Double-deck trailers to boost efficiency in Hermes UK network
British courier delivery network Hermes UK is making more use of double-decker trailers to improve the efficiency in its trunking operation. The Leeds-based company has taken delivery of eight of the trailers, supplied by Stoke-on-Trent firm DON-BUR.
It is expecting the trailers to achieve a GBP 400,000 saving each year, while reducing carbon emissions by as much as 2%.
On key routes between customer locations and the company’s nationwide depot network, Hermes said the double-decker trailers should cut miles travelled by 684,000 miles each year, saving more than 300,000 litres of fuel and 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the process.
The trailers will operate from a customer site in Wath-on-Dearne in South Yorkshire, with each one offering a capacity of around 6,000 parcels, double that of a traditional trailer, allowing a single tractor-trailer unit to be sent to half of Hermes’ depots each day instead of two vehicles.
Hermes told Post&Parcel that the company had previously tried double-decker trailers on a hire basis, and has decided to invest in its own fleet because it found them so much more efficient.
Carole Woodhead, the Hermes UK CEO, said: “We are looking at specific areas of our business where we can achieve high levels of financial efficiency, operational productivity and environmental responsibility. This investment into the double-deck trailers is expected to provide considerable benefits and we will look to see if there are further opportunities for similar projects elsewhere in the trunking network.”
