It’s the big question all haulage operators who run the UK’s 400,000 trucks are facing. What replaces diesel? Certainly, plenty of words have been spoken and written about hydrogen, electric and other alternatives. Increasingly, we are seeing trucks on our motorways which carry a slogan along the lines of ‘this lorry runs on used cooking oil’ prompting some motorists to think it’s a joke. But it’s not.

At COP26 the UK signed up to some very ambitious and challenging decarbonisation targets, which have had plenty of media coverage around gas boilers and the family car or cars.

But however problematic, these options do exist. What doesn’t yet exist is an affordable long term alternative to diesel for running the heaviest trucks; the sort you see on the motorway, articulated and pulling long and heavy laden trailers.

Given the R & D side hasn’t been cracked by the manufacturers, there is far less in production at scale and availability. Operators are still ordering new diesel lorries with two- year delivery dates and a 15-year lifespan – vehicles which will take us perilously close to deadline and which may end up as stranded assets (vehicles with no resale value). That’s a disaster for business. Think about £100,000 for a new diesel lorry – projected costs for a zero-emission alternative may be much higher. I’ve seen list prices four times higher.

But we are not Luddites and we do want to go zero emission, but at a pace that doesn’t kill the logistics business and by extension the UK economy which depends on the movement of goods.

Our industry could of course wait for more OEM and Government guidance on long-term replacements for diesel engines. Or we could look at Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as an interim solution which means vehicles are running in a more environmentally friendly way, with fewer emissions.

HVO is made from the hydrogeneration of vegetable oil. It breaks big molecules into small ones using hydrogen while also adding hydrogen to those molecules. This produces a substitute fuel for diesel. It’s sometimes called green diesel or renewable diesel.

So what are the obvious advantages, as this must be the operators’ decision alone? Firstly, it’s drop-in fuel, so we don’t need to clean out tanks or ONLY use HVO as it mixes with diesel if an emergency fuel top up is required when no HVO is available on route.

The word is it also saves on AdBlue use. Let’s tackle another issue: it is not biodiesel, which has had a bad press.

Another advantage is that the fuel can store for 10 years and, it’s reported, give you a 90% carbon reduction.

Disadvantages? Well, it’s not zero emission at the tailpipe, so that’s why the present Government is not excited about it as the future fuel. It’s also costlier at around 40 pence per litre above regular diesel – and at a time of escalating fuel prices, that’s clearly a factor. Stocks of waste oil are also not widely available with Russia being a supplier at one point, although the Scandinavians are stepping up and there are signs that Essar UK will soon become the first UK manufacturer of HVO.

Geraint Davies, who is the Wales representative on the Midlands, Western and Wales Regional Council of the RHA, believes HVO is ‘the lowest hanging fruit in terms of sustainability’ and his firm has worked with it for a few months now.

The manufacturers too are supportive of HVO. They say for Euro VI vehicles it’s a real drop in alternative to diesel. To summarise their points, they argue that it’s a good way to decarbonise fleets and that customers may be prepared to pay more for their deliveries because of the green benefit of supporting the environment.

It’s the toughest nut for the hard working haulage industry to crack: how to decarbonise at scale and pace without crippling their business model and operation with unsustainable costs in the name of sustainability. But it’s a nut that needs cracking.

This article first appeared in the autumn issue of LAPV. To subscribe for free click here.