Menzies takes part in Scottish Government’s HGV decarbonisation pathway development

The Scottish government has announced its plans for decarbonising the haulage and logistics sector, enabling the transition to net zero.

Menzies Distribution is delighted to announce its participation in the programme, working as part of a collaborative Taskforce involving operators, manufacturers, trade bodies and Government to understand and overcome the barriers to Zero Emission HGVs in Scotland.

The HGV Decarbonisation Pathway is the result of 18 months of work by the Zero Emission Truck Taskforce, whose members come from the haulage and logistics sector; energy sector (both hydrogen and electricity); truck manufacturing; government; unions; and commercial financiers.
The pathway sets out the four key challenges posed by a move to zero emission trucks, and how to address these:

• energy infrastructure
• financial models
• confidence in technological and commercial change
• workforce skills

During a keynote address to the Net Zero Scotland Projects Conference, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, launched the pathway, saying:

“This partnership with road haulage, manufacturing, energy, government, union and commercial finance sectors is absolutely key to accelerating the transition towards zero emission trucks.

“Scotland’s economy – and society as a whole – rely on goods being moved with speed and efficiency, but these freight movements emit substantial greenhouse gases. We have worked collectively to understand and address the hurdles to transition.

“My thanks go to every member of the Zero Emission Truck Taskforce for their time and expertise developing and, going forward, delivering the pathway. No single sector or organisation can decarbonise without building new relationships across boundaries and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve – and inspire other sectors to achieve.”

Commenting on the pathway, Adam Purshall, Fleet & Procurement Director at Menzies, said:

“We are proud to be a part of this important project, road mapping the future for the adoption of zero emission HGVs in Scotland and ultimately progressing towards the decarbonisation of our sector.”