Sunbury's 'green' truck in spotlight at all-premiers meeting
MONCTON, N.B. -- Canada's premiers gathering for this year's Council of the Federation in Moncton will get an up-close look at a Sunbury Transport LCV (Long Combination Vehicle), sporting all the latest environmentally-friendly technology, such as aerodynamics devices, a hydrogen-injection system, an APU, and new generation single, wide-base tires. All premiers and their staff have been invited to visit the demonstration site to get a better understanding of new green technologies available to the freight industry. The theme at this year's summit is climate change and greenhouse gas reduction. Sunbury has been part of a two-year LCV pilot project currently being studied between the cities of Saint John and Dieppe. With the collaboration of the New Brunswick Department of Transportation, Sunbury has been using LCV to transport parent rolls of tissue and tissue products between the two cities. Data is currently being compiled, analyzing the GHG savings and vehicle performance. Preliminary data is very encouraging, the company says. According to a recent two-year study conducted by Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), extended double trailers (LCV) used from the Maritimes to Ontario would provide fuel savings of 106 million liters of fuel and 297 kilotonnes of greenhouse gases annually and would reduce the number of trucks on the road between 6 and 10 percent. Barriers to the adoption of these energy saving devices are usually related to initial cost and necessary changes to certain regulations. For instance, the rules regulating the new generation of single, wide tires are not standardized across Canadian jurisdictions. Similarly, LCV are limited to specific routes or are being operated as a pilot project as in the New Brunswick model. In the context of rising fuel costs and reduced margins, each new technology for the transportation sector must still be carefully evaluated. Sunbury has also initiated several GHG saving measures including anti-idling policies, speed governing and on-board monitoring technologies. Currently, two tractors are equipped with Hi-Drive Technology hydrogen injection system to pilot the use of the device and measure the reduction of GHG and related fuel savings in its operating environment. Another tractor is equipped with an APU. The company is also a member of the SmartWay Transport Partnership Program that reduces greenhouse gases and pollution.