WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is changing the designation for trucks and trailers from “SmartWay Certified” to “SmartWay Designated.”

The agency says this will help distinguish top-performing vehicles that meet SmartWay specifications from vehicles simply certified to meet EPA regulatory requirements.

Click here to visit Today’s Trucking and read the complete story.

New EPA SmartWay Initiative Targets Cleaning Up Port Drayage Trucks

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a SmartWay dray-truck initiative that it says will help clean up exhaust emissions at port facilities across the country. EPA has been joined by the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and the Environmental Defense Fund in the initiative.

Under the dray truck initiative, carriers would sign an agreement with EPA promising to track and reduce particulate-matter emissions by 50% and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 25% below the industry average over a three-year period. In turn, SmartWay dray-carriage partners would commit to using the cleaner trucks to haul 75% or more of port freight.

Click here to visit Fleet Owner and read the complete story.

For many in trucking, EPA’s SmartWay is becoming a fact of life. But dairy fleets, which can run the gamut from single-truck operations to thousands of vehicles, represent just a small portion of SmartWay fleets. That is beginning to change, however.

The E-Smart (Environmentally Sustainable Methods for Achieving Responsible Transportation) initiative launched by Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has become a clearinghouse of sorts for dairy fleets of all sizes to gather information about SmartWay and other best practices to make their operations more environmentally sound.

“The overall character and purpose of E-Smart was to encourage dairy fleets to [participate] in SmartWay,” David Crowley, senior environmental health & safety director of HP Hood, told Fleet Owner.

Click here to visit Fleet Owner and read the complete story.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, July 22, awarded $5.6 million for emerging technologies projects as part of a summer-long roll out of $120 million in clean diesel grants. The awards will provide opportunities to advance cutting-edge technologies in the marketplace, and support both environmental innovation and green jobs to reduce diesel emissions.

“We’re playing to America’s strengths of ingenuity and invention to improve the future of our economy, our health and our environment,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.”

Most clean diesel grants involve widely used strategies such as retrofits or replacements. However, the emerging technologies program promotes deployment of innovative approaches that have not yet been verified or certified by EPA or the California Air Resources Board. Instead, the program enables evaluation of these promising technologies in the field.

Click here to visit CCJ and read the complete story.

Starting on Jan. 1, no 2011 or subsequent model year 53-ft. or longer dry, refrigerated or curtainside van trailer may be pulled by a heavy-duty tractor on a highway in California unless it is either SmartWay-certified or has been retrofitted with equipment meeting SmartWay technical requirements and specifications for fuel-efficient trailers.

SmartWay requirements for 53′ or longer box-type trailers include:

- Low-rolling resistance tires that provide a 3% fuel economy benefit, relative to mid-range rolling resistance tires.
- Trailer side fairings and trailer front-mounted gap fairings or trailer rear-mounted fairings or boat tails

Click here to visit Fleet Owner and read the complete story.

OTTAWA — ecoENERGY for Fleets has extended its submission deadline date and now applications must be post-marked no later than November 30, 2009.

Originally announced on September 10, 2009, the SmartWay-Certified Technology Fund is offered to the on-road Canadian owned or operated fleets and Owner-Operators for the purchase, the installation and the performance measurement of existing certified SmartWay technologies for Class 8 vehicles.

A “Frequently Asked Questions and Answers” section with more details is now available at NRCan’s website at http://fleetsmart.nrcan.gc.ca/sctf.

Click here to visit Today’s Trucking online and read the complete story.

OTTAWA — The deadline for submitting applications for NRCan funding of purchases and installation of SmartWay-certified equipment is fast approaching.

October 30, 2009 is the last day the government will take proposals.

This will enable FleetSmart to gather information on the use of these technologies in a Canadian context. Only approved devices, listed by manufacturer and product code, are eligible.

Known technologies under SmartWay include aerodynamic devices or low rolling resistant tires.

The federal government can reimburse up to 50 percent of the project total value to a maximum of $100,000. Eligible expenses include data collection and reporting which is a requirement of the funding.

More details are available here.

