Why JLR is combining freight efficiency, alternative fuels and resilience
JLR freight operations director Levent Yuksel explains why collaboration, smarter freight planning and a mix of alternative fuels are central to making the carmaker’s logistics network more sustainable, flexible and resilient.
JLR is taking a flexible approach to freight decarbonisation in the UK, combining alternative fuels, logistics optimisation and closer collaboration with partners to strengthen both sustainability and supply chain resilience.
Speaking on the Red Sofa at Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain UK 2026, Levent Yuksel, freight operations director at JLR, said the carmaker is focused on improving the efficiency of its logistics operations to create the financial headroom needed to invest further in sustainable transport.
“First, we need to sort the effectiveness and efficiency in the logistics,” Yuksel said, pointing to empty and unbalanced freight flows as areas the industry needs to address before generating the headroom to invest further in decarbonisation.
However, Yuksel stressed that decarbonisation cannot be delivered by OEMs and logistics providers alone. Energy suppliers, grid infrastructure, ports and logistics hubs all have a role in making lower-emission freight practical and financially viable.
JLR is also deliberately avoiding dependence on a single alternative to diesel. Working with its main logistics partner DHL, the carmaker has introduced a mix of solutions across its UK core fleet, including bio-CNG and HVO. Yuksel said this diversified approach gives JLR greater flexibility when individual fuels face supply, availability or cost pressures.
The strategy illustrates what Yuksel sees as an increasingly important connection between sustainability and resilience. Rather than simply returning to normal following disruption, he defines resilience as the ability to analyse changing conditions, respond quickly and adapt.
Watch the full Red Sofa interview to hear Yuksel discuss the UK's position in global automotive supply chains, post-Brexit regulatory complexity, freight decarbonisation and why collaboration across the logistics ecosystem will be critical to building more resilient supply chains.
