Industry Insight

This has led to the industry (including me!) settling into a very comfortable way of operating and financing, clear in the knowledge we had a reasonable, if not exact, understanding of the total cost of ownership business model.

Obviously with society’s desire to cut carbon emissions in a bid to prevent the disastrous effects of global warming on the planet, the road transport sector is rightly in the ‘crosshairs’. Indeed, the domestic transport sector remains the largest emitting sector in the UK, accounting for 29.1% of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and, of that, HGVs are responsible for around 18% of the total transport emissions.

So how do we combat the growth in HGV carbon emissions? Well, in the first instance we can look at efficiency savings in areas such as telematics and route planning as well as looking at the various pallet sharing networks.

As far as the EU was concerned it also meant targeting the European truck manufacturers with one of the world’s most ambitious CO2 regulations. Initially it was set at saving 15% of CO2 by 2025 and 30% by 2030. This was recently ‘stretched’ to a very demanding 45% by 2030, with even more stringent targets in 2035 and 2040 to 65% and 90% respectively.

I suggest this single EU policy has been the catalyst for our current situation and the watershed moment for the whole industry. Interestingly, originally the targets were applicable to 16 tonne GVW and above. The unintended consequences of this have meant the truck manufacturers concentrated on the ‘top end of the market’ for their zero emission products, which I don’t believe was the correct move.

Heavy trucks spend most of their working life on motorways and dual carriageways, whereas 7.5 tonne to 16 tonne rigids are mainly distribution vehicles running in cities and towns around the UK where CO2 and particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions really are an issue. Indeed, the EU belatedly recognised this and eventually included 7.5 tonne trucks and above. I do understand the counter argument that the tractor units cover higher mileages compared to distribution trucks.

All the above has meant that we have an artificial approach to the decarbonisation of the road transport industry, mainly driven by supply side regulation and legislation which does not take into account the needs, desires or financial approach of the demand side – the truck operators.

As most people in the industry are aware, I am a keen supporter of the electrification of road transport, not an evangelist on the subject, which unfortunately cannot be said for some people in this arena. Having run over 400 trucks for a living and worked for three truck manufacturers, my approach is very pragmatic in that I always tend to remember that this is about the decarbonisation of the road transport industry and not a ‘let’s go zero emission as fast as possible’ race. That would not be good for anyone. I know that sounds counterproductive to some messaging we hear but, to me, it’s a sensible approach.

What do I mean by that? First of all, if we go headlong straight into zero emission the European manufacturers do not have the immediate capacity to handle such a move, our local and national grid infrastructure would not cope and the financial constraints on a low margin industry such as ours would see the death of many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Let that sink in … what we do need is a planned road map to be drawn up by truck operators which they can visualise and execute in a methodical manner even if it may deviate slightly as time progresses. It may be worth giving an example in this case.

If we take an operator who runs 50 trucks in the 26 tonne and below sector, they have approximately 10 years before all the new trucks they acquire must be zero emission from 2035. So, while there is little reason to switch all their trucks to either electric or hydrogen fuel cell immediately, now is the time to start planning for this.

We have at our disposal a great mix of solutions available already including HVO, biodiesels, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid natural gas (LNG) to name but a few, which will all help reduce carbon emissions. We also have three further potential solutions which are recent additions which don’t appear to get as much ‘airtime’ such as eFuels, Euro 7 and hydrogen as a gas. All of the above can help reduce emissions whilst acting as a delaying tactic as operators prepare for the switch to zero emissions.

A caveat here, some are more practical solutions than others! Our 50-truck operator may look at using HVO or biodiesels in the first instance or perhaps CNG, which can help reduce their carbon emissions by up to 75-85% without too much interruption to their traditional routing and scheduling routine. This buys time to organise to plan for a zero emission road map.

Next, maybe an operator would look at their grid capacity needs, not just for the present time but also fast-forwarding to a situation where the whole fleet was electric by 2040, and start discussions with the Distribution Network Operator (DNO), or Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) about the time and investment level needed. My recommendation is to build for the end need in capacity, not the immediate requirement, and just call down the capacity as required, because the major cost is in the civils and connection, not the size of the cable.

So, if our operator is looking at buying a couple of electric trucks, they should take into consideration the fact that up to 26 tonne GVWs are mainly distribution trucks, so perhaps a portable 40kW DC charger which connects into any three phase 63-amp supply could be adequate. Indeed, you could also rent these, so no capital cost is needed. It’s a low-cost way to figuring out how an electric truck may fit into the fleet.

After this the operator may then buy four or five over the next five years, and then, as we go through the next decade, buy four or five a year until 2040 when the whole fleet would be zero emission. I refer to 2040 as opposed to 2035 because there will still be plenty of low emission diesel trucks around within fleets after 2035.

In my role as a decarbonisation consultant for Logistics UK, I try and keep things simple and use the four Cs as a basic discussion template in the first instance. These are:

• Connection
• Civils
• Chargers
• Commercial Vehicles

We are at a watershed moment in the industry, and everything is in play for me, so I would just like to address the opposite end of the spectrum - the maximum weight tractor and trailer combinations. We have battery packaging issues on an electric 6x2 tractor semi-trailer combination so we get 44 tonnes due to the existing axle plated weights and dimensions. So why don't we 'look outside the box' and consider drawbars? 

They have no battery packaging issues with often over a 5/6 metre wheelbase on the prime mover, lots of space - plus there are already 44 tonne GTW/GCW electric trucks available. I know there are compromises but do they outweigh the benefits? If you match this to a demountable system, it increases their flexibility and allows for dropping off a trailer(s) and taking the prime mover to be charged whilst the goods are emptied from the trailer. I think it’s worth a discussion.

Finally, no matter where you are in your decarbonisation journey, my advice is to start early, get a road map in place as soon as possible and initiate a steering group from the key stakeholders within the company, balancing low emission with zero emission solutions.

Tim Campbell – full biography

Tim is one of the leading consultants in helping fleets transition from diesel to electric/hydrogen fuel cell and has over 35 years’ experience of working in the commercial vehicle industry.

He started work as a research and development engineer for a UK truck manufacturer, quickly moving into fleet sales for Mercedes-Benz Trucks and then National Fleet Manager for Leyland DAF.

Later on he ran 400 vans and trucks as contract hire and rental director for a subsidiary of Societe Generale. He decided to set up his own company, which became Europe’s leading commercial vehicle only research company, working around the world on various commercial vehicle projects, and now concentrates on consultancy, managing the transition from diesel to electric/hydrogen fuel cell for key players in the sector.

He was recently the senior commercial vehicle consultant for the UK National Grid, Ventures Division, looking at the strategic implications of the UK’s route to zero emissions in the van and truck sector up to 2040.

Tim holds the Galileo Master Certificate in Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage from the European Energy Centre, is a council member of Zemo, contributed to the government’s Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce Report and consulted on the government consultation document on the route to zero for heavy trucks, which set out the path to zero emissions for trucks up to and including class 8 by 2035.

Published On: 14/04/2025 10:31:00