How to reduce your carbon footprint for sustainable transport

There is an increasing need for every business to be more conscious of their carbon footprint. Across all sectors, but especially those where fuel consumption is high, a review of existing processes and systems is underway to identify opportunities to minimise the impact being made on the natural world. More sustainable transport has a big role to play in enabling countries like the UK to meet climate targets and create a brighter future for generations to come. This requires commitment from every business to make more sustainable choices when it comes to transport and taking steps to reduce carbon footprint.

How can the UK haulage industry do better?

It is estimated that around a third of HGVs are running empty on our roads. This might seem implausible, given the necessity of the industry in regard to keeping the economy going. However, this scenario arises so frequently because these vehicles are on their way home. While an HGV might be full on its way to making a delivery, on the return leg of the journey there is nothing in the trailer and this is effectively an empty trip. Not only does this mean an increase in carbon footprint for no reward, but it also wastes time, money and fuel.

Reducing carbon footprint and improving efficiency

For many haulage companies today there is an increasing pressure to minimise costs, as the expenses of running this type of business seem to increase by the day. Trucks travelling empty on the return leg of a trip effectively mean that 50% of this time on the road is fruitless and expensive.

The solution? Ensure that the vehicle is full on a round trip basis – making use of this spare vehicle capacity could help to cut millions of miles of journeys by empty vehicles, resulting in cost benefits for haulage companies and a reduction in carbon footprint, too.

Why using a haulage exchange really works

If you are making more of a commitment to reduce your business’ carbon footprint and improve sustainable transport, a haulage exchange platform may have a big role to play. This system allows for networking, so that couriers and haulage companies can fill vehicles both ways. As a result, there is the potential to significantly reduce the number of empty journeys HGVs are making – by 100s of millions of empty miles. This type of innovative approach could make a real difference, cutting carbon emissions by around 8% as a result, as well as optimising the investment made in each journey in terms of fuel and driver cost.

For any business looking to make a commitment to sustainability today there's going to be a necessary readjustment of existing practices and operations – but this doesn’t have to be a seismic shift. For those in the HGV and courier industry, haulage exchange platforms offer a simple way to start making positive change by finding more back loads. Not only will this enable a more cost effective approach but also provide an opportunity to positively impact your carbon footprint too.