What's long, green and is powered by used cooking oil and tallow? Why John Miller Transport's new Mercedes Actros artic which, the company claims, "...is the only tractor unit in the UK-powered entirely by recycled waste." Well that's what Biglorryblog calls a challenge...can anyone else match that?
Meanwhile, I understand that the Euro-5 truck burns bio-diesel manufactured by Argent Energy from waste products, including used cooking oil and tallow (animal fat residue from the meat industry). Eeeeeyewoooo!
Moreover, it also works on Cumbria-based John Miller's contract with Argent, hauling road tanks of raw material and refined fuel into and out of its customer's production plant in
But first John Miller tells me: "The media has been full of claims and counter-claims about the environmental benefits of bio-fuel production. A lot of the controversy is about using crops to produce fuel, while food prices are rising across the world. But that's not an issue in this case, because the fuel which powers our new Actros is produced entirely from waste, which is a very important distinction."
Argent Energy manufactures its bio-diesel from raw material sourced across a network of collection points. It is picked up by Miller's Actros tanker and delivered to Motherwell to be transformed into fuel, before being transported, by Miller, to distribution sites at Grangemouth and North Shields.
Mr Miller spoke to several truck manufacturers, about whether they could help us with the conversion work needed and - crucially - whether they would continue to provide the necessary aftercare. Only Mercedes-Benz gave us an unequivocal 'yes' as Miller explains.
"Sales Executive Mike Ferguson at Carlisle Mercedes-Benz dealer Ciceley Commercials was very helpful in liaising with the factory. The Actros did require some adaptations, including a larger oil sump and a separate bio-diesel tank, which were all carried out at Ciceley's workshop in
The truck's split fuel tank has a large bio-diesel chamber and a smaller one for standard mineral fuel which is used for the first and last few minutes of every journey, as in some conditions bio-diesel can be unsuitable for use in a cold engine. There is a simple switch on the dashboard, which the driver flicks shortly after setting off or before reaching home, to change over from one fuel to the other.
This first Actros is soon to be joined by three identical units, which will work on the same contract. And that item about what was in the bottom right-hand of the picture?
It's either an empty drum of bio-diesel....or just an empty oil-drum. I can sympathise with the snapper. It's only when you look at the pictures days later that you realise what was in the background!
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