GreenRoad, prominent provider of Software-as-a-Service driver behavior and fleet performance systems, welcomes Obama administration plans to set new standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The proposed changes are expected to save U.S. fleets as much as $170 billion in fuel between 2021 and 2027, with additional societal benefits bringing total savings to $230 billion.
“As a company which is fully committed to increasing fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions we wholeheartedly support this new legislation,” said Ken McCann, GreenRoad vice president of sales, North America. “While fuel economy of large trucks has improved by less than 1 MPG since 1970, GreenRoad has helped its customers achieve mpg increases of over 14% across their truck fleets, for annual savings of millions of dollars.”
The company stated that operators need not wait for legislation-spurred developments in engine technology to tackle wasteful and environmentally harmful excess fuel use. Fleets of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles can significantly improve fuel-efficiency by reducing idling and helping drivers adopt smoother, safer driving behaviors. The GreenRoad system combines in-vehicle feedback and exception-based alerts with a cloud-based portal that provides valuable information for drivers and managers.
The recently announced legislation is expected to cut carbon emissions by one billion metric tons over the lifetime of vehicles built under the new standards. When fully implemented, the new regulations will reduce the carbon footprint of new vehicles by up to 24%. Medium and heavy duty trucks currently account for about 20% of greenhouse gases produced and oil used in the US transportation sector, yet represent only 5% of vehicles on the road.
“Energy-efficient driving styles are safer driving styles and fleet executives recognize that investing in a program to change driver behavior delivers many benefits besides reducing fleet impact on the environment such as a significant reduction in accident-related costs and lower insurance premiums,” Zeev Braude, chief executive officer of GreenRoad, said. “The GreenRoad system of creating sustainable change in driver behavior allows our customers to benefit from unprecedented return on their investment.”
