Integral to an eco-friendly truck fleet is improving safety and efficiency while significantly reducing the overall carbon footprint.

The imperative to reduce carbon emissions to help prevent global warming forms a central component of building materials manufacturer Lafarge’s environmental protection strategy. Over the past five years, much investment into the greening of its supply chain has been made by the organisation. In South Africa, Lafarge Gypsum SA runs a fleet of long-haul trucks carrying construction materials such as plasterboard, bagged cement, steel ceiling grids, metal studs and aluminium profiles between Gauteng and all major centres in the country.

Research and development work to reduce the environmental impact of its long-haul truck distribution fleet, while also improving the safety of drivers and ground personnel, was done by the group in the UK. According to Richard Nancarrow, supply chain manager at the company, Lafarge Gypsum SA initiated a pilot programme in partnership with MAN Truck & Bus SA and the Imperial Group to replicate what is being achieved in the UK fleet. “A combination of smart truck and trailer design, and comprehensive driver training form the foundation of our green transport initiative, one which promises to greatly improve the safety and productivity of our long-haul fleet while significantly reducing its carbon footprint.”

The existing Lafarge Gypsum SA truck fleet is comprised of some 30 truck-trailer combinations, powered predominantly by 6×4 derivatives from MAN. The new green fleet will be managed by Imperial and commenced duty with the launch of two MAN TGS WW 26.440 truck-tractors pulling the ground-breaking low tare mass ‘teardrop’ trailers fabricated by SA Truck Bodies, under licence to UK-based trailer builder Don-Bur.“Apart from the fact that we’ve built a strong relationship with MAN over the years, the original equipment manufacturer is internationally recognised for the high safely levels of its standard equipment as well as the industry-leading fuel consumption figures of its TGS WW models. These factors played a significant part in satisfying the stringent safety and efficiency requirements of our green fleet specification sheet,” explains Nancarrow.

For MAN Truck & Bus SA, the partnership with Lafarge Gypsum SA and Imperial Group will act as a viable platform to prove the merits of both the TGS WW 26.440 and MAN’s local service/support infrastructure.