The American Trucking Assns. along with Ryder Truck Rental, Penske Truck Leasing and the Colorado Motor Carriers Assn. were among 10 SmartWay Affiliates honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a 2014 SmartWay Affiliate Challenge award.
EPA honored ATA for supporting policies and practices that reduce truck emissions and improve freight efficiency during a virtual awards presentation.
The SmartWay Affiliate Challenge is a national challenge developed by EPA to acknowledge organizations that participate in SmartWay and do an exceptional job supporting the partnership’s freight sustainability goals. SmartWay Affiliate Honorees have initiated and executed recruiting, promotional, and marketing activities that raise awareness and encourage their members to address air pollution from freight activities.
“With today marking the 44th anniversary of Earth Day, ATA is honored to receive this award from EPA for our work with SmartWay to promote environmental stewardship and awareness throughout the trucking sector,” said Bill Graves, ATA president and CEO. “SmartWay continues to be a great example of the government working with private industry toward a common goal.
“We are honored to share in this award with ATA members Ryder Truck Rental Inc., Penske Truck Leasing and the Colorado Motor Carries Assn.,” Graves said.
ATA was honored for its efforts in recruiting new partners into the program; promoting the SmartWay brand in trucking industry publications and presentations; and presenting and participating in SmartWay educational workshops.
Penske Truck Leasing is a winner for the second consecutive year. Penske was honored for assisting customers with modeling and completion of SmartWay’s tools and helping them establish fuel economy and emissions benchmarking that correlate with SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings; its ongoing education and recruiting of customers to join SmartWay; hosting of educational events for customers via webinars and one-on-one education, strategy and recruiting sessions; and attending and presenting at sustainability conferences, college symposiums and other transportation industry events.
“We are truly honored to be a repeat winner of the SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Award,” stated Drew Cullen, Penske vice president of fuels and environmental affairs. “It is in our company DNA to not only be good environmental stewards ourselves, but to also aid our customers in identifying, quantifying and implementing sustainable transportation solutions.”
Ryder was recognized as for going above and beyond to promote the SmartWay partnership on its website and social media sites, and for sharing the benefits of the SmartWay program with customers.
“Ryder plays an important role in advancing the environmental sustainability of commercial transportation and logistics,” said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Sanchez. “When companies outsource their transportation and logistics operations to us, they not only get cost efficiency, but also the benefits of our environmental expertise, infrastructure, and industry leading partnerships.”
Other 2014 SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Honorees included Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, National Retail Federation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Retail Industry Leaders Association, Wisconsin Clean Cities, and Environmental Defense Fund.
