Møre Trafo makes transport more environmentally friendly

— Much of our cargo comes by sea to Ålesund and by rail from Southern Europe. For our cargo to Sweden, we now use Veøy Møre’s new truck, which runs on an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional diesel and earlier generations of biofuel, says Ole Jakob Tronstad, Head of Procurement & Logistics at Møre Trafo.

Veøy is one of the country’s largest privately owned transport companies, with close to 450 units and 700 employees, and like Møre Trafo it has a clear environmental profile and a strong green focus.

Plastic, branches and slaughter waste

— The environmentally friendly alternative is called HVO 100 and stands for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil. HVO 100 is a fully renewable synthetic biodiesel produced from residual waste from plastic, branches, vegetable oil and animal fat from slaughter waste. It is 100 percent fossil-free and recycled, explains Morten Hermansen, vehicle and technical manager at Veøy.

Burns Cleaner

HVO 100 burns cleaner than regular diesel and therefore produces less smell and soot from the exhaust. This environmentally friendly fuel has a higher cetane number than regular diesel, which gives easier ignition and can improve engine response. The fuel also improves cold-start performance and makes a cold engine run more smoothly.

Tests every driver

— We have also started systematic work to raise drivers’ awareness around idling, speed, and driving style. Each driver gets feedback on their own environmental contribution through an app with a “traffic light” where the goal is for everyone to be in the green. Veøy also provides training on every single vehicle together with representatives from the vehicle supplier and the driver, says Morten Hermansen.

Tailored Customer Solutions

Most of the planning of which vehicle Veøy uses for customers happens in dialogue with the customers and their requirements, so you can tailor solutions together. Veøy Møre already runs gas-powered trucks that cut the CO2 footprint by almost 20 percent, uses HVO diesel on fixed routes, and electric trucks on geographically feasible routes, even though charging the equipment out in the districts can be a challenge.

Close Cooperation

— Møre Trafo works closely with our carriers who move our goods from Sykkylven out to our customers. Here we focus as far as possible on optimizing our transport by sending fully loaded trucks from us, to avoid empty runs, says Tronstad.

Major Challenges

Møre Trafo constantly works to find the best solutions for the most sustainable and environmentally friendly freight transport possible, but according to Tronstad it is a challenge that there are currently no good enough options with electric trucks and charging. Gas-powered trucks also face fuel challenges on long stretches.