Keep on truckin' technology driving a cleaner tomorrow: today's trucking industry is turning increasingly to environmentally friendly, clean and energy-efficient methods to remain competitive--and in its wake, help the planet in the process.

AuthorGraham, Steve
PositionLOGISTICS

Nowadays, it's not only hip to be green, it's also smart business. That's why the conservation movement has permeated companies large and small across the globe. Just look around. The lights in your office are likely energy-efficient bulbs. The many recycling bins scattered throughout the building are probably larger (and fuller) than the trash bins. Even computers are lulled to sleep if the keyboard isn't touched--all in an effort to conserve energy and costs.

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Though we're getting accustomed to living in a conservation-minded world, you may not realize that one example of sustainable practices impacting your business can be found in a most surprising place: your supply chain.

In fact, the big trucks that haul a company's raw materials and products are themselves high-tech examples of energy efficiency. Even more surprising, these trucks have been going green for decades--long before it was in vogue or on the C-suite's radar.

Because the fuel it takes to run the vehicles has always been a large contributor to a carrier's overhead, it's historically been advantageous for them to find ways to run the trucks more efficiently. Yet, the industry took only basic steps to improve fuel economy until recent decades, when it entered a new era of environmental consciousness.

When the price of fuel began to skyrocket a few years ago, many trucking companies that hadn't adopted environmentally friendly operations had to shut their doors. The survivors put their energy-efficiency efforts into overdrive. To both maintain costs and preserve the planet, they haven't looked back.

Leveraging Today's Technology

The industry has made tremendous strides in reducing a truck's environmental impact and enhancing its efficiency. Many of those improvements have been made possible through technology, and the advancements have touched nearly every part of the truck.

Engine: The loud, dirty, smoky trucks that used to cruise down highways are becoming extinct. The Environmental Protection Agency issued technology-forcing standards for engines in 2004, 2007 and 2010, with a goal to drastically reduce emissions, and truck manufacturers rose to the challenge: Every truck built today comes equipped with a diesel engine that emits almost zero particulates and 80 percent less nitrogen oxide than just three years ago.

Though the first two versions of the engine put the focus on emissions rather than fuel economy (causing a 5-percent loss in miles per gallon using then-available technology)...

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