News

Up to 800 trucks could be removed from the UK's roads this year following a groundbreaking agreement between 37 of the country's largest food and drink companies to share transport.

The scheme, involving Tesco, Asda, Coca Cola, Nestlé and Coors, has been brokered by the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) and follows a trial last year that reduced road mileage by 16 million miles. The new scheme is forecast to save 48 million road  miles and 23 million litres of diesel this year.

The scheme is based on a series of two- or three-party agreements. In last year's pilot, for example, Nestlé and United Biscuits teamed up to ship products between their factories in the north of England and their distribution centres in the Midlands, significantly reducing the number of empty return journeys.

"It's a series of discrete activities, which represents an opportunity for small and large hauliers alike," says Paul Griffin, senior press officer at the IGD. "What's different now is that so many companies have signed up to this sustainable distribution initiative and committed to take miles off the road - it's not a one-size-fits-all strategy and retailers and suppliers will need to work with their logistics partners to make the improvements."

According to Nestlé, the response from its haulage contractors, which account for 85% of its transport arrangements, has been positive. "Our hauliers are very supportive  of our work to reduce our environmental impact," says Chris Tyas, Nestlé supply chain director.

"We have developed a very strong relationship with them so that we mutually understand how best to use our joint resource to best effect. The leg that United Biscuits took over was one that we had identified as being inefficient for both our own fleet and our hauliers. Our hauliers also recognise that, as we have picked up more work either internally from other parts of Nestlé, or on supplier backhauls, they have benefited from having a bigger pot of work, that can be planned more efficiently."

More can still be done, however. "Utopia would be an industry that knew where all its empty legs were in real time and could fill them," says Tyas.