SmartWay Helps Fleets Quantify Savings of Emissions, Fuel
By Peter Christopher, Special to Transport Topics
This story appears in the 2009 Transport Topics Private 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian private carriers, published in the Aug. 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is giving shipper-owned fleets a way to showcase their commitment to energy efficiency and cleaner air.
Established in 2004 by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, SmartWay, a voluntary program, has grown to about 1,900 participating companies. These firms collectively operate 585,000 trucks running more than 51 billion miles per year. That represents roughly 20% of the estimated 3 million heavy-duty trucks registered in the United States and 37% of the 139.3 billion miles logged by Class 8 trucks in 2006, according to data compiled by American Trucking Associations.
The EPA’s goal for SmartWay was to reduce transportation emissions by providing a way for companies to quantify emission levels based on the type of trucks and the nature of their hauling operations. The program also serves as a repository for information about fuel-saving and emission-reducing products on the market.
Kirk Rutherford, manager of private fleet maintenance and equipment for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, said his fleet has seen improvement in average fuel economy from 6.28 miles per gallon in 2003 to 6.54 miles per gallon in 2008.
“The first thing is always your bottom line, and [SmartWay] gives you a different perspective on things,” said Rutherford, whose company was one of the first to join SmartWay.
Among the fuel-saving technologies adopted by the Bridgestone fleet were low-rolling-resistance tires and lightweight aluminum wheels. Sleeper tractors were outfitted with trailer side skirts and cab fairings to reduce drag.
Rutherford said the company is testing auxiliary power units and has included other weight-saving options, such as single wide tires on trailers, to reduce weight.
“We have reduced trailer weight by 600 pounds in the past two years,” he said.
The ability to choose from a menu of alternatives is one of the appealing features of SmartWay, said a top fleet executive at Kraft Foods.
“You can use the ones that make sense for your business,” said Harry Haney III, associate director for service and capacity transportation in Madison, Wis. “This makes the partnership sustainable in various economic conditions.”
Since joining SmartWay in 2007, Kraft has installed APUs in its trucks to reduce fuel use while idling and added new trailer refrigeration units with remote monitoring capability to better control fuel use. The firm also developed a new vehicle for direct store delivery of frozen and refrigerated products that features a hybrid-electric powertrain and fully electric refrigeration technology.
Although SmartWay partners are allowed to set their own goals for reducing emissions, a spokesman for EPA said nearly 200 companies have been removed from the program for what officials determined to be “unreasonable” submissions or because the level of improvement has fallen short of what EPA officials believe is possible.
Each participating company submits data on fuel consumption, average payload and miles traveled and is scored based on projected reductions in carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter from the use of SmartWay-certified technologies.
A SmartWay score, which is known as the shipper index factor, or SIF, can be zero, 0.75, 1.00 or 1.25, with 1.25 being the best score possible. Only these scores are made public.
Private carriers score generally high marks. A review of Transport Topics’ Top 100 Private Carriers found that of 20 SmartWay-certified companies, three received a SIF of 0.75, three received a SIF of 1.00, and the other 14 were given a score of 1.25.
Growth in SmartWay has led EPA to consider using a more detailed emissions model that could provide more feedback to participating companies and reduce administrative overhead.
EPA also plans to expand participation in SmartWay beyond trucking to include air and ocean carriers and barge lines. This plan, called SmartWay 2.0, is scheduled to begin in January 2010.
SmartWay 2.0 will provide supply chain carbon footprint analysis and will have tools that allow automatic upload of company data.
Support for SmartWay has extended beyond shippers and carriers. In April, U.S. Bank announced it would offer discounted loans to consumers who financed SmartWay-certified cars and light trucks, making it the first national bank to offer such a program.
Colorado has approved a “green truck fund,” which will provide grants and funding for trucking fleets to acquire SmartWay-certified trucks as part of a new law that provides incentives for reducing emissions. The law, which is backed by the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, changes the state sales tax rates for tractors and trailers. Instead of companies having to pay 100% of the sales tax regardless of their fleets’ in-state mileage, companies now will pay based on the percentage of a fleet’s mileage within the state.
EPA Notes Diesel Emission Reduction Technologies OK for Federal Funds
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified four broad categories of technologies that meet the agency’s standard for reducing emissions and fuel consumption, making them eligible for federal tax credits or grants under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program.
The categories are:
Idle Reduction Technologies
• Electrified parking spaces — An EPS system supplies heating, cooling and electric power to truck cabs, allowing the main truck engine to be turned off when parked at a truck stop or other facility.
• Shore connection systems and alternative maritime power — An SCS/AMP system allows maritime vessels to plug into an electric power source instead of using their diesel auxiliary engines while in port.
• Shore connection systems for locomotives — Similar to the SCS/AMP for maritime vessels, the SCS allows locomotives to plug into an electric power source instead of using their diesel engines while at the rail yard.
• Auxiliary power units and generator sets — An APU/GS device contains an EPA-certified engine and provides cooling, heating and electric power to Class 8 trucks and other applications.
• Fuel-operated heaters — An FOH device provides heat only to a truck’s cab, reducing emissions by eliminating the need to idle heavy-duty diesel engines.
• Battery air conditioning systems — A BAC system uses batteries to power an electric cooling system when the truck engine is turned off.
• Thermal storage systems — A TSS uses stored energy to provide air conditioning when the truck is turned off.
• Automatic shut-down/start-up systems — These devices control the engine start and stop, based on set time periods or ambient temperature.
Aerodynamic Technologies
• Trailer gap reducer — These devices reduce air turbulence by narrowing the gap between the tractor and trailer. EPA estimates it can generate fuel savings of 1% or more.
• Trailer boat tail — These devices attach to the rear of trailers to reduce turbulence and generate fuel savings of as much as 5%, according to EPA.
• Trailer side skirts — These devices smooth the flow of air on the sides and underneath the trailer. EPA estimates fuel savings of up to 7%.
Low-Rolling Resistance Tires
Certain tire models provide fuel savings of 3% or more, compared with standard truck tires. Options include both dual tires and single wide tires.
Retrofit Technologies
Among the qualified products are diesel particulate filters and various emission-upgrade packages that include diesel oxidation catalysts and crankcase ventilation and filtration systems, platinum-based fuel additives and cetane enhancers. Use of biodiesel is permitted as well.
An increase in nitrogen dioxide emissions associated with some retrofit technologies is limited to no more than 20% above baseline engine levels, EPA said.
EPA also said it recognizes and accepts retrofit systems and products verified by the California Air Resources Board.
