Fleet expansion with 2 Volvo FH and 1 Volvo FM
G. van Doesburg Internationaal Transport B.V. recently added one Volvo FM 330 and two Volvo FH 460 tractor units to its fleet. The trucks were supplied by Volvo Trucks dealer Van Dijk from Culemborg.
Destination Italy
Our company was founded in 1979 and, at that time, we focused mainly on international transport and specialised in groupage consignments for Italy. Although we now provide intermodal transport services, Italy is still one of our company’s most important destinations. René de Kock (sales manager), “For us, relocating to Zaltbommel in 2009 and putting the warehouse into operation also meant stepping up our game and applying new concepts. It enabled us to start providing supplementary services for our customers. We also realised early on that we would have to go intermodal to remain international, also on the routes to and from Italy. We now have several trucks permanently stationed in Italy, which drive to and from the various terminals in the north of the country to load and unload our own 45-ft containers. The two new Volvo FH 460s will also be deployed to Italy. Because we also have business locations at Schiphol Airport and in Oud-Beijerland, we were also able to add airfreight and seafreight services to our portfolio.”
Complete package
Dyjan van Doesburg, operations manager at G. van Doesburg, “Precisely because of the mix of activities, we are strong in the present logistics market. The warehouse, which measures 15,000 m2, serves as a cross-docking facility for our international and Benelux operations and is also used for holding customers’ stocks. We want to provide one-stop shopping logistics services for our customers; for example, starting with collecting goods from a factory in China with a seafreight container, arranging sea transport, taking care of European customs clearance and delivery to the final destination anywhere on the continent.”
Reducing our carbon footprint
Reducing our carbon footprint plays a prominent role in the policy of G. van Doesburg. Using different modes of transport, such as rail transport for consignments bound for Italy, is just one of the ways in which the policy is implemented. However, it can also be seen in our fleet, 90% of which already comprises Euro-6 compliant vehicles, and the economical driving training courses that our drivers take. Dyjan van Doesburg: “Our entire fleet will conform to Euro 6 Emission Standards by 2017 at the latest. The new Volvo tractor units will help us achieve this goal. Most of the other vehicles in our fleet are also Volvos. The Volvo FH 460 Globetrotter XL is ideal for our international activities. Its fuel consumption is low, the truck smoothly changes gear because of the Volvo I-Shift and the facilities for the drivers are also excellent. The new truck has, for example, a Globetrotter XL cabin, every conceivable safety feature and is fitted with the I-ParkCool system. The drivers are really enthusiastic about the road handling and level of comfort. We use Volvo FM 330 tractor units and rigid trucks for distribution in the Benelux. We already have another three Volvos on order. We configured them together with Van Dijk from Culemborg. We have worked together for about twenty years and contact between the companies is excellent. The lines of communication are short and we always receive help quickly in urgent situations.”