Cement Industry Federation - Applying innovative solutions in transport
Background
The Cement Industry Federation (CIF) is the national body representing the Australian Cement Industry, comprising of three producers who collectively account for all of the integrated production of cement in Australia. The CIF led a pilot project to study the benefits of a driver education eco-driving course. The project demonstrated how behaviour change training programs can deliver significant improvements in fuel efficiency.
The pilot project was undertaken with Blue Circle Southern Cement's Freight and Logistics team, in collaboration with Sustainability Victoria, Monash University and Strategix Driver Training.
Objectives
To develop, conduct and evaluate a pilot eco-driver training program aimed at reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions produced by heavy commercial vehicles. The cement industry fleet is to be used as a pilot with a vision to develop the eco-driver training for heavy vehicles.
Actions
Training involved both classroom and in-cabin practical work. Eco-driving techniques employed in the practical sessions emphasised smooth driving. Drivers were also encouraged to:
- accelerate gradually
- avoid excessive idling
- utilise the mass of the vehicle to maintain momentum
- drive smoothly, avoiding harsh braking and rapid acceleration
- plan ahead and anticipate traffic flow and
- skip gears when changing up when possible and change at lower engine revolutions.
The data collected was a mixture of quantitative and qualitative variables. The main variable of interest was fuel consumption and the time taken to complete each circuit was also recorded. Driver behaviour measurements such as gear changes, brake applications and instances of revving, scanning ahead and following distance were also recorded.
Results
Drivers who underwent the full course with in-cabin training saw an average of 27% reduction in fuel use; an improvement maintained 12 weeks after the initial training had been conducted.
Interestingly, drivers did not experience any significant change in the amount of time it took to complete the circuit. As well as the improved environmental impact, social and economic impacts such as reduction in driver fatigue and maintenance costs are also likely results from this program. Fully trained drivers also reduced the number of gear changes by 29% and brake applications by 41% during monitored drives conducted after the initial training.
While the benefits are difficult to quantify, this suggests that the training program would also lead to a reduction in vehicle maintenance and driver fatigue. Based on the results, CIF is planning to roll out eco-drive programs with all its member companies Australia wide, and is eager to share the knowledge gained with other heavy vehicle fleet owners.
