A silent success

Did you ever wake up much too early in the morning because of noise from delivery trucks? In many cities, noise complaints from residents have prevented retail suppliers from delivering fresh goods during night hours. Dialogue and noise-reducing measures have made our great colleagues in Schulstad so successful in solving the problem that Schulstad now delivers fresh bread in the City of Copenhagen during the night hours – without a single complaint from residents.

Due to complaints from residents in the neighborhood, many supermarkets do not accept delivery before 7 in the morning. However, the bans on delivery of goods to stores at night and in the early hours of the morning creates a huge problem for both retail suppliers and the local community because it limits the delivery timing to two hours says Niels Holm, Supply Chain Manager at Schulstad.

Traffic is heavy in the cities between 7 and 9 and causes delay for the drivers. This means that they cannot deliver to as many stores as they can, when traffic is low, and many suppliers must therefore run several cars to be sure to handle the deliveries they have committed to. It is expensive, but cost is far from the only challenge, says Niels Holm, Supply Chain Manager at Lantmännen Unibake Denmark Fresh that owns the Schulstad brand. Among other things he highlights the many serious accidents where bicyclists are involved when trucks turn right and the increased CO2 emission of trucks queuing up in morning traffic.

For a number of years Schulstad has worked to reduce the noise from their bread delivery. Much noise has to do with the driver's behavior so Schulstad has put a lot of effort into training their drivers in low-noise delivery.

The truck as such is of course also an important element. For example, it makes a big difference whether the bottom of the truck is made of the right material, and if a rear camera replaces the rear alarm.

On this background. Schulstad has systematically changed to trucks that are noise reduction certified (PIEK) and today 85 per cent of their fleet has a PIEK certification.

Schulstad’s efforts have paved the way for an agreement with the City of Copenhagen, which means that Schulstad can now deliver during the night hours as long as there are no complaints from residents. This scheme has been working for three years without a single complaint.

Schulstad is currently running trials with three hybrid trucks that can run on electricity at speeds below 30 km / h. This effectively removes the last engine noise. - Hybrid cars are the ultimate solution, but they are expensive and not an option for every business. PIEK certification, on the other hand, is a much more manageable investment, especially in relation to the many benefits you get by being able to deliver at night, says Niels Holm. - If the effort for quiet delivery means that we avoid just one serious right-turn accident during peak hours, then I believe it has been worth it," he concludes.