BV Dairy turns to Ryder for eco-friendly Actros reefer trucks

Ryder recently supplied two new Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks with fuel-saving refrigerators to BV Dairy, which is based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England.

The company said BV Dairy, an independent chilled dairy manufacturer, prides itself on continually improving its environmental performance within its food operations and wanted to extend that priority to its distribution fleet.

“BV Dairy is very forward-thinking with regard to its green credentials, and because these vehicles will predominantly travel into London, I wanted them to be as efficient as possible,” said Charis Lewis, logistics and distribution manager at BV Dairy.

After listening to BV Dairy’s requirements, Ryder said it suggested two 18-tonne (19.8-US ton) Mercedes-Benz Actros 4x2 rigid vehicles with Solomon Slipstream Aerodynamic refrigerated body design and Carrier ECO-DRIVE fridges.

“Our Ryder account manager, Jon-Paul, was brilliant,” Lewis said. “He arranged meetings with Solomon and Carrier to help us decide exactly what we wanted. With the Carrier ECO-DRIVE, we have an electric fridge but with the peace of mind that it can run on diesel. In the eventuality of one of our drivers being stuck out overnight somewhere, then the produce would be kept chilled if the electric fridge couldn’t be charged.”

The new vehicles also include Solomon’s Slipstream system for over-cab fridge units and Solomon’s Kamm Tail. Custom-molded Slipstream sections sweep down either side of the fridge, improving vehicle efficiency and body aerodynamics, while the Kamm Tail curves the roof downward at the rear of the vehicle, accelerating airflow downward, which helps reduce the large area of turbulent air that develops behind the vehicle, Ryder said.

The bulk of BV Dairy’s deliveries are managed by the company’s own seven-truck fleet, delivering its dairy products to food service wholesalers and food manufacturers across the United Kingdom.

“Our vehicles are on the road six days a week and will clock up around 130,000 kilometers (80,778 miles) a year,” Lewis said. “We don’t have any spare vehicles, so the reason we contract hire our vehicles is that we need a reliable service provider for maintenance and repairs.

“This enables me to get on with the day-to-day business of running the fleet, knowing our vehicle maintenance is in safe hands.”