TNT fleet refresh continues apace

TNT Express has taken delivery of a quarter of the new tractor-units it is introducing to refresh its fleet and ensure that it meets the newly raised emission stands of the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ).

The company, which revealed a £20m, 600-vehicle, refresh last year, has taken delivery of 22 of the 107 tractor units it has ordered. It has also deployed 100 new Cartwright-built Cheetah Fastback trailers.

TNT has also received the first of 190 5-tonne vehicles and 60 7.5-tonne trucks, as part of a plan to increase the amount of smaller vehicles in its delivery fleet.

Simon Harper, TNT’s director of operations, says: “This equipment will be deployed across the network to equalise annual mileage and to meet the revised London LEZ regulations being introduced on 3 January.”

Since the start of the year, vehicles over 3.5-tonnes entering London have been required to be Euro-4 at minimum in order to avoid fines.

TNT is also starting a trial of double-deck trailers within its network and was among the operators successfully accepted into the Department for Transport’s longer semi-trailer pilot. It will be running 13 of the 15.65 metre variation.