Use of a Long Heavy Vehicle for RFS operations, running on BioFuel, marks ‘an important step towards more sustainable goods transport’
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) and Jan de Rijk Logistics have joined forces to introduce a Long Heavy Vehicle (LHV) into service for road feeder service (RFS) operations, to improve vehicle efficiencies and lower emissions.
The two said the big advantage of using an LHV “is the huge volume of cargo it can carry. An LHV can carry six unit load devices (ULDs) at a time, whereas a normal cargo carrying vehicle can only take four. This means that using an LHV for two trips saves an entire truck trip, therefore substantially reducing CO₂ emissions as well.”
The new LHV will be used exclusively on the route between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Frankfurt am Main, because of the high cargo volumes carried on this route. The LHV will also be running on a type of BioFuel, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), which can reduce CO₂ emissions by as much as 89%.
“At present, the combination of an LHV powered by HVO is unique in transporting air cargo by road and, in the short term, it represents the best viable solution for more sustainable transport,” the companies said.
Fred Westdijk, CEO Jan de Rijk Logistics, commented: “Jan de Rijk Logistics has actively promoted the use of LHVs and HVO in recent years and is pleased to welcome AFKLMP Cargo as a ‘first mover’. Now that the first airline has joined us, we hope that others will follow soon to reduce the impact on our climate.”
