Companies striving to reduce energy costs and emissions demonstrate good business sense, and in the long run will be more sustainable, according to officials at SmartWay Transport, an organization sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This kind of corporate citizenship adds shareholder value and has begun to capture wider interest in the investment community.
Here's more information from this organization. In an effort to bring more uniformity to state and local laws limiting truck idling, the SmartWay Transport Partnership is preparing a Model Idling Law that could be adopted by those states and localities interested in controlling truck idling. Over the past four months, more than 200 representatives from 36 state/local environmental and transportation agencies, 35 trucking companies, 13 state trucking associations, and 44 other organizations attended workshops in Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and Hartford.
Participants from the trucking and environmental sides of the issue were able to learn more about the needs and opinions of each stakeholder group, and were able to exchange views on what would make for the most comprehensive and effective idling laws. Based on the results of the workshops, EPA is preparing a draft model state idling law. The model law will be published in the Federal Register in the fall.
Put Money in Your Pocket with SmartWay Upgrade Kits. The SmartWay Transport Partnership has partnered with Arkansas and Minnesota to launch its first low interest loan programs for trucking companies to purchase fuel saving and emission reduction devices. These states offer opportunities to small freight carriers to apply for "SmartWay Upgrade Kits," a combination of proven fuel-saving technologies. The loans allow a company to purchase fuel-efficient technologies for its fleet.
A Department of Energy (DOE) grant will fund a 50% discount on advanced aerodynamics for fleets. The DOE grant provides an opportunity for fleets to purchase trailer aerodynamics at a 50% discount for a limited time. This discount would bring the cost per trailer to between $800 and $1,200 for a partial or full aerodynamic package. A tractor-trailer travelling 100,000 miles per year will generate fuel savings of approximately $160 per month, and have a payback period of approximately seven months.
Source: SmartWay Transport Partnership
