In the transport business, every liter of diesel saved. But lower fuel consumption not only pushes down costs, it also helps to reduce CO2 emissions. Scania’s new range of services, called “Ecolution by Scania”, combines ecological and economical thinking to great effect. Swedish hauler Mike Dahl is a firm believer in making transport more environmentally friendly – and is blazing a trail with “Ecolution”.
Mike Dahl is a modest, helpful man. Putting himself in the limelight is not his style. However, as boss of Blondie Logistic haulage company in Kungsbacka, a half-hour’s drive south of Gothenburg, he is a man on a mission. A mission that, it soon becomes clear, is largely fueled by passion. Mike Dahl is intent on raising environmental awareness in the transport sector, setting the pace for a complete change of image.
LOWER FUEL CONSUMPTION, LOWER COSTS – Mike Dahl, Managing Director of Swedish haulage company Blondie Logistic, also generates economic benefits from Scania’s Ecolution concept.
Today, three of his fleet of 17 trucks already sport the words “Ecolution by Scania” in simple, unassuming letters. These are Scania trucks that make the round trip to Stockholm and Malmö every day, delivering 100 pallets of bread – 20 tons in all – from a bakery in Gothenburg, and bringing back sugar and flour on the return leg.
Driver Fredrik Nilsson ensures that this journey places as little strain as possible on the environment. Fredrik is one of three drivers who have successfully completed the Ecolution driver training at the Scania Education Center in nearby Helsingborg. He knows how to save fuel through foresighted driving, by using the gas pedal sparingly and by letting momentum do its fair share of the work.
As the 26-year-old says: “I now see the 500-kilometer journey to Stockholm as a kind of competition.” His daily challenger is the “eco” display in the cockpit that lets him know how efficiently his 480 PS truck is running. The thought of other truckers behind him huffing with impatience as he rolls leisurely onto the roundabout does not bother him in the slightest. “Who cares? It isn’t my top speed but efficiency and ecology that matter.”
Hauler boss Mike Dahl holds employees like Fredrik in high esteem: “Drivers, their driving technique and their attitude are the most important factors influencing fuel consumption.” Trip data for the trucks is saved via the Scania Fleet Management System and can be called up at any time. As well as speeds, the system records route profile, gear-shifting and braking frequency, idling and rolling times, use of cruise control and even tire pressure.
