Con-way joins EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership

Jeff Berman, Senior Editor -- Logistics Management, 7/12/2006

SAN MATEO, Calif.—Con-way Freight announced this week it is “going green” by joining the SmartWay Transport Partnership, which is a collaboration between the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency, while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. 

The EPA said that Con-way already ranks in the top two percent of environmentally efficient-or green-fleets in the U.S, and that the company’s commitment to reducing carbob dioxide and nitrogen emissions represents a major contribution to freight-based environmental performance and fuel efficiency.

“When you are green, you have the opportunity to operate more efficiently and that is a benefit to [shippers], especially in light of rising fuel costs,” Con-way spokesman Joe DeLuca told Logistics Management.

Con-way Freight president David S. McClimon said in a statement that the company’s fleet drives more than 500 million miles a year and consumes more than 90 million gallons of diesel fuel, which he said, puts Con-Way in an ideal position to aid the environment in terms of operating improvements. He added that Con-way will be buying “greener” engines that emit less carbon and nitrogen oxides and that Con-way is also testing more efficient tires and reduced air drag mirrors. Con-way expects its contribution to SmartWay will help the Partnership reach its goal of reducing 33-to-66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and upwards of 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year by 2012.

SmartWay has more than 400 members, which are comprised of industry organizations, truck carriers, rail carriers, logistics companies and shippers. According to its June 2006 E-Update, SmartWay Transport partners who drive approximately 300,000 trucks and travel nearly 17 billion miles per year are on track to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4.4 million tons by 2007. And they are also on pace to save more than 399 million gallons of diesel fuel per year by 2007, which is akin to removing 770,000 cars from the road. This fuel reduction saves the trucking industry approximately $1.2 billion in fuel costs.