Haulage firm AV Dawson Transport has completed a trial of an electric heavy goods vehicle (HGV) in partnership with e-fleet solutions provider VEV.
The transport firm, based in Middlesbrough, tested a 42-tonne fully electric HGV manufactured by MAN for ten days across a variety of routes. In total, the truck completed over 1,800 miles of driving spread over 42 journeys to customer sites; the single vehicle reduced AV Dawson Transport’s emissions by 2.3 tonnes over the trial period.
The test was delivered as part of VEV’s managed trial service, which allows companies to explore the logistical realities of switching to an electric fleet and address any hurdles before implementing a full-scale fleet rollout.
According to Net Zero North East England, around 40% of transport emissions in the North East can be attributed to HGVs supplying industrial operations in the area, which include major hubs for steel and automotive manufacturing.
One customer that had goods transported by the fully electric truck as part of this trial was British Steel; commenting on the trial, Gregg Smith, external logistics director for British Steel stated the firm was “delighted” to have participated in the trial, adding: “Sustainability and reducing emissions is high on our agenda when selecting logistics partners.”
Paul Scott, head of operations at AV Dawson Transport, said it is “an exciting time” for the company. He added: “We’re part of large, complex, international supply chains for a number of major manufacturers and processes, so it’s always been really important to work closely with our customers to help ensure their logistics are as efficient as possible. More recently, there has been a real focus on how we can enable our customers to reduce their Scope 3 emissions, which will in turn, reduce their carbon footprints. This trial is a great example of how we’re working together to do exactly that.”
Recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) note that uptake of zero emission trucks has reached record levels, rising 94% in the first quarter of 2025 to an overall market share of 1%. Despite this increasing popularity, a significant uptick in charging facilities is needed to meet an electric haulage future, a problem being tackled by a number of companies.
In March of this year, Milence, a joint venture between Daimler Truck, the Traton Group and the Volvo Group, opened the UK’s first public charging hub for electric HGVs. The site, located in Immingham, features four high-performance chargers with an output of up to 400kW, supplying a total of eight charging bays. Meanwhile, Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners recently secured a stake in Aegis Energy with the aim of deploying a network of electric HGV and van charging hubs across the UK.
