Here’s my beef! We don’t have to wait for new fleets to make logistics greener

Here’s my beef! We don’t have to wait for new fleets to make logistics greener

A few years ago, when companies talked about sustainability in manufacturing, the conversation often centred on visible symbols of green intent: a wind turbine beside a factory, or solar panels on the roof.  Those things matter. But they are not the whole answer.

In logistics, thousands of valuable assets are already out in the world: trucks, trailers, trains, ships and vans moving products every minute of every day. Many still have years of useful life left.

So here’s my beef.

If we talk about greener logistics only in terms of new vehicles, new factories or new energy sources, we miss one of the most practical opportunities in front of us.

We can retrofit our way to lower emissions, better asset use and increased profitability.

In my work with logistics and manufacturing leaders, this is often where the conversation becomes most interesting. Not just what can be designed from scratch, but what can be added, adapted or improved on the assets already in use.

For road transport, weight is a powerful example. A lighter vehicle needs less energy to accelerate and climb hills. For electric vehicles, reduced weight can extend range or reduce the size and cost of the battery pack. For diesel fleets, it means less fuel burned over millions of kilometres.

But the opportunity is not only in the truck or tractor unit. Often, the trailer, especially the chassis, can make a major difference.

For one blue-chip beverage client, gross vehicle weight limits meant full truckloads were not always possible in certain geographies. Lighter trailers could have increased payload, reduced empty-running costs and improved efficiency.

Across road transport, practical retrofit options already include:
• Bolt-on propulsion and battery systems for trailers
• Aerodynamic improvements such as side skirts and trailer tails
• Low rolling resistance tyres, lightweight wheels and automatic tyre inflation
• Auxiliary power units to reduce engine idling
• Solar panels on trailers to support refrigeration, lift gates and other auxiliary loads
• Telematics to improve fuel visibility, driver behaviour, routing and predictive maintenance
• Engine and exhaust upgrades including SCR, AdBlue dosing and particulate filters.

The same thinking applies beyond road.

Existing rail stock can benefit from regenerative braking, battery packs, lightweight materials, better aerodynamics and smart energy management systems.

Maritime transport also has major retrofit opportunities: air lubrication systems for hulls, wind-assisted propulsion such as Flettner rotors, smart hull coatings, shore power in harbour, and alternative fuel systems including LNG, green methanol and hydrogen.

This is not about ignoring the need for new vehicles, new infrastructure or cleaner energy.

It is about recognising that sustainability and competitiveness are not opposites.

In a sector with tight margins, the best retrofit technologies can reduce emissions and improve cost performance at the same time.

The question is simple.

Who will grab the opportunity to upgrade existing logistics assets, cut emissions, improve performance and create a competitive advantage?

Because if we get this right, sustainability is not a cost.

It is a way to win.

Simon Clark
Founder and CEO, Julius & Clark Operations Consultants
Visiting lecturer, University of Cambridge Department of Engineering
June 2026