Subsidiary of Lagadec TP since 1995, Transports Frémy (Plabennec, 29860) has gone in fifteen years from the transport of wood, sand and aggregates, to the transport of waste, concrete and cement, powdery materials and public works vehicles. And this, for major players such as Colas, Eiffage, Vinci, Lafarge Bétons, Bouygues, Veolia, Suez or Guyot Environnement. This activity covers three departments: Finistère, Côtes d’Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine.
Construction or cereals and boats
In the first quarter of 2022, Frémy thus intervened to deliver rockfill materials to the ports of La Turballe and, above all, Brest. In Brest, it had delivered, from 2017 to 2019, 2 million t of pebbles for the design of the port polder. “There was a resumption of this activity, which the rise in the price of materials quickly suspended, regrets Antoine Drogou, director of Transports Frémy. The same goes for the construction of pavilions, the price of which has risen for six months. As a result, we will fall back on the collection of cereals and the transport of pleasure boats this summer to complete our activity. »
168 semi-trailers for various purposes
To carry out these transports, Frémy has 168 Schmitt, Benalu or Fruehauf semi-trailers, from the tautliner to the flatbed, including moving floors, tank carriers or crusher carriers and powder tanks, but also concrete mixers, De Buf spinning tops and mixo-pumps. It also has a fleet of 95 tractors and carriers that it rents with a driver from its parent company and its customers, or that it uses for transport on behalf of third parties. All these vehicles are purchased. “They thus enter into the capital of the company, specifies Antoine Drogou. Our trucks and semi-trailers away from our integrated workshop in Dol-de-Bretagne or which take part in strenuous activities are acquired with a maintenance contract. »
Scania, Volvo Trucks and MAN
The trucks all run on diesel and are Euro VI, except for three relay vehicles. Antoine Drogou chooses them for their power of 500 hp and the quality of after-sales service. “We have 55 Scania tractors, 30 Volvo Trucks tractors and 10 MAN carriers,” he lists. Scania is our first brand. Its driveline is reliable and reduces fuel consumption, and the dealership is close to Plabennec, and its excellent after-sales service makes up for our lack of mechanics. Volvos and MANs are located in Dol de Bretagne and maintained by our workshop. As the new MANs no longer have the Scania kinematic chain, we will not renew them,” continues Antoine Drogou.
Extended lifespans for trucks
But the renewal of vehicles is slow because of the shortage of steel and semiconductors. “We are still waiting for those planned for 2021, notes Antoine Drogou. This shifts the immobilizations and lengthens the period of use. While we keep tractors 800,000 km and rigids 600,000 km or ten years, we will have to keep our Volvos up to 1 million km. They will do it, but we will have to change their AdBlue systems, their catalyst and their sensors before reselling them. And we won’t take advantage of used vehicles. With the shortage, their prices have doubled compared to 2021.”
This leader is also expecting Scanias at the CNG in Plabennec, where the Finistère departmental energy and equipment union has opened a BioGNV station. “The lead times are so long that we ordered two Scanias from the CNG 18 months in advance to respond to future calls for tenders, explains Antoine Drogou. We are also planning for 2024 heavyweights with the exclusive B100. »
Priority preventive maintenance
To compensate, the carrier has its fleet managed as closely as possible by its fleet manager. “Prevention becomes the priority with predictive maintenance by our own services from 400,000 km instead of 500,000 km previously, reports Antoine Drogou. We check the turbo, the clutch, the air bags. Two companies come every weekend to track the tyres. We installed warning LEDs on the caps to detect leaks and hoses connected to a compressor to trigger automatic inflation to avoid slow punctures. The carrier will also pick up its spare parts at the nearest heavy goods vehicle scrapyard. “As we deliver scrap metal to scrap metal dealers and recyclers, they reserve some for us,” adds Antoine Drogou.
Eco-driving, safety and alternative energies
MASE certified for safety and the environment, the carrier also reduces its carbon emissions. Its 70 drivers, who all have super-heavy driving licenses and are versatile, are trained in eco-driving on all new vehicles by the manufacturers and by two tutor drivers to reduce their fuel and tire consumption. “They also receive a fifteen-minute safety lesson every Friday in small groups to reduce accidents,” adds Antoine Drogou.
