Arla is trialling a new type of hybrid milk lorry in a bid to reduce its road miles.

The new vehicle is capable of both collecting raw milk and delivering milk bottles to stores. The milk tank can hold approximately 19,000 litres while the trailer can accommodate about 85 milk cages.

There were occasions when Arla was sending out a vehicle full of finished product then sending out an empty tanker along the same route to collect raw milk, said group fleet director Gordon Irvine.

“We aren’t the only company faced with this dilemma but we are the first to deliver a solution and put one of the country’s most innovative trailers on the road,” he said.

After two years of development, the lorry is being trialled out of Arla’s Stourton transport hub. The lorry carries the message: ‘This combination trailer helps us to protect nature for tomorrow’.

Arla makes around 4,000 daily deliveries to stores and regional distribution centres nationwide.