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The morning of the conference was dedicated to operational issues and Simon Barnes, head of environmental strategy at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT), kicked off proceedings with an overview on the environmental impact of commercial vehicles and road haulage in particular. While the global environmental debate is dominated by discussions around CO2 emissions, Barnes, told delegates  that HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons), produced by in-cab air conditioning units and reefers, were more powerful and had larger capacity to damage the environment. That said, HFCs volumes were far smaller than those of CO2 and the emphasis of legislators was unlikely to shift from CO2 in the short-term.

Barnes went on to point out that the northern hemisphere would be most affected by climate change. This section of the Earth has the largest concentration of industry, population, and corresponding transport operations. Climate change "will become more prominent in this part of the world," he warned. Widening the truck-induced CO2 topic, he turned delegates' attention to the "life cycle impact". A vehicle obviously produced most CO2 during its working life, but taking into account the entire life of a truck from cradle to grave, 5% of emissions were produced during the manufacturing process. Commercial vehicle manufacturers were moving to renewable energy methods, but, on the negative  side, many components were transported across continents, which in itself generated CO2 emissions.

Barnes went on to say that a CO2 emission remains in the atmosphere for 100 years, so emissions made now could have a cumulative effect in the future. In the next 50-100 years, the Earth's temperature was likely to increase by 2ºC. Bulky finished goods, and even ready meals, made for inefficient road trunks, while consumer demand for next day deliveries inevitably meant trucks were "not always being properly loaded": precious truck space might be underused.

Making the best use of what you've got

Transport consultant John Parry said many of his customers were "public facing". They liked the green image, but were reluctant to pool their environmentally-friendly hardware with competitors. So business, regrettably, came before reducing CO2 emissions. This was something operators should consider as they developed their business. He took delegates through the process of a green audit. "The central theme of a green audit should be making the best use of what you've got," he said. "Before you make decisions about investing in new technology or systems, we need to take a look at all aspects of the operation to assess the environmental efficiency. The efficient use of people, for instance, is very much a part of the green audit."

Driving practices must also change. It was "absolutely essential" to use trucks correctly. Out must go the petrolhead culture, where LGV engines are revved unnecessarily. "I have been a zealot of fuel management over the last 10 years," he said. Like Barnes, he pointed out that many consumer goods were unnecessarily bulky. Razor blades, for example, often came in oversize packets, to make them difficult to steal from shops, but security measures like these led to environmental inefficiency in the transport operations.

Parry also told delegates that green transport firms need to pay strict attention to finer technical issues. Hauliers' trucks needed to meet the green criteria if their wider environmental goals were to be achieved. "You must have the basic disciplines in place or all your efforts will be wasted," he explained, citing the case of a major high street retailer who was focused on developing a green solution for its logistics activity. "We spent thousands of pounds on new trailer design for better fuel efficiency, which was eventually abandoned. In reality, the installation of a decent air kit on the tractor fleet and rounding the corners of the box trailers would have brought a better and quicker efficiency gain."

Carbon reduction through fleet efficiency

Jonathan James, programme director at Freight Best Practice, the government-backed road transport efficiency initiative, gave one of the best presentations of the day and took delegates through some of the key areas of fleet efficiency. The most important element of fleet efficiency, he said, was the people involved. "Introducing new policy, whatever it might be, is all about managing change," he told delegates. "People-oriented companies can implement change more easily. Keeping employees motivated and their morale high during times of change is essential to drive through any implementation of efficiency."

This sentiment was echoed by all speakers during this session. Craig Sears-Black, director at Isotrak, ventured that people, process and technology were the three key pillars for driving through management efficiency in any business. Sears-Black highlighted how one Isotrak customer reduced mileage by 42% for a major retailer who had been following inefficient route plans. "This saved fuel, emissions and congestion." Lee Beard, representing KeyFuels took delegates through a structured approach to fuel management outlining how adopting best practice purchasing, control and fuel efficiency could give operators a potential saving of up to 15% on their fuel bill. James outlined how Freight Best Practice had worked with Hardstaff Haulage to reduce fuel usage and, through a series of simple tactics, had reduced the fuel bill by £2,600 per vehicle per year preventing 512 tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the environment.

Pall-Ex commercial director Tony Mellor took delegates through the efforts Pall-Ex and pallet networks in general have made to improve environmental efficiency. "The average pallet fill for pallet network vehicles is 73% compared to 51% for conventional haulage, while it is estimated by the Department for Transport that the net effect of pallet networks is to take 837 vehicles off the road every day," he said. Mellor also explained how the use of more fuel efficient double-deck trailers has improved fuel efficiency by up to 12%.

Legislative Pressures

Jack Semple, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, kicked off the final session of the morning, with a lively speech aimed at unravelling some of the legislative issues set to affect the sector. "Where are we going here? is a key question we all need to be aware of in the green debate," Semple explained. "Unchecked this will lead to added complication and complexity for the industry." Trucks emit CO2, but Ray Cattley, Volvo Truck UK's manager for legislation and the environment, reminded delegates that road transport has moved on from the image of the "belching truck exhaust".

"We are part of the (environmental) problem, but we do intend to be part of the solution," he said, showing delegates a pie chart outlining global CO2 emissions. Power stations accounted for 25% of this pollution, with 23% being caused by domestic fuel customers and small consumers. Remarkably, trucks produced just 6% of Earth's CO2s. He stressed that it was important for manufacturers such as Volvo to discuss environmental issues with the politicians. Nick Fairholme, head of the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), explained that this scheme, which covers the Greater London's 600 sq miles, would come into force in February 2008 and gave delegates an overview of what the legislation entailed.

"The objective is to discourage the most individually polluting vehicles from entering London," he said. Significantly, the LEZ has particulates in its sights, not CO2 emissions, he added. Trucks over 12 tonnes, at the very least, would have to meet Euro-3 limits for particulate matter, said Fairholme, although it was important to note this did not mean non-Euro-3 vehicles were not compliant many Euro-2 certified engines have low enough levels of particulate matter emissions to qualify.

Operators who send their vehicles into the LEZ, but don't meet the minimum requirements, must pay £200. Unlike the Congestion Charge, which runs at specific times, the LEZ operates all day, every day and will be enforced by fixed, and mobile cameras. Fairholme added that the scheme was not revenue-led, instead, it was designed to be a constructive tool to lessen the impact of particulates. From July 2008, vehicles in the 3.5-12-tonne category would also fall under the LEZ stipulations, and this would be followed by large vans in October 2010.

Jack Semple, the RHA's director of policy, told delegates there were a number of measures everyone could take to improve efficiency. "Government, you can work to cut congestion, this will have a big impact," he said. "Customers, be reasonable with your expectations and environmental efficiency gains will be met suppliers give more information, and operators must ask themselves are they doing as much as they can to address the environmental concerns?"