International:
Iveco offers NGV training to police unit in southeast England
IVECO welcomed members of Essex Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit to its Basildon head office for an in-depth training day on the latest commercial vehicle fuel technology, LNG. The Commercial Vehicle Unit is a designated section of the Essex Roads Policing team, responsible for a 4,500-mile network including major roads such as the A12, A120, M11 and M25. Working alongside the Casualty Reduction Unit, it is responsible for investigating all road traffic collisions and law enforcement involving commercial vehicles.
Sergeant Daniel Parsons, PC Rob Andrews, PC Jason Bullock and PC Gary Winfield attended the course to learn how to safely handle the fuel in case of an incident, as well as understanding the environmental benefits LNG offers over diesel.
The day – which was organized and run by Ian Longman, IVECO’s Senior Technical Trainer for the UK & Ireland – featured a detailed inspection and test drive of IVECO’s Stralis NP 460hp tractor unit, which runs on 100% LNG.
“As more fleets transition from diesel to LNG-powered vehicles to help improve sustainability, it is important police teams fully understand the differences,” said Longman. “Over the years we have learned how to use diesel safely, by understanding exactly how to handle it. Now we are doing the same with LNG, which actually has many safety advantages over diesel. It is non-toxic, non-corrosive, and has no potential for ground or water contamination in the event of a spillage. It will dissipate relatively quickly compared to diesel or petrol and, as such, may present less of an ongoing hazard than a liquid fuel spill.”
Andrews also commented: “The information we learned on the course was hugely beneficial. Our knowledge of LNG prior to the day was limited, but we’ve come away with key information we can share with our team, including a much better understanding of how LNG is stored on the vehicle in high pressure steel tanks.”
IVECO has worked closely with manufacturers to design steel LNG tanks to be extremely safe, offering better resistance to collisions than standard diesel fuel tanks. Those fitted to a Stralis NP 460 are able to withstand direct impacts, vehicle rollovers and even fires – to ensure maximum safety for the driver and other road users.