That was a long time ago and to be honest, the messages we put out then were largely ignored by operators. It wasn’t the first time we’d been ignored. It also happened with HIV/ Aids when we first started warning – as far back as 1994 - of the threat of the disease spreading to decimate the ranks of our truck drivers. “Yeah, well we’ll wait to see what happens,” was the general response.

Well, we all know what happened in that arena and it is thus I urge truck operators not to exhibit the same apathy towards the green issue as they initially did towards the HIV/ AIDs issue.

The bottom line is that if you don’t start getting your act together regarding your environmental responsibility, you are going to be chopped – firstly from the supplier list of the multi-nationals and secondly from local companies who will increasingly want their transporters to be green. And they will do this because they will be getting pressure from their customers to exhibit green responsibility in the conduct of their businesses.

Those pressure influences aside, Government is working on plans to green South Africa and sure as a truck runs on wheels, legislation will come about directed at road transport. It’s not going to be tomorrow – but it will come. Rather be ahead of the legislation than behind it.

Given all this, it came as great news to FleetWatch to hear of leading supply chain management company, Barloworld Logistics, developing a ‘green’ interlink tautliner trailer combination coupled to a Hino 57- 450 6x4 truck tractor. They’ve called it the Green Trailer but it is, in fact, a Green Rig as work has also been done on the truck tractor.

And here’s the exciting bit. The whole project has been initiated and driven by the ‘operator’ – Barloworld Logistics - rather than by the manufacturers. This is a critical difference for up to now, truck manufacturers have been the ones which have enabled operators to spearhead green initiatives - mainly by bringing in products designed and developed by their overseas principles to meet overseas emissions legislation.

In the case of Barloworld Logistics, a different tact was taken in that they used existing equipment as the base from which to effect improvements. The trailer is, in fact, a 2005 Afrit interlink while the Hino truck tractor is a Euro 2 unit that was operational in the fleet with some 360 000kms already on the clock.

According to Francois van Rensburg, Divisional Director, Dedicated Transport Services for Barloworld Logistics, eight in ten businesses who responded to the 2009 supplychainforesight research study indicated that increasing transportation efficiency is seen as a leading initiative to benefit the environment.

“Transport is the biggest area in logistics that affects the environment directly but is one of the easiest components to address strategically. Within the South African context, a CSIR study showed that transport is responsible for approximately 13% of South Africa’s total green house gas emissions. Our thinking, therefore, was that an innovative approach to the problem would be one that tackles the transport issue head on.”

It was long before the research study, however, that the thinking caps for the Green Trailer had already been put on. The survey merely served to confirm that they were moving in the right direction. “Our initial vision was to involve all parties so as to make it a sustainable imperative with benefits for all. If we could link employees, stakeholders and the environment as one, then everybody would win,” says Van Rensburg.

The bottom line is that Barloworld did not want to be one of those companies which waited to see what happened. They wanted to drive their own destiny into a greener future. “We saw from statistics that around 54% of truckers in the USA said they were sitting back and waiting to see what happened. We saw a similar trend in South Africa and we did not want to be part of that,” says Van Rensburg.

With this approach in place, Barloworld then involved a number of partners in a collaborative venture. The primary research was done by the CSIR and the design by Barloworld Logistics. The aerodynamic changes to the rig were built by Afrit who were responsible for structural changes and by Aero Truck, who manufactured all the aerodynamic components.

The paint work was done by MCR Auto Body Works who were also involved - along with Barloworld Logistics and Aero Truck - in implementing design changes in the course of manufacture. It was a real team effort.

The master plan was divided into three phases with concentration in phase one being on tyres, axles and gear ratios. Phase 2 was a concentration on aerodynamics and this is where the computer simulations and workings of the CSIR really came into their own. Phase 3 is still to come. We'll let readers know when it does.

“All changes that we made to the green trailer are within the bounds of current legislation. It was also decided that whatever changes we made would be backed by research data and that these changes would be practical in normal operating conditions. The focus of the project was therefore to provide a sustainable road transportation solution for our clients that is both practical and which complies with legislation,” says Van Rensburg.

Apart from the obvious changes, there are also some hidden improvements such as having the last 1,5 metres of the roof slope downwards towards the back of the trailer.

A scoop has also been fitted at the rear of the trailer to minimise the vacuum created by the wind in that region. Picture a tear-drop and that’s the shape the design team tried to emulate.

Tyres have also played a huge role with energy efficient Michelin 315S fitted to the truck tractor and super singles on the trailers.

Once the designs were done and implemented on the trailer, the rig then entered the test and research phases using the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban. The vehicles on this route do a round trip of 1 160 km on a dedicated route every 24 hours and 98% of the route is on the N3 and N2. This meant that the vehicles maintained a much more constant speed compared to vehicles operating on secondary roads or in urban areas. This also meant that the effects of wind resistance were higher than on any other route.

The end result is that the new design has resulted in a 35% reduction in drag which in turn has resulted in a 6% to 8% reduction in fuel consumption. “We were getting 48 litres/100kms and after the aerodynamic improvements were made, this dropped to 41 litres/100kms,” says Adrian Van Tonder, national technical manager, dedicated transport services, Barloworld Logistics.

Obviously all this came at a cost, estimated by Van Rensburg at being around R150 000 all in. However, as he says, one has to look at the upfront costs in terms of the savings that will be made over the lifetime of the vehicle – and they are substantial. “I reckon it will take between 14 to 15 months for payback just in fuel savings alone,” he says.

Hidden cost benefits

He also points out a safety positive to other road users. “Because of the design of the aerodynamic kit, when it rains the tyres don’t throw up spray to blind the traffic behind you. With this design, cars are safer behind you in the rain,” he says.