Euro VI truck delivered

Norbert Dentressangle has taken delivery of a road tractor that meets the Euro VI standards, two years before the new standards come into force.

The new Mercedes-Benz truck has a Blue Tec 6 engine, which reduces particle emissions by 50% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 77%. Always at the forefront of the race to minimise the environmental impact caused by trucks, Norbert Dentressangle has become the first transport company to test a EURO VI vehicle.

On Tuesday 7 February, Hervé Montjotin, MD and Head of Norbert Dentressangle's Transport Division, was joined at the company's Sérézin du Rhône site in South Eastern France by Martial Valente, Purchasing Director for the Transport Division, to receive the keys to the new Mercedes-Benz truck.

The Euro VI standards will be compulsory for all new heavy goods vehicles from 1 January 2014. With 90% of its fleet already meeting the Euro IV and Euro V standards, Norbert Dentressangle has consolidated its lead by purchasing its first Euro VI vehicle.

Spotlight on the Euro VI standards
The Euro VI standards mark a new level in minimising pollution levels, in comparison to the current Euro V standards.

The challenge posed by these new standards includes reducing pollutant emissions (66% less particle and 77% less nitrogen emissions). The new version of the BlueTec 6 engine, designed specifically for Norbert Dentressangle by truck manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, will fulfil these European requirements and therefore meet the anti-pollution Euro VI standards, which will apply from 1 January 2014 for new vehicles.

The Euro VI trial further reinforces Norbert Dentressangle's commitment to reducing the impact of its transport activities on the environment. This commitment dates back to 2005, when the company signed a partnership agreement with the French Environment & Energy Management Agency (ADEME), which aimed to “identify all efficient resources, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by its transport and logistics activities, which will also reduce its dependence on crude oil”.

Due to its policy of regularly updating its vehicles, Norbert Dentressangle already owns Europe's cleanest fleet, with 90% of its trucks meeting Euro IV and V standards. The company also currently operates three diesel-electric hybrid vehicles - two 19-tonne Renault trucks and one 12-tonne Mercedes truck.

Norbert Dentressangle also continues to invest in technical and operational solutions which optimise vehicle capacity and utilisation, e.g., double-deck trailers, composite tankers and aluminium semi trailers, and works closely with customers to measure the carbon footprints of their transport operations, using its Bureau Veritas certified CO2 emissions calculator.

In order to further reduce the impact of its activities on the environment, the company is committed to the training of its drivers in the latest safe and efficient driving techniques.