What are leading common carriers and private fleets doing to make their operations more green?
Heavy Duty Trucking magazine recently decided to profile what is rates as the top 50 green fleets in the US, based on questionnaires it sent to dozens of companies.
HDT noted that when it first came up with the idea to feature the country's top green fleets, the initial plan was simply to rank them based on the number of alternative fueled vehicles used. However, it soon recognized that the evaluation is more nuanced than that.
"Green strategies vary greatly depending on the operation. For one company, natural gas might make sense. For another, green might mean solar-powered warehouses. For others, it's all about fuel-efficient specs and driver training," HDT noted.
In the end, it profiled 50 green fleets. You can find the entire list here.
TheGreenSupplyChain.com has been through the full list, and below re-posts eight of the most interesting approaches by carriers and private fleets.
Central Freight Lines
In November 2012, Central Freight Lines bought 14 Peterbilt CNG tractors and put them into its P&D operation in Houston, Texas. After successful testing, the fleet moved aggressively forward and purchased 100 2014 Freightliner M2 112 tractors along with 400 Hyundai Translead 28-foot pups with side skirts.
Central has completed a 120-bay CNG fuel station on its property in Houston and is building a second one in San Antonio and planning a third in Fort Worth. The company is testing automatic tire pressure systems among other initiatives.
Con-way Truckload
Con-way Truckload uses wide-base single tires, governs its trucks at 65 mph, installed Smart Truck Under Tray aerodynamic systems on its trailers, used lightweight spec'ing tactics to cut weight by 670 pounds per truck, trains drivers to adopt "progressive shifting" techniques and more. Used oil is collected from tractors to use as fuel for heaters in the shops.
It's not just trucks - the company added more than 1,000 hybrid autos to its national fleet this year. It recycles paper, cardboard, soda cans and plastic bottles, as well as computer hardware, plus scrap metal from the tractor, trailer and body shop.
C.R. England
This 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award winner has more than 4,500 heavy-duty tractors with an average age of 1.1 years, meeting the most stringent emissions standards. It's buying new 2019-emission-standard refrigeration units, so far showing a 17% fuel improvement. C.R. England has been implementing natural gas solutions for customers (LNG and CNG) for regional, short-haul, closed loop or local moves where the infrastructure is in place, and plans to expand natural gas use. Driver training, including progressive shifting, has one of the highest returns on investment.
Sophisticated testing programs help evaluate fuel-saving equipment. Tractor aero kits, trailer side skirts, low-rolling-resistance duals, wheel covers and 62-mph governors save fuel. Aluminum wheels save weight and increase payload. No-idle and idle reduction policies, training and goals, bunk heaters and Idle Air have led to a 17% idle reduction in one year. A new policy eliminating solo drivers will also help cut excessive idling due to hours-of-service mandates.
Frito-Lay, A Division of Pepsico
Out of about 1,100 Class 7-8 trucks and tractors, this 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award winner runs 208 dedicated CNG vehicles. Out of 14,000 Class 3-6 trucks and vans, 200 are propane, 280 are electric. The company has reduced fuel usage by over 18% since the start of its sustainability work; in the US., Frito-Lay hopes to reduce its total fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2020, compared to 2007 baseline. It says it has the largest all-electric delivery fleet and one of the largest natural gas Class 7/8 fleets. In 2013, the company will break ground on seven public CNG fueling stations.
Monarch Beverage Company/E.F. Transit
Nearly half - 54 out of 100 - of Monarch's Class 7-8 vehicles are CNG. Indiana's largest wine and beer distributor plans to buy a total of 100 new natural gas-powered Kenworth trucks and has built a $2.5 million fueling station next to its warehouse as it works to convert 85% of its fleet to CNG. What sold Monarch on natural gas was its low price, the clean-burning nature of the fuel, and the arrival in early 2013 of the new 12-liter natural gas engine from Cummins.
Raider Express
 Raider Express started limiting the speed of its trucks in 2005, starting at68 mph and gradually dropping it to an industry low of 60 mph. Component specs are designed to maximize mpg in the 57- to 68-mph range. It's been an early adopter of technologies such as wide-base single tires, lightweight components and automated manual transmissions. Monthly truck averages regularly run above 9 mpg, sometimes above 10, while averaging 77,000 pounds GVW. Its 175 tractors are predominantly clean 2012 or newer tractors or experimental CNG trucks. The 300 refrigerated trailers are equipped with TrailerTails and side skirts. Raider says it has a "culture of fuel economy."
Staples
Staples has improved its fleet average mpg by 30% since 2005, on its way to a goal of 40% by 2015. Out of its 15 Class 7-8 trucks and tractors, 10 are CNG. The bulk of its trucks, more than 1,700 of them, are in Class 3-6. They all use biodiesel, plus there are 53 electric and 20 flex fuel. All trucks are controlled to a top speed of between 58-63 mph. Idle is limited to 3 minutes unless certain temperature or operating conditions are met. The 53 Smith all-electric first generation trucks have been in service since 2010, and five new next-generation models are set for delivery in January. It's also working with Roush Clean Tech and Ford for LPG F-550 rated at 19,500 pounds as a potential flagship truck for Staples delivery.
UPS
UPS has a long history of investments and expenditures that benefit environmental protection. Some stretch back decades, such as its work with alternative vehicles. UPS put its first such vehicle, powered by electricity, into service in the 1930s. Today its alternative fuel/technology fleet numbers 2,688 vehicles around the world.
In the US, UPS has 93 LNG-powered heavy-duty vehicles out of 17,588. In Class 3-6 the alt fuel numbers are higher, with 854 CNG, 380 hybrid electric, 102 full electric and 41 hydraulic hybrid - out of 63,000 total vehicles in this class. The company has put in place a global IT system for tracking greenhouse gas emissions and is using solar power for facilities.
A lot of similarities of course across carriers/fleets , but also some differences too. Raider Express is getting 10 mpg? We'd like to learn more.
Anything strike you across these eight profiles? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback button below.
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