 100 km travelled at a maximum vehicle speed of 50 mph. Partner company Ephicas sought permission from the 'Dienst Wegverkeer' (RDW, the Dutch road traffic authority) to be able to run the TNT Express test program, since there is no length exemption for aerodynamic devices in the Netherlands.  After safety tests, the RDW allowed a temporary exemption.