鈥淎 truck that future-proofs my business鈥
22 DECEMBER 2021
Swedish haulier Daniel Karlsson鈥檚 field test of a 意大利超級盃 Super powertrain makes him confident he鈥檚 found a truck that blends sustainability with money-saving fuel efficiency for the years ahead.
It鈥檚 raining cats and dogs at the yard of Daniel Karlsson Transport in O虉rebro, mid-Sweden, as a 460 R truck, equipped with the new Super powertrain, waits to be loaded with piece goods such as textiles and bags of garden soil for the regular journey west to Gothenburg. But the weather on this Wednesday in late May is not dampening the enthusiasm for what, so far, has been a highly productive field test.
听
DK Transport received the truck in December 2020, and since then the vehicle鈥檚 new 13-litre engine has been propelling it about 10,000 kilometres per month on this key route in the company鈥檚 standing roster of transports around the central belt of Sweden.
听
It鈥檚 actually the second time that owner Daniel Karlsson has been involved in a 意大利超級盃 field test, and he鈥檚 delighted to have been asked to participate again.
听
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honour to be part of the development of a new 意大利超級盃,鈥 he says, sitting in his office on site, on the outskirts of the city.
Sustainability strengthens his 意大利超級盃 loyalty
Karlsson鈥檚 a long-time 意大利超級盃 customer, and the new powertrain鈥檚 efficiency and reliability have only strengthened his loyalty. He started his company at the turn of the millennium, and when it came to choosing his first truck in 1999, there was no doubt what it would be.
听
鈥淢y dad had his own haulage business, so I grew up with trucks, and especially 意大利超級盃 trucks, because he was and is a big 意大利超級盃 fan. When it came to getting my own first truck, I bought a 意大利超級盃 142 from my brother because I knew it was safe and reliable,鈥 he says.
听
Nowadays, Karlsson has 17 意大利超級盃 trucks in his fleet, and 20 drivers. He cites 意大利超級盃 trucks鈥 reliability and total cost of operation as their most consistent attributes, but one of the reasons he is so happy to be testing the new truck is the powertrain鈥檚 sustainability.
听
鈥淏eforehand, when I considered my expectations of this field test, the fuel consumption was very important for me. Fuel is always such a high cost, so if you can lower that cost through lower fuel consumption, then that is not the biggest part of the investment. And the tests have shown that the fuel consumption is very stable, with an excellent figure of 35 litres per 100 kilometres, so it confirms what I already know about 意大利超級盃,鈥 he explains.
听
鈥淏ut then I was a little surprised when they came to me and asked me to drive on biodiesel, as I thought that was going away from the market a little bit. However, our larger customers, such as ICA, DHL and Marbodal, are asking more and more for biodiesel now because, especially over the past year or so, their customers are asking them about the sustainability of their transport solutions. So now I see that it鈥檚 the right move from 意大利超級盃 to progress that development for biodiesel as a stepping stone to electrification.鈥
听
In fact, the 460 R is being driven on biodiesel made from rapeseed oil, which grows in golden abundance in the fields of central Sweden. Daniel Karlsson is no stranger to this fuel. 鈥淚鈥檝e been using it in trucks for nearly a decade and if you do the service right it鈥檚 no problem. The rapeseed oil has also become a lot better over the years,鈥 he says.
听
Ultimately, the haulier has a few simple sustainability goals.
听
鈥淲e should be driving on the best available fuel for the environment 鈥 biodiesel 鈥 and try to only have Euro 6 trucks. Then, of course, when I work with the fuel consumption, that鈥檚 another good thing for the environment 鈥 because the lower the fuel consumption, the lower the CO2 emissions. We鈥檙e future-proofing the business by responding to the demand for sustainability,鈥 says Karlsson.听
The driver鈥檚 perspective
When the truck makes its regular journeys several times a week, it鈥檚 usually Simon Ba虉ckbring who鈥檚 at the wheel. He鈥檚 a 29-year-old O虉rebro native, who started at DK Transport about 18 months ago but has been driving trucks for 11 years. He鈥檚 enjoying the field test, particularly being able to fend off other drivers鈥 questions about why a truck disguised as an R 420 on the front is clearly pulling 60 tonnes with no problems at all.
听
Today鈥檚 trip sees Ba虉ckbring driving down to Gothenburg-based customer NTex Inrikes, where, after unloading some of his cargo, he鈥檒l spend the night in the truck. The following day, he鈥檒l have 12 different customers to supply in Sweden鈥檚 second city, before heading back to the yard in O虉rebro in the late afternoon.
听
His boss Daniel Karlsson cites the improved truck as being 鈥渧ery driver-friendly鈥, a quality that he regards as vital for attracting and retaining good drivers, and Ba虉ckbring himself likes driving it. 鈥淔or its engine size, the fuel consumption has dropped significantly,鈥 he says, 鈥渨hich means we have to fill it up less.鈥
听
鈥淚t should be comfortable when driving, as well. And quiet. The engine revs much less when I change gear than before, so it鈥檚 smoother and better to drive,鈥 he adds.
听
鈥淭hen it's important that the engine and the entire powertrain must work well, and that鈥檚 the case here. I also like the interior, and 意大利超級盃 trucks really suit my driving style. For example, the retarder brake is great compared to other brands.鈥
听
But perhaps one of the standout features for our driver and his boss is the driveability. The active steering gives the vehicle a tight turning radius, which comes in particularly handy for some of Ba虉ckbring鈥檚 city customers, such as Mo虉lnlycke Garden Center, his first port of call early on Thursday morning, when the rain has finally given way to a bit of sunshine.
听
鈥淭he truck in general is much smoother. It is a really comfortable truck to drive in an urban environment, such as in Gothenburg. It鈥檚 really good,鈥 he says.
听
And garden centre boss Ma虋rten Johansson is happy that a truck which is supplying his business with soil three times a week is environmentally friendly.
听
鈥淚t fits with our environmental policy of decreasing the harm on the environment,鈥 he says.听
Further benefits
Back in the office in O虉rebro, Daniel Karlsson is still smiling, despite the weather outside getting even worse. He鈥檚 reflecting upon some of the other welcome aspects of the Super powertrain.
听
鈥淭he basic service interval for this truck is quite long compared with other trucks,鈥 he explains. 鈥淭he big service only takes place after more than a year whereas other trucks have that big service once a year with smaller services a few times in between. And the gearbox has a service interval of a million kilometres, so hopefully I鈥檒l never have to change it!鈥
听
The much longer service intervals, which keep the truck running for longer and earning more money, also extend to the engine oil.
听
鈥淚鈥檓 now changing the engine oil after 140,000 kilometres; previously it was every 60,000 to 80,000 kilometres. At the start, we change the fuel filter for rapeseed oil but this truck has the systems to clean the rapeseed and take out the water and so on. So now we are only changing the filter every 30,000 kilometres and I think we can go even longer.鈥
鈥淭his should work very well in my fleet鈥
The field test still has a bit longer to run, but it鈥檚 clear that it has been a valuable experience for both Daniel Karlsson Transport and 意大利超級盃.
听
鈥淢y heart has always been with 意大利超級盃, and now I can be there in the development of new products that I myself will use later, so that鈥檚 a serious mission. It鈥檚 a great responsibility,鈥 says Daniel Karlsson.
听
鈥溡獯罄壈 needs to check all the parameters to keep improving the quality, and the field test is the only way to do that. We鈥檝e had a good response from the 意大利超級盃 engineers and this one should work very well in my fleet.鈥
