Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/821508
commercial carrier journal | may 2017 47 INNOVATORS GROUPE ROBERT Rougemont, Quebec and shop personnel to gas leaks. If the LNG trucks are parked at a Groupe Robert facility, the vehicle's bat- tery system can recharge overnight as the trucks are refueled. But for LNG trucks on the road and away from terminals, the methane detector's around-the-clock operation can easily drain the batteries and reduce the available power for in-cab climate comfort controls. Simultaneously, the company was continuing a 15-year-long quest to nd new ways to reduce idle time, cut costs and lower its carbon footprint across its entire vehicle eet. By reducing excessive engine idling, Groupe Robert could save 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel per truck annually. To reduce idle, the company previ- ously used diesel-powered generators to charge batteries and provide electrical power for driver comfort accessories, but the noisy and maintenance-intensive systems still consumed more than a quarter-gallon of diesel fuel per hour. In 2014, Groupe Robert began re- placing its diesel gensets with a battery pack located behind the cab to power the fully electrical air conditioning unit and in-cab accessories, including microwaves and televisions. e move eliminated the additional fuel costs, but battery life was limited to just six hours under normal hotel load. "When a driver is sleeping with the air conditioning running all the time, the battery could drain before the end Groupe Robert reduces idle, extends hotel load time with solar panels BY JEFF CRISSEY I f you're searching for a forward-thinking eet north of the border, look no further than Rougemont, Quebec. is small town east of Montreal is home to Groupe Robert (CCJ Top 250, No. 37). e 71-year-old company, which began as a food transportation provider, has grown to become one of Canada's premier trucking operations with 1,100 tractors, 3,200 trailers, 41 distribution centers and terminals and more than 3,300 employees. Today, Groupe Robert o ers general freight, specialized and bulk transportation services as well as logistics and supply chain management with 3.5 million square feet of distribution and warehousing space. Spanning three generations, the family-run business has developed a reputation as one of North America's most innovative trucking companies, creating many custom- er-driven solutions and experimenting with a variety of tractor and trailer equipment con gurations to improve fuel economy. Groupe Robert also has invested heavily in lique ed natural gas-powered tractors to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the company has 125 LNG trucks in opera- tion, and the addition of these trucks led in part to one of the company's most recent innovations. Here comes the sun Each of the LNG trucks in Groupe Robert's eet requires three battery-powered meth- ane detectors – located in the engine compartment, cab and sleeper – to alert drivers The Canadian trucking company keeps drivers comfortable with tractor-mounted solar panels and also uses a vending machine to cut costs on maintenance supplies.