Maritime Transport begins electrification of trucking fleet

One of the UK’s leading road and rail logistics companies, Maritime Transport, is making some big moves in a bid to electrify its trucking fleet – with fully 18 all-electric, three axle tractor units from Scania leading the charge.

As part of the UK’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) program, Maritime Transport has put 48 battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell-powered semi trucks on order, with the initial order of 18 big Scania trucks arriving first.

“This investment places us at the forefront of our industry’s transition to sustainable operations and we are excited to initiate this phase of our environmental strategy,” says Maritime Transport Deputy Chief Executive, Tom Williams. “Our active participation in ZEHID and pioneering initiatives like eFREIGHT 2030 over the next five years is set to yield vital insights for the government’s long-term infrastructure decisions to make road freight more sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Acknowledging the variations in range and payload, we believe these vehicles will substantially contribute to our efforts in providing sustainable and efficient services to our customers, complementing our growing network of rail freight services and terminals.”

The new, three axle Scania semi trucks are rated for 42 tonnes, and offer of a range of 300-500 km (up to 310 miles), allowing them to serve Maritime Transport’s eight existing rail freight terminals from each of the major UK ports.

Maritime says the introduction of these trucks is a core component of the company’s environmental agenda, which will effectively lead to their moving more containerized product by rail with electrically-driven trucks on first and last-mile deliveries. The trucks are planned to begin arriving at Maritime’s ports later this year and into early ’20’25. High-powered EV charging stations will also be installed across the company’s network of 41 depots, terminals, and container storage sites.

Electrek’s Take

Electrifying everything at a container yard – from the biggest material handlers to smaller scissor and fork lifts – is no-brainer. In a contained, controlled environment with predictable routes and known loads, electrification is the most affordable and practical solution, and we can’t wait to see the data confirming that.