Dutch haulier is trailblazer

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Scania Group Press Release  /  November 10, 2017

The Dutch tanker haulage company Meijndert International is a pioneer in operating Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tractor unit trucks. Owner Rien Meijndert is now looking forward to the increased power with the newly launched Scania 13-litre gas engine.

“The 9-litre engine truck that we now use is slightly underpowered for our operations,” he says. “At that time we had no other option. The new engine will be more in line with our 410 hp diesel engines. We think that this will make a big difference in the usability and switching to LNG will be simpler.”

Started out with one truck

After resigning as a director of a truck haulage company, Rien Meijndert started out with one truck, that he drove himself. He has gradually expanded the business and now operates a large all-tanker fleet. “We’ve experienced quite a large growth and the company keeps on growing We’ve gone from a single truck ten years ago and will have 45 trucks at the beginning of next year. That’s big!”

He started the business as the financial crisis was crippling the world and chemical producers were looking to cut costs and willing to bet on the newcomer. To further spread the message, his drivers appealingly customised the trucks, winning several trophies at trucking festivals.

These days, the business is well-established. Rien Meijndert and the several members of his family that work for the company are now more concerned about how the retain the small-business atmosphere. Perhaps, he says, future growth will be slower. “One of the major advantages of being a small company is that everyone knows what needs to be done. This results in higher service and a better quality level than the bigger companies usually can offer.”

Saving time and money

The tanker trucks are operated in 500–600 kilometre radius covering Benelux, western Germany, northern France and the UK. Meijndert has its own tanker trailers and with recurrent customers and consistent deliveries of the same chemical products, saving time and money by not having to clean tanks.

“Transporting dangerous goods involves many other aspects compared with normal transport. Training drivers is very important and maintaining the trucks also plays a big role. We need to uphold safety awareness among all those involved, including our suppliers. Mistakes can have a big impact.”

Only operates Scania trucks

Meijndert International only operates Scania trucks – including current and new generation R 410 as well as R 620 V8 trucks – with the slight exception of the owner’s pet 1981 U.S. Peterbilt that is his Sunday workshop hobby.

Each of Meijndert International’s 40 drivers operate a given truck during the eight years before it is traded in. Bart Mouritz is the dedicated driver of the LNG truck. “I now have some experience with this truck and I like it very much,” he says. “It’s very smooth with good torque. My only remark is that it occasionally lacks in power but the coming 410 hp version will be great for our operations.”

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