Much has hampered the introduction of Euro 5 trucks into the Southern African trucking industry over the last decade, from the almost-stagnant regional Euro 2 legislation to the scarcity of 10ppm diesel and AdBlue on long-haul routes. Despite these obstacles, several forward-thinking transport operators are surmounting these challenges and successfully greening their fleets, the latest being Crossroads Distribution Namibia with the purchase of seven Euro 5 Scania G450 6×4 truck-tractors.
Crossroads Namibia, a majority-owned subsidiary of Crossroads Distribution, purchased the new Euro 5 Scania trucks for almost R20-million. The trucks will be used primarily to transport fuel for Total Energy throughout Namibia.
According to Johan Van Zyl, Crossroads Namibia depot manager: “The switch to new Euro 5 trucks from Scania forms part of our carbon emission reduction process in Namibia.”
He adds that Crossroads and Total have a longstanding relationship: “Crossroads has been working with Total in Namibia for more than 20 years and in 2019, we invested R55-million in tamper-proof tankers to transport Total fuel.”
The procurement of the Euro 5 Scania trucks ties in with Crossroads’ broader environmental responsibility policy, which is currently being implemented across all of its operating regions, including South Africa and Botswana, Van Zyl explains.
Leading the environmental crusade by example
Crossroads Namibia’s focus on reducing its environmental impact is central to the operation’s current and future operational plans, says Van Zyl. “The transportation sector is a major source of carbon emissions and we should therefore lead by example to play a key role in this transition,” he says.
The new Scania trucks are equipped with advanced emissions control technologies that significantly reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere compared to older models.
Van Zyl points out that Scania was the first heavy vehicle manufacturer to produce engines that meet the European Union’s emission standards, acquiring selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after-treatment to comply with Euro 5 in 2005.
SCR is a system installed on diesel vehicles to reduce harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by injecting an automotive-grade fluid (aka AdBlue) through a specially designed catalyst into the exhaust stream of a diesel engine.
“We’re not just paying lip service to local and global concerns about climate change; we’re directly investing in changes to curtail our carbon footprint and make a meaningful contribution in this regard,” concludes Van Zyl.
FleetWatch gives Crossroads Distribution and Crossroads Namibia and solid ‘high five!’ for taking the green imperative to the highways of Namibia. Apart from cutting NOx, CO2 and particulate matter (PM) emissions, Euro 5 trucks also save fuel, thus reducing operating costs. And, with multinational consignors and consignees increasingly guided by ESG (environmental, social and governance) policies, it’s those best-practice fleets running Euro 5 trucks that will secure the lucrative transport contracts. It’s called ‘leading by example’ for a reason!
