Dachser looks at driver behaviour

WAGONS ROLL

SUSTAINABILITY • EVERYONE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN REDUCING EMISSIONS AND, FOR A LOGISTICS COMPANY SUCH AS DACHSER, THAT INCLUDES ITS DRIVERS. NEW TRAINING HAS BEEN INTRODUCED

AS THE TRANSPORT sector edges its way towards net-zero emissions, emissions-free vehicles such as battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks will play a crucial role. But reductions in CO2 emissions can also be achieved for diesel trucks in use today. One way to do this is to adopt an appropriate driving style.

To achieve the potential emissions savings, Dachser piloted a training programme at three of its branches in the second half of 2022 with 54 professional and trainee truck drivers who are directly employed at the company. Having first evaluated telematics data from day-to-day operations to provide a baseline, a specially trained fleet manager and another driver instructor spent four weeks accompanying the drivers on their regular work, training them in climate-friendly driving techniques.

Overall, the professional drivers in the pilot project reduced their CO2 emissions by an average of 14 per cent; for a truck driving 120,000 km per year, that equates to a CO2 emissions saving of some 9.5 tonnes.

“As we strive to achieve our climate targets, you cannot underestimate the role played by the professional truck drivers who work for Dachser - either directly or on behalf of our service partners,” says Hendrik Jansen, managing director of Dachser Service und Ausbildungs. “Nothing works without them. And by driving in a climate-conscious manner, they can make a significant contribution to reducing emissions on the road.”

SPREAD THE WORD Dachser is now moving forward with the training programme, planning first to train all 250 professional drivers and the trainees it employs directly by the end of 2023; it will also offer the training concept to its subcontractors. “The drivers, some of whom have been driving professionally for many years, take what they’ve learned and incorporate it into their driving style,” says Roland Zitzmann of Dachser Service und Ausbildungs, who accompanied drivers in the pilot phase. “Feedback on the training has been positive across the board.”

The encouragement of a climate-friendly driving style fits with Dachser’s broader climate strategy, which is leveraging energy and process efficiency as well as research and innovation to make supply chains sustainable. One example of that is Dachser’s recent acquisition of kasasi GmbH, a software developer specialising in systems to optimise and bring transparency to transport processes for road, rail and waterways. In addition, the driving style initiative fits with Dachser’s social commitment, which extends beyond the company’s boundaries and core business.

Dachser is taking several specific actions, including building up a modern fleet of vehicles with the latest generation of diesel engines and testing alternative power trains and fuels, as well as adopting a driving style that achieves climate-friendliness through energy efficiency. The training will also help save fuel, which takes on even greater importance in light of the current situation and how fuel prices are developing. “We’re doing everything we can to bring out the best in improvement potential for everyone,” Jansen says. www.dachser.com