Cleaner profit with liquid biogas trucks
1 APRIL 2020
Over the last two years Dutch hauling company Van Dijk invested in ten Scania G 410 liquid gas trucks. The aim is to abandon all fossil fuels in the entire fleet and safeguard a sustainable future business.
Sponsored by the EU and in cooperation with Scania Benelux and bio-fuel supplier Rolande, the company started out with two trucks in a field trial for liquid biogas.
“It is my vision to be completely without CO2 emissions,“ says the company director John van Dijk. ”But it also meant that I had to change the entire configuration of my trucks, including my towed equipment.”
Powerful enough
At first Van Dijk was a bit sceptical towards the 410 hp since that seemed too bleak for the 50 ton brick loads, often towed by the company. But pursuing his target he challenged Scania’s modular thinking, and together they constructed a powerful enough configuration.
The result was a 4 x 2 tractor, that could carry 20 tons. His former three axle tractor would not leave enough frame space to fit the cylindric liquid gas tanks. Add a specially designed trailer for the remaining 30 tons and you get all-in-all five air sprung axles. The different spread of axles also called for X-steering, where front and rear axles rotate against each other, to make the semi-trailer follow smoothly. The chassis is crowned with an extended G-series day cab, compact enough to fit, and yet with space for an bed.
Cleaner profit
Converting almost his entire fleet from diesel to gas trucks, Van Dijk is a frontrunner in the transition to a more sustainable transport system. The company´s new haulage concept makes money in a more environmentally friendly way by being low on both fuel consumption and tire wear.
“I have to say that I get satisfaction out of this. We have ambitious ecological goals and they are getting closer,” Mr Van Dijk concludes.
