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Nowadays, the spectre of carbon emissions is rarely far from any logistics-related discourse, and indeed it is imperative to cut them down, both for the industry and the planet as a whole. As part of the ongoing effort to adopt greener technologies, the Transport Minister has announced that a new accreditation scheme, aimed at giving an impartial breakdown of the efficacy of various low-carbon technologies. Why Do We Need the Scheme? In recent years, a good many technologies, all purporting to lower carbon emissions, have sprung up. This has left fleet managers and owner-operators with a not-insignificant problem: simply put, do they work? Vendors and developers will always tout their wares with “best of all possible worlds” figures, but for a fleet manager on a tight budget, sometimes what’s needed is a breakdown of just how effective various technologies are so that the best ones can be chosen for their particular situation and budget. That’s what the new carbon emissions accreditation scheme aims to accomplish. The hope is that the scheme will prove to be a valuable source of third-party, impartial, properly tested information on the various technologies that can be retrofitted to existing vehicles. As an external unbiased review, the figures given by the new Low-Carbon Accreditation Scheme should be reliable and real-world tested, meaning that a fleet manager can use them to make informed decisions without having to crack the code of layers of advertising. As the scheme gains momentum, fleet managers can expect to have access to the figures they need to make the most cost-effective choices for their fleet, taking into account their particular needs and budget. This is made possible by the co-operation of the scheme’s various partners in order to ensure that the relevant technologies are covered. Who’s Involved? The logistics industry is huge, meaning that any meaningful scheme would require the collaborating with a large number of partners. Fortunately, LowCVP has done just that, enlisting the support of not only the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles and the Department for Transport but also wide-ranging names within the automotive and logistics industries in the fight against carbon emissions. Contributors to the scheme include, but are not limited to: Michelin, Horiba Mira, Transport for London, Transport KTN, Michelin and Mercedes Truck. With this pedigree, LowCVP’s members are in a unique position to offer comprehensive, well-supported figures based on rigorous testing protocols. It’s hard to say exactly how quickly this scheme will encompass a sufficient number of technologies to be useful across the industry, but with the co-operation of so many partners, it shouldn’t be long. If it works as anticipated, the Low Carbon Accreditation Scheme will be a vital tool in the fleet manager’s arsenal. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange is the leading service for matching haulage jobs with available vehicles. They also provide expert articles on issues facing the freight industry like carbon emissions and many others. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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