BOXRELOAD

Andy Barker: “Boxreload minimises the environmental impact of transport and can help cut congestion”

Boxreload; Cuts Costs, Cuts Empty Miles, Cuts Carbon

Hutchison Ports has launched a ground-breaking new web-based tool to allow road hauliers to reduce costs and cut emissions.

Boxreload helps trucking companies of all sizes to combine loads with the aim of replacing two journeys by two trucks, each with an empty leg, by one return journey (backload) with a single truck; a  'boxreload'. Boxreload focuses on cooperation between trucking companies to share certain information and enable better planning.

Andy Barker, General Manager of Boxreload, explains:

"The beauty of Boxreload is that it allows both trucking companies to protect revenues and cut costs. The advantage increases the more trucking companies get involved as more and more opportunities to reduce costs can be identified.

"It is not just about reducing cost. Boxreload allows better utilisation of equipment, trucks and drivers, reduces road miles, minimises the environmental impact of transport and can help cut congestion."

Boxreload, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and co-financed by the European Union's Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) programme, is being launched in the Benelux area.

"The concept has been proven in a pilot with several Rotterdam-based trucking companies. We are now launching the project with 12 companies. We expect many more trucking companies to join boxreload.com in the coming months.  Based on the pilot and feedback so far, Boxreload will cut costs and carbon emissions on 5,000 additional reloads in the first year." adds Barker.

Boxreload has been developed with the support of Erasmus University of Rotterdam.

Larissa van der Lugt, researcher in port economics and port management of Erasmus School of Economics said:

"The Boxreload project allows us to combine our research skills with the transport planning and optimisation experience of Hutchison Ports. As such it strengthens our joint knowledge base. I am confident that the combination will deliver real life cost savings to transport operators as well as that it adds to sustainability goals. It stands to be a win-win-win solution."

Rob Zuidwijk, professor of Ports in Global Networks at Rotterdam School of Management adds:

"Boxreload has the potential to realise significant economic and environmental savings in container logistics. It also proposes new business models and new business network developments, and this feeds academic thought on how business may work together in bringing value to society in an innovative way."

Boxreload is a neutral platform which any trucking company can join. The secure structure ensures that each trucking company's sensitive customer information is kept private. Users can only cooperate with other trucking companies if they are connected as 'friends' on the Boxreload system.

Boxreload has been developed by the PARIS Optimal Transport Planning division of Hutchison Ports. PARIS has extensive experience delivering multimodal optimisation solutions for its clients which include some of the world's largest shipping lines.