Environmental impacts » Case study » Pollution

Greening the fleet

Work continued in 2006 to measure and reduce emissions from Tube Lines’ road fleet of over 1,400 vehicles.

During 2006, DSM introduced 37 alternative fuel vehicles, in addition to the 40 it has already supplied to Transport for London. Progress was also made on building a database to record emissions for the entire fleet.

Following feasibility work carried out in 2006, 60 of our vehicles will be fitted with a new GPS vehicle tracking system in 2007. “This will provide us with accurate productivity data, eliminating unnecessary runs and reducing fuel usage,” explains Peter Forsdick, Distribution Services Manager. “It is a great tool for reducing our environmental impact and it will prevent drivers from making any unnecessary runs, because we will be able to see exactly where they are.”

The company is also gearing up for the new London low emission zone which comes into force in 2008. “As a London operator, we have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment,” says Peter. “These new regulations will introduce heavy penalties for any heavy commercial vehicles used within the M25 area that do not conform to current EU standards and some vehicles will need to be treated or replaced. Some driver training will be needed, too. One of our business objectives for 2007 will be to tackle the efficiency of our commercial fleet.”