[source - todaystrucking.com]

]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/nrcan-releases-details-of-smartway-technology-funding/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/gold-to-green-cali-bound-truckers-readying-for-carb-diet/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/gold-to-green-cali-bound-truckers-readying-for-carb-diet/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:51:13 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=1428 The anticipated enforcements of environmental regulations issued by the California Air Resources Board are just around the corner, and a large number of British Columbia fleets are taking notice. With I-5 being a favored and main international route for carriers, the British Columbia Trucking Association is lobbying the province for educational and financial resources to help these operations get in compliance. Ideally, the association is hoping the government will help provide low-cost loans and grants to help pay for the adoption of aerodynamic technologies.

British Columbia Aims to Help Fleets Prepare for CARB

VANCOUVER — A steady diet of CARB regulations could have California-bound truckers tightening their belts very soon as they swallow the costs to comply with tougher environmental rules.

They say that whatever rule they cook up in the staunchly “green” Golden State, usually ends up turning into a national standard somewhere down the road, so even if you’re not hauling south on the Pacific Highway, cross-border truckers might want to pay close attention.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), a world leader of intertwining enviro regs, recently approved the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Regulation, which legislates a phased-in compliance schedule for the purchase and/or retrofit of fuel-efficient tractors and trailers, as well as reefer units.

Any truck heading into the state will have to comply with the regulation, regardless where they call home. The fines will likely be steep and it’s no secret the bankrupted state can use all the extra coin it can get these days.

The rules, some of which kick-in Jan. 1, 2010, will require tractors and any coupled 53-foot or longer box-type trailer to meet certain fuel-efficiency standards, including the use of aerodynamic technology and low-rolling resistance tires and a CARB-approved diesel particulate filter.

More immediately, trucks that visit ports in California are required to be signed up with CARB’s drayage registry by Sept. 30.

While many might not be enthusiastic about the related cost to comply, the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA) is at least satisfied the rules apply to everyone.

“Everybody is on a level playing field,” says Paul Landry, president and CEO of the BCTA, told Today’s Trucking. “If you want to do business there you have to make the investment and recoup the costs through freight rates.”

And a large number of B.C. outfits are in the business of traveling to California. The I-5 runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean and touches both the Mexican and Canadian borders and is the main international route for B.C. truckers. The state is a big market for Canadian goods, and there is plenty of fresh produce for the return trip.

It’s so important that the BCTA has been lobbying the province to help carriers meet CARB regulations. BCTA is urging outreach, education, and some financial incentives from the government that would make it easier for truckers to voluntarily adopt fuel-saving technologies that suit their individual needs.

The association would also like to see the government make low-cost loans and grants to assist carriers in cutting fuel usage and make real GHG reductions — and in turn, comply with CARB regulations.

“If you want to run in California, you have to follow California rules,” says Landry. “We don’t want our carriers to have two fleets, one for California and one for the rest of North America, and I think they really understand the problem.”

For tractors, 2011 and newer trucks with sleeper cabs must be SmartWay certified, beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

Day cab tractors

All pre-2011 tractors that pull affected trailers must use SmartWay verified low rolling resistance tires, beginning Jan. 1, 2012. For trailers, 2011 and newer 53-foot or longer box-type trailers must be either SmartWay certified or retrofitted with SmartWay verified technologies of either low rolling resistance tires or aerodynamic devices beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

Reefer trailers moving in and out of California have a different standard to live up to.

Trucks that haul reefers manufactured before 2001 now have until Dec. 31 to meet the state’s “In-Use Performance Standards,” meaning they’ll require emission-control retrofits.

The rule was originally slated to take effect July 16, but enforcement was delayed because CARB said several thousand TRUs were “not in position to comply.”

Like many of us know when embarking on a New Year’s resolution, it isn’t easy starting a CARB diet.

[source - todaystrucking.com] ]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/gold-to-green-cali-bound-truckers-readying-for-carb-diet/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/dieselmisers-opens-one-stop-service/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/dieselmisers-opens-one-stop-service/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:19:25 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=1416 DieselMisers, a “one-stop shop” offering fuel efficient products, has recently opened to support fleets in finding ways to boost their bottom line with the use of EPA-verified technologies. Many SmartWay certified devices and components compliant with California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations are available. Mobile technicians will travel to customer sites to conduct installations and a complimentary fuel efficiency analysis, and make recommendations on the best solutions for each operation.

