our SUSTAINABLE business model IS AIMED AT
CO2-reduction
The QHSSE department (Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environment, ed.) Has a central position in our company. This is where the decisions are made. The majority of the Van Waveren fleet consists of Volvos because of the good relationship with dealer Volvo Group Truck Center and the sustainability of Volvo trucks.
“Our work is often just in time and we do not want to stand still. That’s where the relationship with Volvo is so important. In addition, we preventively replace slightly more parts than you might normally do. But that little bit of extra maintenance pays for itself later.
We do not trade in vehicles. Because of the good maintenance in combination with a young license plate because we drive many kilometers per year, the market always knows where to find us quickly when we replace us. ” says QHSSE manager / safety advisor Marga Henriet Van Waveren.
To ensure that the transport and storage of chemical goods is carried out in a safe, good-quality and environmentally correct manner, CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council) has introduced the SQAS quality standard. Naturally, Van Waveren Transport follows the principles of SQAS. Based on the Quality Management System, we conduct training and additional analyses in the field of safety and environmental risks. This results in even better decisions.
The focus and control on the driving behaviour of the drivers also results in economical driving behaviour and more CO2 reduction. In the meantime, the focus on safety, the environment and climate, through CO2 reduction, for example, has become our business model. Partly based on the SQAS assessment, a lot of training and the experience and attention to corporate social responsibility, quality and safety are fully embedded in our corporate culture and our daily processes.
CO2 reduction is something we focus on, which is why the use of Volvo’s new I-Save engines fits seamlessly into that picture. With the consumption of more than 2 million liters of fuel per year, a new engine that allows us to drive an average of 7 percent more efficiently is good for saving thousands of liters of diesel and therefore tons of CO2. That is why we already have several new I-Save engines from Volvo on the road.
Our drivers already have very good fuel results, and it is not without reason that we have won the Volvo Fuel Concept Challenge or the Shell Fuelsave Partnership for four years in a row. On top of that, over the past two years, a first and a second place Safest Chauffeur in the Netherlands at TVM. And yet, even with us, as a company that has always driven very economically, there is always room for improvement. Additional training from Volvo Trucks helps with this. During such training, a fuel coach drives along who coaches each of the boys on an I-Save truck for three days.
Currently, the average savings measured by I-Save trucks is 5.5 percent compared to the rest. How much fuel a 5.5 percent saving is only really clear when you know that one vehicle drives no less than 264,000 kilometers per year. The truck runs around the clock with a changing crew and is only stationary a few days a year.
The drivers also find the new engines very nice to drive, because of less gear shifting. This is due to the much higher torque in combination with the longer final reduction. Our drivers experience this as calming, which is further enhanced by the low engine speed at cruising speed.