Total has entered into an agreement with Harvest Energy, a member of the Prax Group, which will allow Harvest Energy to develop its network of service stations with the support and expertise of Total and to secure its fuels supply. The first Total service station will open at Thirsk in north Yorkshire before the end of 2019, with further deployment continuing in 2020. The Total outlets will offer the public and business customers the company’s full lineup of fuels and lubricants, as well as a broad range of products and services, including EV charge points. The agreement will also ensure closer co-operation for fuel supply, domestically with Lindsey Oil Refinery and internationally through Total’s trading portfolio. “We are delighted with this alliance with Harvest Energy, where we offer our partner reliable supply and customers gain access to our wide range of products and services,” commented Benoît Luc, senior vice president, Europe in marketing & services at Total. “We are pleased and excited that we have signed this partnership agreement with Total,” added Sanjeev Kumar, CEO of the Prax Group. “It is the culmination of many years of solid cooperation between our respective companies and I am sure that it will be extremely beneficial for all concerned.” Harvest Energy will capitalise on Total’s expertise to achieve its growth targets over the coming years and it is expected that the network’s appeal and services will lead to new partnerships with operators of dealer-owned service stations.        

Oil Terminal 2019, the 14th annual technical conference and exhibition, will be held on 14-15 November in Saint Petersburg. The event, which has a long and impressive history, has proved to be one of the major platforms for sharing experience and for seeking out solutions to the main issues in the industry. For the last 14 years Oil Terminals annually brings together 350+ delegates from oil and gas trading, storage, and shipping businesses representing refineries, oil terminals, and ports from 25 countries including Russia, the CIS, the Americas, Europe, and Asia, as well as CTOs and CEOs from tank farms and oil terminals of Russia, Kazakhstan and the Baltic states.

FTA’s Logistics Emission Reduction Scheme (LERS) has recently launched a FREE guide to help all road operators to reduce their use of diesel. The guide, available on LERS’ website, provides readers with advice taken from industry leading companies on how to save money and lower emissions by reducing fuel use in their diesels fleets. The average emissions from LERS members are close to 13% lower per vehicle km than the industry average,” said Rebecca Kite, FTA’s environment policy manager. “For the most part, operators have achieved this reduction by using their existing diesel fleets more efficiently, rather than adopting alternatively powered vehicles. “At FTA, we recognise that not every business is able to transition to alternatively-fuelled vehicles; that is why we have identified from this research six quick wins to reduce fuel use. From reducing empty running and aerodynamics to route optimisation and telematics, there are steps operators of all fleet sizes and budget considerations can take; these techniques also have the potential to dramatically cut fuel bills. Different strategies will be more effective for different types of operations; this guide offers advice on where and when these options are appropriate. “FTA’s goal is to help all parts of the logistics industry save costs and reduce its environmental footprint, avoiding the future need for government intervention in our sector.” To view the guide, please visit  http://lers.org.uk/home/how-to-reduce-your-emissions LERS – lers.org.uk – is a free-to-join scheme which helps members record, reduce and report emissions.

Pupils at Hoddom Primary School in Ecclefechan were very pleased to win a Certas Energy road safety poster competition held to mark the opening of the‘fechan Truckstop at Junction 19 of the A74(M).  

18-24 November Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest road safety event, coordinated annually by Brake, the road safety charity. Road Safety Week aims to inspire thousands of schools, organisations and communities to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages during the Week and beyond. It also provides a focal point for professionals working in road safety to boost awareness and engagement in their work. If your business has plans for Road Safety Week do please get in touch with Fuel Oil News – jane@fueloilnews.co.uk Share with Brake at Twitter (@BrakeCharity and use #RoadSafetyWeek #StepUp) and Facebook  

Five people, including the former owners of a Sussex petrol station have been sentenced for distributing and selling an estimated 4.8 million litres of illicit fuel to unsuspecting motorists, including haulage companies across the south east.

On Friday 11th October, Certas Energy opened its latest HGV refuelling site at the Red Lion Truckstop in Northamptonshire’s ‘golden triangle’ of logistics for over 30 years.