Tips for Improving the Sustainability of Your Fleet

If you’re looking to improve the sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint of your fleet, there are several initiatives and strategies you can use. Fleet sustainability is a big topic lately with climate change in the media, and implementing some of these ideas can help your fleet optimize its fuel economy and improve overall fleet sustainability. 

Why should carriers care about sustainability?

The trucking and transportation industries are not the only sectors seeing a push for sustainability. Shippers, retailers, and consumers are all looking to reduce the negative impacts on the environment. As a carrier, your company can help shippers and customers to reach their sustainability goals. And if you announce your green initiatives with a dedicated page on your website, you may even attract more customers who share those goals.

Local governments are also getting pressure from their constituents to improve sustainability regulations and reward eco-friendly companies. If your company is already working to reduce the negative environmental impacts of transportation, you can take advantage of those incentives and rewards right away, and you may end up steps ahead of your competition in reducing carbon emissions. 

How can carriers reduce fuel costs and emissions?

Alternative Fuel Vehicles

If you’re looking to reduce emissions and cut down on fuel costs, consider buying alternative fuel vehicles for your fleet. Most truck manufacturers are now offering models that use alternative fuel sources. Some offer trucks that run on hydrogen, while others offer renewable natural gas (CNG) options. And electric vehicles are probably the most popular alternative to those that run on fossil fuels for sustainable fleets. It’s important when considering alternative fuel options to make sure that your drivers will be able to find charging stations or fuel stations on their routes. As alternative fuel vehicles become more and more popular, this won’t be such a concern. Hybrid electric vehicles and trucks that run on biodiesel may also be good options for your fleet. Make sure to do some research on the fuel economy of your fleet vehicles when replacing older trucks or adding to your fleet. 

Establish Best Driving Practices

Another way that fleets can reduce emissions and fuel costs is through driver training. Establish a set of rules for your truck drivers regarding best driving practices that include ways to maximize fuel efficiency. This can include things like reducing idling, best acceleration and deceleration tactics, and more. It’s also important to define when heavy-duty trucks will be used as opposed to medium-duty or light-duty vehicles. Using the wrong-sized truck for the job will inflate maintenance costs as well as negatively impact your fuel consumption and emissions. 

What is green fleet management?

A “green fleet” is any fleet that has goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste sent to landfills, and conventional fuel consumption. Green fleet management (or sustainable fleet management) is the administrative approach that allows companies to organize and coordinate work vehicles with the aim to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet the sustainability goals of the company.

A green fleet strategy focuses on several key areas: staff behavior, greener vehicles, and maintenance. If you want to improve the sustainability of your fleet, it is critical to clearly define your goals, define tasks or strategies to help you accomplish those goals, assign people or departments to specific tasks, and create a timeline to make changes. A clearly defined green fleet strategy will help you prioritize your initiatives and meet your sustainability goals.