Moy Park cooking on gas with largest single order of IVECO natural gas trucks in the UK

Monday 6th September 2021

Food supply is critical to a functioning society, but there are a lot of mouths to feed and therefore a lot of ground to cover. As concerns grow over the vehicular impact on the environment, food supply giants, Moy Park, has turned to Bio-LNG-fuelled IVECO trucks to help greenify its logistics operation.

Supplied by South West Truck & Van in Avonmouth are 50 IVECO AS440S46TX/P LNG Stralis NP 460 tractors, destined to run out of the company’s Sleaford and Ashbourne facilities. These are to run on 100% Bio-LNG sourced through anaerobic digestion, with Roadgas commissioning an on-site refuelling station and providing an extensive training course to those involved in its operation.

The creation of gas fuels through anaerobic digestion means that Moy Park can take advantage of ultimate emissions reductions, negating waste output by collecting the gases given off for vehicle fuel while solids can be used as fertiliser for farms, locking carbon into earth and away from the atmosphere. – This is known as the ‘circular economy’, a methodology IVECO believes will open the door to negative greenhouse gases in vehicular transport. Moy Park has maintained a zero waste to landfill policy since 2015.

The new biogas trucks, run via a 5-year IVECO Capital ops lease are expected to cover around 160,000kms a year each, which Moy Park estimates will offset around an impressive 5,600 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Running day and night to maximise efficiency, all vehicles will return to base for refuelling and have been specified with a tank capacity giving a range of around 400 miles.

While natural gas can deliver an uplift in fuel efficiency over its diesel counterpart, it also reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 95% when operating on biomethane fuels. IVECO natural gas trucks are also capable of running at just 71dB, circumventing noise pollution restrictions to make an ideal partner for the urban leg of any mission or night-time deliveries. The Natural Power Stralis will operate on a mixture of routes, delivering food products to regional delivery hubs and directly into a variety of supermarkets.

“Moy Park’s in-house trials have demonstrated that vehicles running on biomethane reduced CO2 emissions by more than 80%. Following these extensive trials of alternative fuels and vehicle providers, we are investing in 50 liquefied natural gas (LNG) HGV trucks from IVECO”, commented Hugh Nicholson, Moy Park’s Director of Logistics.

“This is a huge step forward in transitioning our own entire core fleet of 120 tractor units to gas by 2023, and we also plan to work with our third-party logistics partners in their CO2 reduction programmes as part of our overall Net Zero Carbon strategy.

“So much transport is on the roads by necessity, therefore road haulage is a key opportunity for us to reduce carbon emissions. Our transport team have been driving carbon reduction initiatives for a number of years, for example through increasing use of hi-capacity trailers. This delivery of LNG tractor units is a further step towards Net Zero of our logistics operations. Caring for the environment is embedded in our ethos and the logistics strategy feeds into our wider business sustainability commitments.”

Pioneering by nature, IVECO’s ability to offer a factory-built 6x2 tractor powered solely by natural gas is unique in the marketplace. Running this configuration allows Moy Park enables maximisation on payload capacity where required.

Keeping the wheels turning via the well-received automated 12-speed HI-TRONIX gearbox is the 12.9-litre Natural Power CURSOR 13. Producing a strong, diesel-equivalent 460hp and 2,000Nm of torque across a wide power band, it ensures the perfect blend of robust but ecologically responsible performance.

IVECO HI-CRUISE predictive drive works in tandem with the gearbox and Adaptive Cruise Control to ensure that the truck is always running in the best gear for the terrain. A standard-fit ZF hydraulic retarder offers exceptional particulate-free braking force, reducing the need to rely on the service brakes and extending their operational efficiency.

As part of the contract, the trucks include a full IVECO ON 3XL R&M package, ensuring complete peace of mind for Moy Park’s fleet team. Covering everything bar tyres, authorised IVECO workshops will take care of the busy vehicles, with the connection to the IVECO Control Room facilitating advance warning of maintenance requirements and tailored service plans. IVECO’s natural gas-fuelled CURSOR 13, available in the new natural gas IVECO S-WAY also offers industry-leading oil change intervals of up to 90,00kms.

Commenting on the delivery, IVECO’s Heavy Business-line Director, Gareth Lumsdaine said, “Over the past decade, Moy Park has worked exceptionally hard to make impressive progress in the decarbonisation of its business. We’re honoured that IVECOs experience in sustainable transport solutions has been recognised in that our vehicles have been chosen to assist in the bid to meet some ambitious net-zero targets.”