SmartWay Transport Partnership
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a collaboration between freight shippers, carriers, and logistics companies to voluntarily achieve improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions from freight transport. The program is administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and is currently housed with the USEPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) - Transportation and Regional Programs Division (TRPD). SmartWay also administers the National Idle-Free Corridors Program which aims to reduce idling by commercial vehicles along interstates, at distribution centers, and along other transportation corridors. The SmartWay Transport Partnership is administered by USEPA headquarters, with program staff located in Washington, D.C. and at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Background and history
The Partnership was officially launched on February 9, 2004 with the support of 15 charter members and the backing of the American Trucking Associations. Since its inception, the Partnership has grown to include more than 600 companies and Affiliates including Wal-Mart, Nike, ExxonMobil, CSX Transportation, Whole Foods Market, FedEx, and Schneider National.
Partnership members achieve fuel savings and emissions reductions in several ways. Freight carriers fulfill their commitment to the Partnership by upgrading their truck fleet with various fuel saving technologies and by reducing idling time. SmartWay strategies include:
- wind deflectors on the tops, sides, and rear of trucks, to reduce aerodynamic drag;
- fuel-efficient tires and tire inflation systems to reduce rolling resistance;
- idle reduction equipment to power and cool the cab while the truck is not in motion, allowing the engine to be shut off;
- the use of speed governors; and
- the use of hybrid powertrain systems, especially for urban operation trucks.
SmartWay shippers fulfill their commitment by shipping their goods with SmartWay carriers, by using other, less-polluting modes of commercial transport including rail transport, and by reducing truck idling at their shipping facilities. SmartWay logistics Partners inspire the fleets that they manage to join the Partnership, adopt fuel-savings strategies and technologies, and commit to increasing the amount of freight shipped by SmartWay carriers by 5% per year. SmartWay Affiliates, which include various state government agencies and trade groups, play a promotional role for SmartWay by educating policy-actors and their members about the benefits of the Partnership.
Goals of the partnership
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is likely to have increasing appeal in the coming years as fuel prices rise and as the prospect of global warming influences businesses and individuals to reassess their environmental footprint. By 2012, the SmartWay Transport Partnership aims to save between 3.3 and 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year, which translates to eliminating between 33 - 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrous oxide emissions per year. The Partnership also aims to reduce large amounts of particulate matter (PM). The SmartWay Partnership is committed to helping freight shippers and carriers discover ways to improve the efficieny of their supply chain and achieve superior environmental performance.