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The greening of Green Tiger
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Irish operator Green Tiger Express has saved thousands of euros and won green brownie points by converting nine trucks to run on rapeseed oil.
Words: Patric Cunnane 1 images: Paul Sherwood Enthusiasm for biofuels has waned thanks to the controversy over the impact on food production when you turn over large tracts of land to crops grown simply to produce vehicle fuel.
Such concerns led to an announcement last month by Irish energy minister Eamon Ryan abandoning Ireland's plan to have buofuels make up 5.75% of all transport fuel by 2010. "We have to make sure that the development of biofuels does not lead to hunger in other countries," said Ryan, adding that Ireland would have to depend heavily on imports to meet the target.
Despite the minister's announcement Dublin-based Green Tiger Express is continuing with plans to convert its entire fleet to run on biofuels by January next year.
Its charismatic director, Jerry Kiersey, is positively evangelical about the benefits brought by converting trucks to run on rapeseed oil.
Nine of Kiersey's 17-strong fleet now run on biofuel. Conversion costs €5.500 (E4.36) a unit, and the first two were paid for by the German-Irish Chamber of Commerce, which was offering grants in Ireland at the time. "For years we've been paying some farmers to produce nothing," says Kiersey. "Rapeseed offers them an opportunity." Kiersey believes biofuels present a unique opportunity. "Ireland could be self-sufficient for fuel for its heavy haulage fleet based on rapeseed grown here," he says. He points out that the land used for Ireland's now defunct sugarbeet industry could grow enough crops to power 5,000 lorries a year. He adds that the fuel is viable only for HGV use, since the conversion process requires the vehicle to have two tanks, one containing diesel to start the engine and the other for rapeseed. Cars and vans do not have the space.
Apart from its environmental advantages, running trucks on rapeseed saves Green Tiger 15c a litre, and Kiersey estimates savings of €150,000 (£119,000) over lA months. The biofuel is supplied by farmer Michael McBennett of Newcastle, Co Dublin, the founding president of the Irish Bioenergy Association.
Press your own
He has invested €300,000 in a press for rapeseed, which in addition to fuel produces cooking oil and high protein nuggets for animal feed. McBennett and Kiersey go back a long way. Green Tiger's service centre is on McBennett's farm. McBennett argues that rapeseed has the capacity to reduce carbon emissions and produce a secure homegrown supply. He says the land use argument is spurious. "Food versus fuel annoys me," he says. "The golf courses of America alone could produce five ration tonnes of wheat a year as they are only in areas with a good supply of water." The fuel is stored on Green Tiger's site in dedicated special tanks.
This year Kiersey celebrates 35 years in the haulage business. Following a career in the Royal Navy, he started in 1973 as a "man with a van" delivering confectionery and magazines. In 1978 his long association with Toyota began, and he set up a company called Blueffite, delivering to the automotive aftercare market. "At one time we delivered to 73% of all franchise dealers in Ireland," he says. In 1995, he sold Bluellite to freight giant DFDS on the proviso that he stayed at the helm. He soon stepped down, making no secret that he was unhappy with the direction the operation was taking.
Then followed 18 months as chief executive of the Irish Freight Forwarders Association, later renamed the Irish International Freight Association.
But haulage is in the blood, as they say. In early 1999 Toyota approached Kiersey and invited him to tender for a five-year contract for its car transportation business. This involved moving vehicles from ports to compounds and from compounds into the dealer network. Green Tiger Express was formed and took on the work in September 1999, beating bids from rivals NVD and Crosbie Transcar.
Lease contact Initially. Green Tiger leased 15 vehicles on a five-year contract, but has latterly made the switch to buying its own vehicles, allowing it the freedom to carry out the biofuel conversions.
Nearly a decade on, the company, says Kiersey, has made steady progress. It runs 17 transporters and has three new Volvos on order for December. Instead of components it now transports cars for Toyota, representing about 80% of Green Tiger's business. Toyota, points out Kiersey. is Ireland's market leader in cars. The other 20% of the business is accounted for by Britt European, for which Green Tiger delivers Scania trucks to Irish dealers. "They ship them to Ireland and we collect from the port," he says.
A cloud on the horizon is the state of Ireland's economy. "The car market has taken a beating following a strong 2007 and will be down on 2001 levels, which itself was a very serious downturn," says Kiersey. He believes things will get worse. "The biggest problem facing the country is the fuel crisis." One analyst has predicted that oil will reach $200 a barrel by 2010. "That will impact through the whole of the economy, nowhere more so than in haulage. By then many small operators will have gone to the wall. We are in for a very tough time ahead." Ireland's saviour. reckons Kiersey, is its export industry. "We are the most openly traded economy in the world. We export into the British and European food chains."
A key indicator of downturn is the building trade, with 40,000 fewer houses being built this year than last.
Hiring good drivers is hard. Four are Polish and he also has a Polish office clerk. The specialised nature of the work means drivers do stay. "We expect a lot from our drivers and we reward them well," says Kiersey, adding that drivers earn €55,000-60,000 (£44,000-£48,000) a year with expenses and bonuses; they also have a pension scheme.
Security remains a constant concern given the high value and conspicuous nature of the cargo. The company has strict rules on where the vehicle keys are kept. Kiersey says there are basically two types of thief out there, "the opportunist and the serious shopper". Truck crime, however, is less of a problem than in the I..JK because fewer Irish drivers need to park up at night.
Other interests
But it's not all work for Kiersey. Several years ago he developed a passion for swimming and took part in Dublin's annual Liffey swim, belying the image of the stereotypical haulier fuelled on all-day breakfasts before flopping out of the cab onto the sofa at day's end.
This year, Kiersey is working with Stephen Millar of Dublin Mini Coaches to raise funds for a children's charity minibus. The two men will swim 100km between July and September in Ireland's Open Sea swims to raise money. Kiersey is seeking sponsorship from his contacts in the Irish Road Haulage Association. Sponsors so far include Dublin Port and Toyota Ireland.
Apart from a visit to the MeBennett farm, CM'S chat with Kiersey took place in a sandwich bar near his Dublin site. The menu includes several healthy options, as well as good quality coffee, tea, juices and smoothies. The clientele, a mixture of drivers, warehouse workers and visiting reps, seemed happy with this fare. And there's not an all-day breakfast in sight. How times have changed. •