New Century Trucking Co. recently qualified for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, a program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel efficiency for ground freight transportation.
The company — a provider of hybrid truckload and less-than-truckload services — says it has been focused on reducing its environmental footprint well before becoming a transport partner. Its long-haul and regional fleet of trucks all feature external generator units, designed to reduce truck idling time. New Century says the external generator units, which draw from auxiliary power to control cab temperatures, reduced the fleet’s idling time from 46 percent to 1 percent.
“Being one of the leading trendsetters in the carrier industry, we’re always trying to find ways to do our job better with less harm to the environment,” says Jim Molinari, president of Westampton, N.J.-based New Century Trucking. “The SmartWay Partnership offers a solution for environmentally conscious carriers by offering cost-saving, fuel-efficient strategies that reduce both pollution and energy consumption. I hope our commitment will help set a standard in the shipping industry.”
A voluntary collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry, the SmartWay Partnership is designed to improve the environmental performance of the industry. By 2012, the initiative aims to reduce between 33-66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions per year. The program also is projected to save up to $9 billion in fuel costs – and 150 million barrels of oil – annually.
To become a SmartWay Transport Partner, carriers must perform an environmental assessment of their freight operations and commit to improve their performance within three years. Recommended strategies include idle reduction, improved aerodynamics, automatic tire inflation systems, driver training and improved freight logistics. Shippers also can become SmartWay Partners by shipping at least half of their goods with SmartWay Transport Partners and committing to improve their facility transportation emissions within three years.
