Transport Management (3) How can I improve my carbon footprint?

A study by BVL on current logistics trends shows: Sustainability is one of the top 10 topics in logistics. For years, society’s demand for green transport solutions has been rising – and with it the pressure on shippers to deliver their goods in the most eco-friendly way possible. We show how shippers can get an overview of their CO₂ emissions with our Transport Management Service – and how they can reduce them together with us.

Sustainability reporting

Transparency is the key to a sustainable Transport Management. If you don’t have visibility into the CO₂ emissions of your transport logistics, you can’t set reduction targets or offset the emissions generated. Reliable information about the carbon footprint of your transports therefore enables you as a shipper to develop a sound sustainability strategy. 

To support you, we have developed our sustainability reporting. To calculate your CO₂ emissions, we draw on telematics data from our real-time transport tracking. In combination with technical information on trucks and freight, such as weight of the load, truck type, Euro standard and diesel emission factor, we create a reporting with important sustainability-related key figures, such as:

• Total CO₂ emissions
• CO₂ emissions on transport basis
• CO₂ emissions on lane basis
• CO₂ emissions per carrier/transport service provider

In doing so, we follow the international guidelines of the GLEC (Global Logistics Emissions Council). This ensures a uniform standard and high quality of our reporting, which serves as a basis for our logistics experts for developing measures to improve your carbon footprint together with you.

Intermodal transports

One way to reduce your carbon footprint is to shift volumes to rail. A forecast by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure shows how promising rail is as a future transport mode: according to this forecast, the volume of freight traffic in combined transport will increase by 79 % from 2010 to 2030.  

With our Transport Management Service, we advise you on intermodal transport as an alternative to classic road transport. Thereby, we identify the right lanes with you, find the right transport partner and support you in reporting on your CO₂ emissions. 

Intermodal transport is an interesting alternative especially in the following cases:

• Heavy load
• Long transport distances
• Delivery of non time-critical goods

If all three factors are combined, intermodal transport makes sense not only from an ecological but also from an economic point of view. The transport from shipper to transshipment point or from there to the recipient is less significant and the price per ton kilometer decreases.

Automatic matching algorithm

Since logistics is often characterized by time-critical transports where trucks are at an advantage, our Transport Management Service aims to improve the carbon footprint of classic truck transports parallel to intermodal solutions.

Automation plays a central role here: With the help of an intelligent matching algorithm that evaluates internal and external transport data, our logistics experts optimize the allocation of your shipments:

Ideal utilization of transport capacities

Our matching algorithm improves the utilization of trucks. Where possible, we group partial loads to one shipment. In addition, we offer carriers return loads on their preferred lanes to avoid empty runs.

Short distances between unloading and new loading point

When dispatching your shipments, we also take into account the distance between the unloading and the new loading point. Thereby we reduce long journeys and thus empty runs. This in turn results in a reduction of CO₂ emissions.

Considering the eco-friendliness of the fleet

Via the InstaFreight platform, we collect technical data on the type and equipment of our transport partners’ trucks. This enables us to evaluate the eco-friendliness of the fleet and take it into account when allocating your orders. 

Alternative fuels

In addition to the efficient dispatching of classic diesel trucks, our Transport Management Service offers you another option to reduce CO₂ emissions in road transport: The use of alternative fuels. Our logistics experts advise you on the choice of suitable carriers that use environmentally friendly drive technologies. In doing so, we rely on strong partners such as the energy company Shell, which is investing heavily in LNG. With access to Shell’s LNG carrier network, we already give you the opportunity to transport your cargo diesel-free and thus improve your ecological footprint. 

In addition to LNG, we are of course also on the lookout for other eco-friendly drive options such as:

• Electric
• Hydrogen
• Gas (CNG, LPG)

As soon as the infrastructure permits, we will initially test these options with low volumes on selected lanes and then scale them up. Our goal is to gradually build a comprehensive, sustainable network of transport partners.

Would you like to learn how our Transport Management Service solves your individual challenges? Book a no-obligation conversation with our logistics expert Anna Formella – with just one click!