Reuters reports Tesco plans to expand its use of a train service to bring goods from Spain into the UK in an effort to reduce emissions and protect deliveries due to a truck driver shortage.
According to an interview with Ken Murphy for Reuters Impact, the last three months have been “quite challenging,” but the supermarket has been able to cope due to its close ties to suppliers and detailed planning.
Additionally, the company has recently begun using a chilled rail service to import fruit and vegetables from Spain, which helps reduce its reliance on trucks and ensures deliveries.
Across the UK, retailers and oil companies have expressed their concern about a shortage of truck drivers this year.
Tesco aims to increase rail container volume to 90,000 by November or December, up from 65,000 containers currently transported by rail.
“We’re one of the few if not the only grocery retailer in the UK that uses rail extensively,” he added. “That helped us during the HGV challenges we’ve had during the summer.
“To put it into context, by shipping 65,000 by rail, we save about 22 million road miles a year.”
Transfesa Logistics announced in September 2020 that it will supply Tesco with Spanish fruit and vegetables via a new express rail network.
