Unipart Logistics greens final mile NHS fleet with 90 HVO-ready DAF LF Rigids

Unipart Logistics is enhancing its final mile fleet with 90 DAF LF Rigid trucks which can be powered by hydo-treated vegetable oil (HVO).

The fleet of 90 DAF trucks include 18 tonners as well as 14 tonners and will be rolled out for dedicated use within its NHS Supply Chain contract.

The new sustainable fleet will deliver a CO2 reduction of 2.1 tonnes per vehicle per year and a significant proportion of the manufacturing of the fleet was undertaken in the UK to further cut carbon emissions.

The 90 vehicles are the latest addition to the 200-strong NHS Supply Chain transport fleet but they have yet to run on HVO as, according to a Unipartspokeswoman, the company is still "working on availability and infrastructure."

Unipart is the logistics partner for NHS Supply Chain after winning the £730m five-year contract in 2018.

Under the deal, which began in February 2019, Unipart Logistics provides delivery services to NHS Trusts, facilitates the NHS Home Delivery Service in partnership with Movianto UK and also provides warehousing; inventory management; order processing and delivery.

Claire Salmon, Unipart logistics director for NHS Supply Chain, said: “We are delighted to introduce our new sustainable fleet of vehicles which are delivering to NHS trusts.

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“We are evolving our entire fleet as part of our sustainability and carbon reduction commitments within Unipart, and as a provider to the NHS Supply Chain.

“The additional benefits of increasing fuel efficiency and having an HVO-ready fleet, as well as introducing other safety specifications as standard truly demonstrates the ‘delivering value to the NHS’ brand on the fleet is more than just a logo.”

Andrew New (pictured), chief executive officer of NHS Supply Chain, stated: “As NHS Supply Chain, we are trusted by our stakeholders to deliver clinically assured, value for money products that meet the needs of our NHS colleagues and patients.

“We deliver a critical service every day to NHS trusts and we have a responsibility to deliver this sustainably and with the upmost consideration to the impact on the environment. This new fleet of vehicles is a small part of our overall plan to support the NHS mission to be carbon neutral by 2040.

“Working with our suppliers, service providers and trusts is critical to optimising our impact both today and for the future.”

Lee Chambers, distribution director at Unipart Logistics added: “It’s a really exciting time for Unipart Transport Services as we continue to scale and grow our offering.

“Sustainable fleet operations are an important part of our commitment to carbon reduction and we are proud to work with our customers to deliver against our collective goals in tackling climate change.”