The Ontario Tire Stewardship reached a major milestone in its Used Tires Program recently. Since 2009, the province has made recycling tires a priority and in just two years’ time, has recycled its 25 millionth scrap tire in the province. In that time, more than 125,000 tones of tires have been recycled in Ontario. OTS officials are pleased to have reached this mark well before scheduled. They also say the program has significantly Continue Reading

The new federal fuel efficiency standards announced by US President Barack Obama may have some far-reaching effects. After the proposed 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission goals detailed on Tuesday, the Canadian Trucking Alliance is pushing for Ottawa to adopt a similar set of eco-friendly rules for the trucking industry. Specifically, the CTA wants to accelerate the penetration of new EPA2010-compliant tractors into the marketplace and incentives to retrofit older vehicles with fuel-saving technologies, as well as see lawmakers embrace the Continue Reading

Most stakeholder groups in the trucking industry are cheering the new federal fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks announced Tuesday. With the exception of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. (OOIDA), the new targets for reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions were met with praise. One of the advantages of the plan is to reduce dependence on foreign oil. In order to develop technologies to achieve these ambitious standards, a number of OEMs will be put to work, though several said the new federal fuel efficiency goals align well with Continue Reading

New federal fuel efficiency standards were announced yesterday, and they affect a broad span of vehicles, ranging from tractor-trailers, heavy-duty pickups and vans, and vocational uses. Tractor-trailers are targeted to achieve a 20 percent reduction in both fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions by model year 2018. Within this group, there are even more specific requirements determined by design and Continue Reading

Air quality continues to improve at the Port of Long Beach, according to a recent assessment of its clean-air efforts. The study found that pollution has dropped 72 percent, in large part due to the phasing out of the oldest trucks serving the port. From 2005 to 2010, key air pollutants, including greenhouse gases, diesel particulates, sulfur oxides and smog-forming nitrogen oxides dropped by double-digit percentage points. Though port Continue Reading

Though the package volume handled by UPS last year rose, the company’s latest annual Sustainability Report shows a reduction in the amount of fuel used to deliver each package. From 2009 to 2010, package volume grew 1.8 percent, while fuel consumption per package dropped 3.3 percent. Several factors were cited in this improvement, such as routing technologies, load optimization, monitoring and managing driver behaviors–particularly with Continue Reading

Multiple environmental efforts at the Port of Seattle have paid off for the gateway as it has gotten a “green” stamp of approval of sorts from a recent study touting it as offering the lowest carbon footprint for containers moving shipped between Asia to the Midwest. The study titled “Carbon Footprint Analysis for the Asia to North America Intermodal Trade” helps determine a container’s carbon footprint by factoring its size and utilization, among other things. Herbert Engineering, which was commissioned by the port to conduct the Continue Reading

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is tweaking its SmartWay program with an updated designation and new logos with which to label trucks and trailers. Now, equipment that meets the agency’s requirements for its reduced emissions components or performance will be tagged “SmartWay Designated” rather than “SmartWay Certified.” This is partly to distinguish trucks that go beyond meeting EPA regulatory Continue Reading

Yesterday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a third year of funding to promote the purchase of next-generation clean cars, trucks and off-road equipment. The program will offer up to $40 million to be distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Trucking companies in the state can receive vouchers to help support the addition of fuel-efficient hybrid and zero-emission trucks into Continue Reading

Navistar is once again suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because it is at odds with the selective catalytic reduction technology other engine manufacturers have been using to meet 2010 diesel exhaust emissions regulations. The OEM claims that the SCR technology can be easily circumvented, making it do little as a result to protect the environment. Named in the suit is EPA Director Lisa Jackson, who is being accused of not doing her duty to uphold the Clean Air Act and her agency of not doing its part to protect public health. Multiple Continue Reading