Vehicle technology
Gist operates a multi-faceted fleet of over 1,300 vehicles across Europe, the majority of wich with multi-temperatire capability
- Use of a combination of double decks, 40 ft, rigids, and command steer trailers
- European leader in large LNG vehicle technology
- Leader in the use of dynamic scheduling, with a centralised planning team for our national primary and secondary networks.
- Real Time vehicle tracking, fuel and driver management systems and leading edge execution systems.
- Introduction of a new exhause of treatment process to reduce emissions.
Roll your mouse over our vehicle to learn more about the technology we employ on the Gist fleet.
Noise minimisation
Noise nuisance during deliveries to stores continues to be an issue for the industry. This problem is set to become even more of an issue as night time deliveries increase in response to day time congestion. To minimise the noise of deliveries made by Gist, at any time of day or night, all our vehicles have the following equipment as standard:
- Acoustic boxes on tail lift motors
- Use of noise absorbing trailer floor materials, e.g. GRP with grit
- Air brake silencers
- Muted radios on cab door opening
- Air suspension
- Rubber buffers on metal to metal or metal to concrete contact points
Efficient use of natural resources
We have taken several measures to minimise our consumption of natural resources:
- Gist has adopted a 12 year replacement policy for its refrigerated trailers - the longest in the industry. The trailers are refurbished after six years, instead of being scrapped. This approach reduces the total life cost and the overall resources required to build new replacement trailers.
- By remoulding and re-grooving, new tyres are used four times, viz. new, re-groove, remould, re-groove. This increases the miles per tyre by approximately 75%. This is not only cost effective, it reduces the volume of tyre waste going to landfill or incineration.
- LED lights are used on trailers with a life expectancy up to 15 times longer than traditional bulbs.
Command steer trailers
Better access to stores is achieved with our command steer trailers. These allow longer vehicles to access places previously only achieved by rigid and short articulated vehicles. This has resulted in reducing the number of over-spill vehicles saving large quantities of diesel and CO2.
Bridge detection equipment
We are the first HGV operator to introduce a satellite tracking system to its vehicles and these devices are used by vehicles based at our Barnsley site. The system can pin point almost every bridge in the UK and provides a visual and audible warning to the driver up to 40km before it is reached. The system also lets the driver know what road the bridge is on so it is possible to quickly work out an alternative route.
Double deck trailers & tri-loading vehicles
Gist has introduced a fleet of double-deck trailers, which provide two trailers' worth of goods on one vehicle thereby reducing the number of journeys required, the number of vehicles on the road, fuel consumption and food miles. The introduction of tri-loading vehicles has also enabled ambient, chilled and frozen goods to be transported on one vehicle in separate, temperature-regulated compartments, rather than using three vehicles for each load.
The trailers have saved millions of road miles, and therefore thousands of tonnes of CO2. We were also one of the first operators to use internal floating decks to ease loading and reduce turnaround times.
Particulate traps
Gist is also using particulate traps to reduce its environmental impact. Over 50% of all powered vehicles in the Gist fleet have now been fitted with particulate traps, designed to reduce the amount of particulate and NOx emitted.
Maximum efficiency on the road
Night running, collections from suppliers on store return trips and other improvements have, over time, led to a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road and enhanced vehicle fill. Millions of road kilometres are saved each year, saving diesel and CO2.
