The Hansen’s Group of Companies has been committed to green transportation and car shipping for many years. We employ a large amount of tactics to our fleet to help reduce CO2 emissions and do our part for the environment. Car Shipping comes with the responsibility of utilizing fossil fuels as the primary source of energy for our business. We are dedicated to decreasing our carbon footprint through the use of green tactics.
Medium and heavy-duty trucks play an important role in the North American economy. Trucking generates employment; influences land use and real estate prices; and impacts commercial activities. According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (2012), trucking is a $65 billion industry. It employs more than 260,000 drivers and nearly 400,000 Canadians overall. Concerns resulting from operation of the trucking industry include a deterioration of air quality and an unquenchable thirst for oil. So here’s how we’re helping to implement our green practices.
Speed Limiters Reduce Fuel Consumption
A speed limiter, sometimes called a governor, is a built-in microchip that allows a car shipping truck engine’s top speed to be preset. All of Hansen’s trucks are set at 105 km/h in Ontario and Quebec. Trucks in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are set at 107. These settings provide a major environmental benefit conserving fuel and helping us track fuel consumption for each shipment of vehicles allowing us to better manage our fleet.
Idle Times Decrease CO2 Exhaust
Hansen’s has a strict idle policy that encompasses initial warm up times that are not to exceed 10 minutes, as per manufactures guidelines. As well, we have in place a policy that the engine must be turned off after 5 minutes when we are loading or unloading cars and vehicles or any stops that exceed this time period. At the end of a shift our trucks will idle no longer than a minute to satisfy the necessary cool down requirements.
In-Cab Heaters and Engine Heaters Decrease Power Usage
Excessive idling is eliminated when drivers are sleeping with in-cab heaters which draw low amounts of power, significantly reducing fuel consumption. Reduced idling lowers maintenance costs and ensures safe, reliable engine starts. It also helps drivers comply with anti-idling regulations set by different provincial authorities.
Tires and Tire Pressure Increase Fuel Efficiency
Correct pressure in a truck tire is important and is a safety requirement by most major trucking companies. The required tire pressure in a truck tire varies by model and can vary by the speed at which a specific truck will travel, the type and weight of load that it carries, and the conditions in which it will travel. Hansen’s has set its tire pressure at 110kpa to maximize our fuel mileage, reduce tire wear, reduce costs and improve safety for the driver. Our drivers ensure the pressure is set to 110kpa by monitoring the pressure during a pre and post trip inspection.
Servicing Equipment Keeps Engines Healthy
The average age of the Hansen’s Fleet is 3.5 years. We regularly service our fleet to maintain the reliability of our equipment and the efficiency of our engines. Our driver-monitoring program ensures that smaller trucks are serviced at 15,000 km intervals, and bigger units are serviced at 30,000 km intervals. Regular engine tune-ups are performed to ensure maximum performance as well as cleaner fluids and filters, which result in cleaner exhaust.
Purchasing New Equipment Eliminates Old Polluting Technology
Hansen’s has invested in greener post “07” engines with particulate exhaust traps. While these engines are more expensive to service they allow us to use low sulphur fuel that will enable the advanced pollution controls to remove more than 90% of the fine particles. Low sulphur fuel also allows the advanced technologies to eliminate more than 90% of smog forming nitrogen oxide in truck exhaust.
Environmentally Friendly Fluids Decrease Environmental Footprint
We have switched the lubricating oils used on equipment posts and sliders on our trucks from a petroleum based oil to environmentally friendly Canola oil. We are currently investigating which hydraulic fluids will best suit our needs as these types of fluids are considered even more environmentally friendly.
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