Firms Earn EPA SmartWay Status

Pella received the accreditation for its responsible management of transportation partners and private fleet and committing to improve the environmental performance of freight operations.

“This is a natural fit and affiliation for Pella,” said Steve Bowers, corporate logistics manager, Pella. “We have a deep history of being good stewards of the environment. And with our commitment to achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals, we’ll carry on that proud tradition.”

"I am pleased to welcome Pella Windows & Doors to the SmartWay Transport Partnership," said Margo T. Oge, Director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. "We welcome their participation in the SmartWay Partnership and congratulate them on their commitment to improving their freight-related environmental performance and fuel efficiency."

Pella’s goals as a new SmartWay Partner include:

• Seeking and contracting truck loads with SmartWay Partners.

• Communicating to those in the transportation industry Pella’s status as a SmartWay Partner.

• Developing a “no idling” policy for carriers parking at Pella sites.

• Incorporating an internal SmartWay Partner educational program for Pella’s more than 50 logistics employees around the country.

Pella also earned the US Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for windows in 2007 and 2008 for its leadership in manufacturing energy-efficient windows and educating consumers about them.

On a related note, Eleets Transportation, Inc., a newly formed provider of environmentally-conscious services for pre-printed newspaper insert logistics, general commodities for truckload and less-than-truckload transportation, and intermodal transportation, has been recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a SmartWay Transport Partner.

Eleets has achieved a SmartWay score of 1.25 which represents outstanding environmental performance by EPA standards, the carrier said. This score is assigned to those SmartWay partners who are already utilizing most of the commercially-available fuel saving strategies and are actively evaluating the latest emerging technologies.

Eleets’ attainment of its SmartWay certification is just the first of many steps as part of its SmartWay Transport Partner action plan, a company spokesman continued. Other steps in this process include incorporating innovative strategies into its long-term operating plan that will reduce by 5% fuel consumption and the emissions of harmful gases; increasing year-over-year intermodal volume by 20% reducing empty miles by implementing technology solutions that will reduce empty reposition miles of carrier-partners and fleet operators by 10%; and incorporating environmental clauses into its contracts with asset providers.

“Eleets is committed to improving the environmental performance of our freight operations as a SmartWay Transport Partner and this is reflective in our long-term strategic plans,” said Allen J. Steele, president and CEO, Eleets Transportation. “Our goals are very much aligned with those of the SmartWay partnership. “’Green’ touches all aspects of transportation. Partners like Eleets are commercial, industrial, and public sector organizations that are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and improving fuel efficiency of ground freight transportation.”