Schneider takes steps to become the "Greenest" fleet

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 5/13/2008

GREEN BAY, Wis. and WASHINGTON—Schneider National, a transportation, logistics, and intermodal services provider recently announced that its fleet of more than 10,600 drivers will reduce truck speeds to 60 mph.

This news comes at a time when gasoline prices continue to hit record highs, and issues like sustainability, fuel conservation, and carbon footprint reduction are major issues for shippers and carriers. The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) recently-announced “Trucks Deliver a Cleaner Tomorrow Initiative” endeavors to address environmental concerns and carbon output, as well as reduce fuel consumption. Schneider served on the ATA’s Sustainability Task Force, which drafted the core recommendations of “Trucks Deliver a Cleaner Tomorrow. And Con-way also recently announced plans to turn back speed governors for its LTL and truckload fleets from 65 to 62 mph and 70 to 65 mph, respectively.

Janet Bonkowski, Schneider National spokesperson, told LM that Schneider is reducing the speed of its fleet to 60 mph to meet its objective of running the most energy-efficient fleet in the industry.

“Speed reduction is directly correlated to fuel conservation and emissions reductions,” said Bonkowski. “Both are important to our company, our customers and the overall sustainability of our world. Reducing the speed will conservatively save 3.75 million gallons of diesel fuel per year and reduce truck CO2 emissions by 83.25 million pounds per year – the equivalent of taking 7,259 cars off the nation’s highways.”

One of the biggest benefits of this initiative for shippers, according to Bonkowski, is that it will help them deliver on their sustainability programs, as more shippers are focused on sustainability and the environmental impact of their supply chains. Speed reduction and subsequent fuel savings and emissions reductions are a significant part of that, she noted.

Bonkowski also explained that going “green” is especially important at a time when the competitive freight transportation market has seen several challenges, due to things like a down economy and energy prices.

“Schneider in a marketplace that is experiencing a tough economic climate,” she said. “While some of our competitors are exiting the one-way business, Schneider is more committed to it than ever—in fact, we're even growing it. That means we're better positioned to have the capacity our customers need when the market rebounds.  Plus, we’re operating our fleet in an environmentally responsible way.”