The government has announced in the Budget that it will publish a call for evidence on the use of red diesel, especially in urban areas. Professor Toby Peters, Visiting Professor in Power and Cold Economy at the University of Birmingham argues that the refrigerated logistics industry needs to brace for change.
The case for decisive action on diesel pollution gets stronger by the day. The main reason is of course the toll on public health. Every year, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) kill around 40,000 Britons, cause the loss of 6 million working days, and cost the economy up to £20 billion per year – equal to more than 16% of the NHS budget.
But pollution also threatens the health of companies.
While many companies are successfully adopting a variety of new technologies, others still have work to do – particularly operators of refrigerated vehicles. The logistics industry continues to rely on decades-old diesel cooling technology that remains essentially unregulated and highly polluting.
Chancellor Philip Hammond announced today that the government will publish a call for evidence on the use of red diesel in order to “improve understanding of eligible industries and current use”. The statement goes on to say “evidence is particularly sought on the use of red diesel in urban areas”. So now, unlike the air in our major cities, the regulatory direction travel is clear: the days of urban transport refrigeration powered by red diesel – or indeed any kind of diesel - are numbered.
Does red Diesel cause worse emissions? Thought not, just the powers that be aint trousering.
The propaganda is hotting up quickly now that no one believes in the man made carbon dioxide doomsday scenario any more, looks like it’s Diesel users turn to bear the brunt of propping the bankrupt country for the the forseeable whilst the govt give £billions in foreign aid to corrupt third world dictators, you couldn’t make this ■■■■■■■■ up.
So so that’s the next 15 years subsidised race to the bottom covered, who or what is next.
Crystal balls out lads lets try to second guess them, electric cars will obviously be taxed to buggery in due course when everyone’s been good little drone consumers and bought in, but what’s the next move to beat 'em at their own game? keep yer old bangers going as long as possible, doesn’t matter two ■■■■■ to me if they ban older cars from towns and cities i hate the bloody dumps anyway, c’mon lads someone must have some ideas.
I’d love to see what solution they try to come up with to power the refrigeration units in replace of those diesel engines. Yes they aren’t the most efficient or planet friendly but they work. You’ll be taking a heavy (pun intended) hit in payload to implement those ■■■■■■■■■■ batteries.
Radar19:
I’d love to see what solution they try to come up with to power the refrigeration units in replace of those diesel engines. Yes they aren’t the most efficient or planet friendly but they work. You’ll be taking a heavy (pun intended) hit in payload to implement those ■■■■■■■■■■ batteries.
Frigoblock units worked ok, i liked them, electric driven with a mains voltage belt driven generator running off the lorry engine, OK for RDC type work where you can leave it plugged in to the mains before hooking up a suitable tractor unit, but for trampers not so handy cos unless you can find a working charging point you obviously have to keep the lorry engine running.
Once everyone’s bought electric cars and thousands need charging at various points mid journey i reckon getting a hook up for a lorry fridge at an MSA will be difficult to say the least.
never mind it’s a handy new bandwagon for those soon to be redundant from the global warming industry to jump on, and it’ll keep their sensationalist propaganda machine in lucrative jobs too 
So, are they going to include red diesel used in the construction industry, rail traction, emergency power generation, plus jet aviation fuel, and heavy fuel oil burned in ships’ engines. Compared with emissions pollution from that lot then 'fridges contribute next to nothing.
Typical UK and UK ■■■■ government, masters of the ‘Hidden Agenda’ trick.
‘‘Here’s an opportunity let’s get even more tax out of the Haulage Industry, we can’t use road safety on this one so let’s go for envirionmental issues’’
Don’t you just ■■■■ love em eh? 
For a quick temp fix they could make it illegal to have a fridge trailer running on diesel power between the hours of 9pm and 6am (better make that 7am in case I want a lay in).
Wind power generators with 1/2 ton of batteries could work.
As seen on one of my many travels into the future just wait 20 years for wireless leccy to kick in which solves a lot of issues, nothing worse than ones fembot running out of juice.
Not wishing to go all Nostradamus but ‘Bionic ■■■■■■■■’s’ become very popular circa 2025…
Was a report on Radio 4 last week,the green yogurt knitters commissioned a survey about pollutants in the air trying to nobble the Diesel engine,The report said the high Nox emissions in the area they tested weren’t from Diesel engines but from wood burning stoves and fires which rather shot themselves in the foot.
