Making a mark on and under the bonnet

Whether in bright yellow, like Delmonico Dorel’s, or with the airbrushed images of the film “Scarface”, like the CNG Iveco of Deltatome boss Hedi Amara – in France, trucks with CNG engines stand out. Clever, because in this way the French also draw attention visually to the more environmentally friendly drive with biogas. 

Deltatome’s unusual airbrush artwork on wheels with biogas in the tank. Source: Iveco

The transport company Deltatome, based in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier near Lyon, is active in the refrigerated transport of food and pharmaceutical products, textile transport and express delivery with 46 employees and a fleet of 35 vehicles. Thanks to its investment in biogas vehicles, the French freight forwarder has been able to greatly expand its activities in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region with its numerous low-emission environmental zones (Lyon, Grenoble or even Haute-Savoie).

Even if the access vehicle is on the road without a trailer for a change, you can of course see a reference to the classic film “Scarface”. Source: Iveco

Deltatome boss Hedi Amara uses the entire Iveco range, from the Daily to the Eurocargo and the large S-Way. “Today, half of our fleet runs on biogas, and this share will continue to grow in the coming years. With these vehicles, we are driving the energy transition in our industry and creating real partnerships with environmentally conscious customers.” No wonder that Deltatome is also one of the hauliers with the most biogas kilometres for the large corporation Amazon and was therefore named “Scale Champion” at the Sustainable Fleet Awards.

In addition to the “Scarface” S-Way, the haulage company also relies on other vehicles from the Iveco range from the Daily to the Eurocargo to the other S-Way – logically also powered by CNG. Source: Iveco

“The haulier, who combines his passion for trucks with his environmental convictions, went one step further and created a true work of art with biogas in the tank. Hedi Amara decorated a CNG Iveco with the characters from the 1983 film classic “Scarface”. The unique airbrushed artwork features Michelle Pfeiffer and, of course, Al Pacino alias Antonio “Tony” Montana, the scarred face. On the positive side, the CNG truck leaves no scars on the environment, as it is almost CO₂-neutral on the road thanks to its biogas drive.

“I am very proud of this vehicle, which perfectly reflects the attitude of our company,” explains Amara. “With its new design, the Iveco S-Way also keeps Deltatome’s colours high and is very much appreciated by our drivers. Biogas simply fits our company DNA and the legacy we want to leave to our children.” Othman Al Bawarshi, Director of the Medium-Heavy product range at Iveco France, proudly adds, “We are pleased to have been able to support Deltatome in its environmentally conscious approach with biogas vehicles.”

The family-owned Delmonico Dorel Group company, which specialises in building and civil engineering, has been using CNG vehicles for over five years and has now taken delivery of two new CNG Iveco. Source: Iveco

But it is not only Deltatome’s “Scarface” Iveco that runs on biogas in a climate-friendly way in France. The Delmonico Dorel Group, a family-owned company specialising in building and civil engineering, has also been using the advantage of CNG-powered vehicles for more than five years to transport materials to construction sites in the most climate-friendly way possible. Now the fleet has been expanded with two bright yellow Iveco S-Way with CNG drive. The two 44-tonne tractors each have 460 hp and air suspension and are thus ideally equipped for operations in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, where they deliver to building materials dealers, concrete plants, asphalt mixing plants and construction sites.

The success of the family-owned group is closely linked to natural resources, which is why they also pay attention to nature – as here in the Carrière des Gottes. Source: Delmonico Dorel Group

At the family-owned group, around ten percent of the 110-vehicle fleet is powered by CNG, and the Delmonico Dorel Group has even built its own CNG filling station at the Andancette site. Teddy Delmonico, Deputy General Manager of the Delmonico Dorel Group, explains: “CNG allows us to drastically reduce our CO₂ and NO_x emissions and keep noise pollution to a minimum.”

The S-Way CNG 8×2/6 Tridem with tipper body is also ideally equipped for off-road use. Source: Iveco

Among the CNG vehicles, by the way, is an S-Way CNG 8×2/6 Tridem with tipper body specially developed by Iveco. It combines a short wheelbase (4800 mm) with a vertical exhaust, a third axle and a gas configuration with two CNG tanks of 526 litres each, which, thanks to 170 kilos of biogas on board, gives it a long range, but also a lot of manoeuvrability and, above all, better ground clearance – a real plus for every (off-road) application. (pd/jas, 13 July 2023)