SmartWay Affiliate Editorial Calendar
March 2019: Resources to Share with Your Members
Theme – Freight Supply Chain Innovations
March brings us the first day of spring and symbolizes new beginnings. This is a great time to consider some of the innovations that are on track to transform how trucking companies and other parties in the industry operate.
As a SmartWay Affiliate, you can encourage your members and stakeholders to take advantage of the many advanced operational strategies and technologies available.
Intermodal Advancements - Advances in collecting, assessing and analyzing freight data are making it easier for companies to mix and match modal choices to their advantage, identifying the best combination of modes, from origin to destination, for each shipment. Telematics, onboard data collection, sensors, geospatial software, and other IT innovations enable companies (or their third-party logistics providers) to customize shipping routes, using the exact combination of modes that best fit their cargo, timing and distribution needs -- while saving fuel and reducing emissions.
For more information, review the Clean Freight Strategies document entitled “Intermodal for Shippers.”
- Intermodal for Shippers (PDF) (2 pp, 677K, February 2016, EPA-420-F-16-006)
Retread Tires - There are many innovations in tire retreading and fleets can benefit from the technology. Retread technologies are divided into two categories – mold cure and pre-cure. Each system has unique advantages but both systems produce equally effective retreaded tires. Retread technologies and low rolling resistance (LRR) tires can reduce both costs and emissions for long-haul class 8 tractor-trailers by 3% or more.
- More information:
Truck Electrification - The emergence of electric trucks in last mile, less-than-truckload, and long-haul deliveries will mark one of the biggest changes in trucking equipment. Many OEMs have announced plans for future electric trucks and these vehicles represent a path to a near zero wheel to wheel emissions and huge fuel savings for fleets. Early models are designed primarily for short haul applications such as urban pickup and delivery, refuse trucks and port drayage.
For more information, check out a webinar entitled “How Electric Trucks, Big Data and Connectivity are Changing the Freight Industry:
In addition, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a SmartWay affiliate, recently published 2 reports on the emergence, development and deployment of commercial battery electric vehicles (CBEVs).