Can road feed services go green?
Ground Feeder Services (RFS) is the quiet backbone of air freight. Every day, trucks transport medicines, e-commerce shipments and high-value goods between airports and final destinations. This sector is essential, but also one of the most difficult to decarbonize. As airlines face pressure to report emissions on their cargo, the road sector has emerged as a glaring vulnerability.
Benny Smits, CEO of Belgian transport company Nenatrans, knows the dilemma firsthand. “Electric trucks cost three times the price of a diesel truck… the autonomy is not enough… and there is not enough infrastructure to recharge on time,” he said.
“Electric trucks are not yet scalable under current conditions, but we are building the knowledge now to be ready when infrastructure and costs improve.”
Ninatrans, a family-owned company founded in the 1950s, has always been early to test new ideas. Today, it is conducting experiments using battery-electric trucks on short routes in Belgium. But the limits are clear.
“We conduct tests because we have to build knowledge and experience,” Smits explained. “But if you have to do long-distance running, autonomous driving is not enough. And the infrastructure – charging stations with the right power – is not there yet.”
The financial challenge is no less serious. With an electric truck more than three times the price of an equivalent diesel model, large-scale fleet renewal is unrealistic without subsidies or a breakthrough in battery technology. Smits does not reject the use of electricity, but he considers it part of a much longer journey.
Alternative fuels and additional gains
While the industry waits for infrastructure to catch up, alternative fuels offer a more compelling path. Both hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a synthetic diesel fuel that can be used in existing engines, and bio-based LNG are being explored as options.
Nenatrans is also taking the practical route for incremental improvements. “This is done not only using alternative energies, but also using solutions such as aerodynamic tools, which reduce consumption by 5 percent,” Smits said. For a fleet of hundreds of trucks, these savings are significant.
This focus on increased efficiency reflects the reality of RFS. Unlike airlines, which can shift to sustainable aviation fuel through joint procurement and blending, truck operators operate in fragmented networks where margins are limited and customers’ willingness to pay for greener options is limited.
Eco-combis: efficiency through design
One of Ninatrans’s most promising initiatives is the use of environmentally friendly trucks. These vehicles are longer than standard units and can carry six air cargo pallets instead of four. The result is a direct reduction in CO2 emissions per platform.
“With eco-friendly kits, you can instantly reduce CO2 per pallet,” Smits explained. But there is a problem: regulation. At present, environmental groups can only operate in Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. For international RFS operators, this limits the benefit.
Nenatrans and other carriers are putting pressure on the EU to harmonize rules and allow cross-border use. Smits is convinced the case is strong: fewer trucks, lower emissions, the same safety standards. Until then, the full potential of ecological clusters remains confined within national borders.
The push toward greener RFS isn’t just coming from within the industry. Pharmaceutical shippers, e-commerce giants and owners of high-value goods are increasingly demanding CO2 reporting. Airlines, under pressure to meet their sustainability goals, are pushing the same requirements further down the chain.
Smits sees both opportunity and challenge. “They invest a lot in transporting goods from one end of the world to the other, so the final delivery is very important to confirm this perfect execution. We cannot allow ourselves to lose that,” he added.
But the problem lies in the economy. Ninatrans is open to starting initiatives with clients, such as pilot projects or investment initiatives.
“We need to move together as an industry, because investment is too heavy for one company alone,” Smits said.
Family Spirit for Early Adoption
For Nenatrans, sustainability is not a new slogan but part of the broader family ethos. Founded in the 1950s and still run by the Smits family, the company employs more than 450 people. For Benny Smits, securing their livelihoods is his greatest responsibility. “My biggest achievement is that I can help them secure a monthly income,” he said.
This spirit has translated into openness to innovation. Ninatrans has invested in digital systems before many of its peers, and has taken the same approach with greener vehicles. Even when technology isn’t perfect, the company tests and learns. Smits sees this as vital preparation for the future, when regulation will tighten and customers will demand verifiable carbon reports across the supply chain.
Smits is clear-eyed about the road ahead. There is no silver bullet for decarbonizing RFS. Electric trucks will play a role, but only when infrastructure and costs align. Alternative fuels could fill the gap, but supply and pricing remain uncertain. Environmental groups could make immediate gains, but only if regulators harmonize rules across borders.
“This is done not only using alternative energies, but also using solutions such as aerodynamic tools… All these little things together are important,” he said.