1…why dont they just do what is the norm over here and run the red diesel through kittylitter and an acidwash…no red in the diesel. 
2…whats going to happen to those poor hard working miserable myopic tightass moneygrabbing greedy farmers if the mess with the ribena…you can just see them wringing their hands in poverty.
3…who gives a toss…by the time anything happens there will be n drivers in trucks anyway…so who cares.
wait , I have an idea … why not run fridges on Co2 ■■/
like Gist used to do , years ago…(or was it called transhield in those days ?)
but don’t go in the trailer for half an hour after you’ve opened the doors… or you may suffocate…
Great just convert the reefer engine to run on LPG like we should be doing with truck engines.Cheaper fuel and they won’t be able to play the ‘pollution’ card. 
Just have them use Adblue. Audi are now selling diesels with Adblue.
Carryfast:
Great just convert the reefer engine to run on LPG like we should be doing with truck engines.Cheaper fuel and they won’t be able to play the ‘pollution’ card.
Have you checked the stories of how much fun DHL are having with their LNG volvos, not to mention the lack of available fuelling points nationwide.
Now how about strapping on a wind turbine atop the trailers? The faster you go the more energy they’d produce. Those oirish boys would be able to sell the excess energy they produce to the travelling community and be green ta boot.
Then again, think of the implications of more bridge strikes with the turbine poking up 
The biggest issue is not the colour of the fuel, they are essentially the same, the issue is regulation.
Fridge trailers, rail locos plant and equipment that uses red diesel are not subject to any emission controls, go into any large refrigerated depot and the stink when the air is still is awful, look at the ceiling around the A/C units in the office and they are filthy with soot, diesel pollution is becoming a major issue around the world.
Time it was cleaned up.
Radar19:
Just have them use Adblue. Audi are now selling diesels with Adblue.
The problem that would occur there is the space in which the little diesel motor is fitted theres barely enough room to fit the battery on a fridge, and also the added cost, something needs to be done theres no doubt about it we have around 50 trailers running at any one time in my depot and the fumes and the soot get everywhere not good for you’re health.
mike68:
Radar19:
Just have them use Adblue. Audi are now selling diesels with Adblue.The problem that would occur there is the space in which the little diesel motor is fitted theres barely enough room to fit the battery on a fridge, and also the added cost, something needs to be done theres no doubt about it we have around 50 trailers running at any one time in my depot and the fumes and the soot get everywhere not good for you’re health.
It can’t be that small of an engine. I’ve been told its a 2lt diesel! My Merc only has a 1.5lt. I agree something must by done, I see all the fridges that come over from the EU and they are well and truly hosed.
Do any of the old codgers remember when we had reefer wagons for frozen and chilled goods, no refrigeration unit but “blocks of dried ice” there were cold stores all over the country that sold the blocks of ice. We done frozen chicken Liverpool to Bristol etc
and we’re still at the correct temperature when we arrived.
Trukkertone:
wait , I have an idea … why not run fridges on Co2 ■■/
like Gist used to do , years ago…(or was it called transhield in those days ?)
but don’t go in the trailer for half an hour after you’ve opened the doors… or you may suffocate…
Yeah Polarstream. They were a funny little affair. Open shutter, press timer and after 8 minutes the barrier releases. All this was because people had lost their lives in them by going inside too early a suffocating!
peirre:
Carryfast:
Great just convert the reefer engine to run on LPG like we should be doing with truck engines.Cheaper fuel and they won’t be able to play the ‘pollution’ card.Have you checked the stories of how much fun DHL are having with their LNG volvos, not to mention the lack of available fuelling points nationwide.
LNG isn’t the same thing as LPG regards availability at least.While there’s no reason to think that a spark ignition engine running on LPG should be much less reliable than running it on petrol.
I regularly do reefer containers, and its rare to require a gen set. Load frozen pork from Hull a lot, load dinner time early afternoon, park up enroute over night, doesn’t get powered up until it gets plugged in on the quay at Felixstowe the next morning.
did a -18 reefer to Reed Boardel Boroughbridge couple of weeks ago, unplugged at 1pm, opened at RB’s the next morning at 6am, still well frozen. Reefer containers have thicker walls though, but no reason why refrigerated trunking jobs cant be done in that manner.