Crowley Trucking joins EPS SmartWay program

Crowley Trucking joins EPS SmartWay program Crowley Trucking Inc. said today it has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transportation Partnership, a voluntary program in which participating companies work to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution.
   Crowley Trucking said its primary emphasis would be on the reduction of truck idling times.
   “We’re looking at ways to cut engine idling through driver awareness,” said Maureen Cunningham, Crowley's vice president of operations in Jacksonville. “At the same time, we’re investigating auxiliary power sources to keep drivers cool in the summer and warm in the winter when their engines are turned off. We also think we can achieve fuel and emission reductions by looking at the tires we use and how they are inflated.'
   The program also encourages participants to work with their service partners to encourage operating practices that are environmentally friendly, and to work with other SmartWay members when they can.
   “Anything we can do to reduce emissions and conserve fuel will have a positive impact on our employees, customers, members of communities in which we do business and the world in general,” Cunningham said. “We felt it was important to take a leadership position on this issue, and we will be strongly encouraging our trucking partners, with whom we contract for supplemental trucking services, to apply and join the SmartWay program.'
   SmartWay's overall goal is to reduce from 33 million to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions per year by 2012. Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas, and nitrogen oxide is an air pollutant that contributes to smog. At the same time, the initiative should result in fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually, officials estimate.
   More information on the program is available at www.epa.gov/smartway.