Cullompton, UK: Gregory Distribution is expanding its bio-liquified natural gas fleet used for hauling bulk milk.
It has added 12 new Volvo FM Globetrotter LNG 6×2 tractors for its Cullompton base – each expected to do 200,000km a year for the next five years.
The FM LNGs are joined by a further three new FH LNGs for its Avonmouth depot, increasing the number of gas-powered Volvos in the fleet to 35 – with plans to transition at least 5% of the fleet from diesel to cleaner fuels every year.
The new FMs have a payload advantage of nearly 700kg over the FH.
Andrew Chapple, director of fleet, Gregory Distribution, says: “We put our first LNG trucks on the road 18 months ago and the reduction in carbon emissions have been clear to see. There is a growing expectation from our customers to help them in their own sustainability drive, and these Volvos are the perfect solution.
“For long-distance haulage, bio-LNG is the most sustainable option on the market today and our drivers have welcomed the transition. Compared with diesel, these trucks offer the same driveability, reliability and service intervals; plus, they are around 50% quieter too – which brings additional benefits from both a driver and delivery perspective.”
Gregory Distribution’s FMs meet Transport for London’s three-star Direct Vision Standard rating so can enter Greater London from 2024.
Power is provided by Volvo’s G13C engine which delivers the same 460hp and 2,300Nm of torque as a standard 460hp diesel.
The trucks are fuelled from a skid-mounted bio-LNG refuelling point at the Cullompton base, with the vehicle’s range sufficient to tackle a return journey to the home counties. Plans are already in place with Gasrec to install a much larger four-bay station in Cullompton, as Gregory Distribution’s biomethane-powered truck fleet grows.