A new business touting itself as a “one-stop shop” for trucking fleets looking for fuel efficiency products has opened its doors. According to Rock Hill, SC-based DieselMisers, the company will distribute and install a wide variety of EPA-verified fuel saving products. Close to 90% of the products on the SmartWay list are available through DieselMisers, company president & gm Jon Long said.

“We’re really looking forward to getting out on the road and helping fleets find ways to save fuel and money,” said Long. “We strongly believe that our business model is perfectly suited for the current regulatory and fuel cost environment, especially given the new CARB regulations requiring aerodynamic models and fuel-efficient tires.”

The company will offer everything from APUs to battery-powered air conditioners to trailer skirts and fairings as well as automatic tire inflation systems and fuel-efficient tires. “If it saves fuel, and it really works and lasts a long time, we sell it,” said Long.

He said the Mobile Mod Squad team of installation technicians are available to install the devices, traveling to customer locations to perform the installations. Also being offered is a complimentary efficiency analysis where representative will meet with fleet managers to make recommendations on the best technologies available to provide the biggest return on investment.

[source - fleetowner.com]

]]> http://www.myettnews.com/2009/10/dieselmisers-opens-one-stop-service/feed/ 0 http://www.myettnews.com/2009/09/coalition-seeks-to-increase-%e2%80%9cgreen%e2%80%9d-port-truck-population/ http://www.myettnews.com/2009/09/coalition-seeks-to-increase-%e2%80%9cgreen%e2%80%9d-port-truck-population/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:37:29 +0000 Rhonda Flathman http://www.myettnews.com/?p=1236 With the help of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), SmartWay certification will be extended to port trucks closely following the EPA’s initiatives directed at over-the-road carriers. Initially modeled after clean truck deployments at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the SmartWay port plan will be based on air quality and fleet data gathered at the nation’s largest ports. That data is expected to be used to create a national template for other port cities across the country. The “green drayage truck” rating system will provide a national framework to measure emissions levels of port trucking activities, set benchmarks for air quality improvement at our nation’s ports, and certify emission reductions that are achieved through the deployment of clean port trucks by members of the shipping industry.

SmartWay Develops Certification for Port Trucks

In an effort to boost deployment of “green” port drayage trucks, the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT) has formed a partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help develop a national SmartWay certification program and rating system, mirroring the SmartWay program currently in place for over-the-road (OTR) freight carriers.

“Drayage trucks are high profile; they get a lot of attention from the local communities that surround many ports,” James Jack, CRT’s executive director, told FleetOwner. “What we’re trying to do with a national SmartWay certification program for port drayage vehicles is create momentum for greener models using the same set of incentives in place for OTR truckers.”

Jack said CRT has convened a working group consisting of major national shippers, ocean carriers, and port drayage providers to help develop a “green drayage truck” rating system that will eventually provide a national framework to measure emissions levels of port trucking activities, set benchmarks for air quality improvement at our nation’s ports, and certify emission reductions that are achieved through the deployment of clean port trucks by members of the shipping industry.

One reason for tapping the SmartWay model comes from CRT’s diverse membership, as the group is comprised of: national shippers including Target, Best Buy, Gap Inc., The Home Depot, HP, Lowe’s, Nike, and Wal-Mart Stores; ocean carriers including NYK Group Companies, Hanjin Shipping, and “K” Line America; and drayage providers and equipment manufacturers including California Multimodal, LLC, Container Connection, GSC Logistics, Intermodal Bridge Transport, PDS Trucking, Southern Counties Express, and Total Transportation Services.

Initially, the SmartWay port drayage model will be developed based on air quality and truck fleet data that has been collected through clean truck deployments at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which collectively represent the largest U.S. seaport for ocean freight, said Jack. The goal is to ultimately use the model developed in Southern California as a template for a national SmartWay port drayage rating system that would be individually tailored to major seaports across the country.

“We want to use the same set of financial incentives deployed in the OTR market to encourage the use of diesel-electric hybrids and other ‘green’ truck models in port drayage,” Jack said. “Shippers would commit to reserving freight or offer higher rates to those drayage operators that use ‘green’ port trucks complying with the SmartWay standards. The financial incentives are the critical component as port fleets can’t invest in green technology without the support of their customer base.”

http://fleetowner.com/news/topstory/coalition-seeks-increase-green-port-0831/

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