No one should be in any doubt of the impact environmental measures will continue to have on Ireland’s transport industry. The government has been absolutely clear about the need to reduce carbon emissions. In line with Ireland’s participation in the Kyoto Protocol and EU agreements, Ireland’s National Climate Change Strategy calls for an annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 3% in the period 2008-2012 – over 17 million tonnes in total.

In 2006, the last year for which figures are available, transport emissions made up almost 20% of the national total; road transport accounted for 97% of that. And while better road infrastructure will actually reduce emissions through the reduction in congestion, plans for new motorways will not let hauliers off the hook. Not only has the EU called for ever cleaner fuels, but it wants to reduce the number of heavy vehicles on the road.

But as the ‘cul-de-sac of Europe' Ireland is, according to Jimmy Quinn, head of the Irish Road Haulage Association, “probably more dependent on road haulage than any other European nation.” There is simply no way in which the amount of cargo carried on the roads can be reduced – short of telling consumers they will not always get what they want.

Instead, hauliers have to work to make their operations as efficient as possible through effective load planning and route scheduling; implementation of the right technology to help manage the workforce, as well as the fleet; regular vehicle maintenance; driver training; and of course, an increased sharing of vehicles to minimise empty running.

And that’s where TPN comes in. By sharing the distribution of pallets, TPN members achieve better vehicle utilisation while covering less miles – at the same time improving the service to their customers. The rest of the industry should be green with envy.