Other News (archive)

4 December 2013 - TNT Express has bought 61 new vehicles (44 trailers and 17 hangers) from Krone to replace part of its fleet in the Benelux. The new trailers are meant to reduce fuel consumption thanks to new technology.

Five of the new trailers come equipped with side wings designed by Wabco. Located along the bottom of the trailer, these side skirts improve air flow under the truck and reduce aerodynamic drag. Tests have shown they can allow a fuel-consumption reduction of 5%.

The efficiency of side wings is best when the trailer is used on long-haul operations and at full speed. When used on highways, they can deliver fuel-savings of up to 1.5 litres per 100 km. TNT Express will use the five new trailers for long-haul collection and delivery, for instance between Rotterdam and Liege. The company will consider their fuel effectiveness and decide on a possible wider use.

As an additional advantage, trailers fitted with side wings lessen the amount of splashing water during rain, thus improving the visibility of other motor vehicle drivers.

2 December 2013 - TNT Express is supporting the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) of Western Australia’s campaign to raise awareness about the consequences of inattention while driving. Murray Henderson, a driver from TNT Express’ Perth depot, test drove the RAC’s Attention Powered Car on the third leg of a 1100km road trip around southern Western Australia.

The Attention Powered Car is a specially prepared Hyundai i40. Its speed depends on the driver’s level of attention, which is measured by a neuro-technological headset designed by the company Emotiv. The headset monitors brain activity with 14 sensors detecting neural sleep patterns, eye and head movements, blink rate, and other indicators revealing the driver’s level of concentration on the road.

Murray was selected by the RAC due to his outstanding driving record with TNT Express as winner of the company’s 2012 national eco-driving challenge in Australia. “I’ve been driving for most of my professional life so I have seen what one second of inattention can do. That’s why I wanted to be a part of this campaign to raise awareness and potentially save lives,” he said.

According to the RAC, in 2012 inattention was responsible for 12% of all road fatalities in Western Australia.

Watch Murray driving the Attention Powered Car here.

Alistair Cochrane, Managing Director TNT UK & Ireland, with new low-carbon fleet

22 October 2013 - TNT Express Services UK & Ireland is renewing it fleet of collection and delivery vehicles. Featuring a more aerodynamic body design, the 300 new vehicles provide reduced fuel consumption without impacting the volume of goods being carried.

The fleet renewal programme began in late July 2013. Over the last two months the new low-carbon vehicles have been replacing old vehicles on a one to one basis as they come to the end of their operating life. A total of 261 7.5 tonne vehicles have been ordered from DAF, MAN and Iveco, with a further 39 12 tonne vehicles purchased from Iveco. To date, 200 new vehicles have been delivered.

The revision in body design has resulted in a sleeker, more aerodynamic body which reduces drag. The introduction of plastic to the body construction has also reduced the overall weight of the vehicle by 200kg. These improvements in both reduced drag and body weight will result in improved fuel consumption on a like for like basis.

28 January 2013 - TNT Express has started to use road trains between Helsingborg, Sweden, and Puttgarden, Germany, to lower fuel consumption and emissions. Each road train consists of a conventional tractor pulling one trailer and one "box". This is an efficient alternative to the three trucks previously used to travel the 200km distance. Next to cost savings, the result is better allocation of equipment and drivers, who can return home more often. Transit times and service levels remain untouched.

Before January 2013, TNT Express trucks loaded with freight for Norway and Sweden drove all the way from Arnhem (Netherlands) and Hannover (Germany) to Helsingborg, TNT Express' main hub for the Nordic countries. The vehicles and their drivers would take the ferry in Puttgarden before continuing northwards to Helsingborg, a 13 hours journey from Arnhem (one-way). Today, they stop in Puttgarden, swap trailers and boxes with the road trains coming from Helsingborg, and return to their home base by the end of the day.

Road trains are a common sight in Australia, the US and Canada. In Europe, they are being debated. Proponents of road trains say they reduce road congestion and pollution, as fewer vehicles transport the same amount of goods. Critics argue they affect road safety, damage roads and increase the share of road transport in freight movement. However, a study by Sweden's Transport Research Institute (TFK) in 2007 indicated that longer vehicles may actually improve traffic safety because they reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

Today most EU countries have limited the length of vehicle combinations to a maximum of 18.75 m. On the other hand, Scandinavian countries have been traditionally open to using long freight vehicle combinations, the longest of up to 25.25 m. The Netherlands have conducted several successful trials of so-called "Longer and Heavier Vehicles" since 2000.

22 January 2013 –  TNT Express has put four new de-icing trucks into service at its air hub in Liège, bringing its fleet to ten. The four new Vestergaard Elephant Beta vehicles allow TNT Express to de-ice its airplanes nearly fifty percent faster than last winter. TNT Express is now able to de-ice a Boeing 747 aircraft in only two minutes, using six trucks simultaneously. Most de-icing operations are performed on TNT Express' dedicated "de-icing zone", where three aircraft can be treated simultaneously. De-icing crews undergo several days of on-the-job and simulator training.