Gautier Fret Solutions wants to reduce its CO emissions2. Convinced by the tests carried out with three Volvo FL Electrics, Gautier Fret Solutions called on Volvo Trucks. From the end of 2020, the carrier will acquire 16 Volvo FH500 I-Save tractors. That he will mainly use for his long-distance pull-ups. A certain loyalty binds Gautier Fret Solutions to the Volvo Trucks supplier. The French company, active since 2018 in the Great West from Noyal-sur-Vilaine (35530), has 220 vehicles, all with Volvo Trucks engines. There are also 150 semi-trailers. To provide transport, 200 drivers are spread over six sites in Brittany and one in Paris.
For Gautier Fret Solutions, a temporary energy mix
“Travelling 700 km per day, Volvo FH500 I-Save tractors need autonomy,” explains Jean-Yves Gautier, president of Gautier Fret Solutions. They therefore run on diesel, but their I-Save technology has reduced our fuel consumption by 7%. Since September 2021, we have also been upgrading our old distribution trucks to B100 at our sites in Saint-Évarzec and Gouesnou where we have two stations. But this palliative energy being temporary, we will not take vehicles with the exclusive B100”.
The Volvo FH500 I-Save join another model of Volvo tractors recently put into service by Gautier Fret Solutions. This is what Jean-Yves Gautier specifies. “Between September 2021 and early 2022, we integrated six Volvo FM460 Globe tractors with LNG Dual-Fuel at the request of customers, explains the president. They have a range of 800 km and good consumption. We make them profitable by running them 16 hours a day. With intersite traction at night and deliveries in ZFE-m during the day. But the rise in the price of gas has forced us to slow down their use”.
Three daily rounds for Volvo FL Electric
For Gautier Fret Solutions, electromobility represents an interesting shift for its carrier fleet. In June 2021, the company signed the local charter of best practices in urban logistics. Since then, the carrier has taken delivery of three Volvo FL Electric 16-tonne trucks. “Their four batteries allow them to transport 18 pallets over 200 km. And they make two to three rounds a day if they are adapted to their autonomy,” enthuses Jean-Yves Gautier.
The president of Gautier Fret Solutions also details the qualities that directly benefit the customer. “Their engine is silent and their floor, their body, their closing curtain and their tail lift are designed to Piek standards. Thanks to this, they deliver all urban sites night and day. What satisfies our customers. With 30 deliveries per day, they are ideal for urban delivery where there are many stops. And we estimate that they will travel 40,000 km per year, like our diesel distribution trucks. We use two in the Rennes metropolitan area and one in Vannes, in accordance with the traffic restrictions put in place by the cities”.
The only obstacle to the Volvo FL Electric 16 tons is their significant additional cost, admits Jean-Yves Gautier: “We buy our trucks. And as we keep our carriers for fifteen years, we have chosen a long TCO to make our electric trucks profitable. But fortunately we benefit from state aid, because customers do not contribute to the additional cost. Except those who agree to pay more for their transport. As a result, we favor these participating customers in our deliveries. »
Gautier Fret Solutions wants 68 electric carriers by 2025
Gautier Fret Solutions’ activities guided its choice of vehicles. In addition to logistics services in Noyal-sur-Vilaine and Chateaubourg (35), where the carrier can store up to 17,500 pallets, Gautier Fret Solutions provides regional distribution of couriers and palletized lots. For networks like RESO, Interpool, PALETTE PLUS and the international PALLETWAYS. There are also tours and dedicated tractions. As well as chartering for Breton groups and SMEs in the automotive, industrial and logistics or wine-growing sectors of the Nantes region. To guarantee optimal coverage, the carrier counts 170 carriers for 50 tractors. And to make this fleet greener, Jean-Yves Gautier sees electromobility as an investment for the future.
“Shippers are already sensitive to the fact that we can deliver Rennes and Vannes at any time of day. And Rennes customers will think about it as soon as the ZFE-ms have been put in place, Jean-Yves Gautier welcomes. In addition, drivers who have driven an electric truck no longer want to return to a thermal truck. As 70% of our fleet is made up of carriers, electromobility meets our needs, our strategy and our objectives. We expect 40% of our distribution fleet to be electric within three years. All of these electric trucks will be Volvo Trucks because, when it comes to innovation, it is important to be able to rely on solid suppliers. »
