Van den Bosch opts for Scania Super

Van den Bosch, headquartered in Erp, is an intermodal bulk specialist for liquids and dry goods. The company has a strong international focus. To strengthen its fleet, the logistics service provider chose four new Scania 460R tractors with the new Super powertrain and the comfortable R cab. With this choice, the company focuses not only on low fuel consumption, but also on driver comfort and safety. This investment in the well-being of the driver, explains Manager Technical Department Antony van Lierop, was made deliberately.

"Maximizing payload has always been an important part of our DNA," Van Lierop explains. "And we still try to specify our vehicles and our towed equipment as efficiently as possible. In the past, that included opting for 11-liter engines and smaller cabs in a base trim. We don't do that anymore. We now opt for a cab that offers the driver a spacious work and rest area and the necessary comfort. Safety is not forgotten here either. Besides the standard systems such as AEB and stand cooling, for example, the trucks also have various other electronic safety systems that make it safer for the driver."

Focus on weight

Van den Bosch has full control of the equipment's own weight at every stage of the logistics flow and therefore knows exactly how much product can be loaded. When new equipment is purchased, it is known down to the kilogram what everything weighs. The same goes for the towed equipment and the assembled components. This is all precisely recorded in the computer so that the planning department knows exactly what can be loaded at the customer's site with which vehicle combination. Low own weight also played an important role in the purchase of the new Scania's. "The Scania's in our desired specification turned out to be as much as 160 kg lighter than a comparable model with a 13-liter engine from another brand," Van Lierop clarifies the focus on weight.

The Super powertrain consists of the 460-hp 13-liter engine, the G25CM gearbox and the R756 rear axle. This combination has smashed many a fuel record in international tests by the trade media over the past year. Expectations at Van den Bosch are therefore high. The spacious R sleeper cab offers the driver a state-of-the-art workplace and plenty of room to rest.

Fleet

"Previously, we drove 11-liter engines because of their weight and lower fuel consumption. However, the modern 13-liter engines are not only a lot more powerful, but are no longer inferior to the 11-liters in terms of fuel consumption," Van Lierop said. "Our objective is to reduce the number of road kilometers and transport our bulk containers via other modes as much as possible. We drive about 80 to 90 thousand kilometers annually with the trucks to various places in Europe. Our fleet consists of about 6,000 bulk containers and about 8 to 9 hundred trailers. For this we have 256 trucks under our own management and the rest are subcontractors."

No ADR

The bulk liquid and dry goods specialist drives virtually no ADR applications; otherwise, there is little that cannot be transported in bulk by the Brabant-based company. "We never drive partial loads," Van Lierop explains. "We always drive fully loaded and then as maximum as possible. We can also, for example, monitor the temperature of the goods remotely. We can then recondition the cargo at various locations in Europe, so that it can be unloaded at the customer's desired temperatures."