While SmartWay engineers move toward expanding the program’s certified truck models beyond long-haul designs, component suppliers continue to develop new products that offer fleets opportunities to save fuel. Some of these products have already been considered by EPA SmartWay to be sufficiently effective to be included in its list of verified fuel saving products even though it has not yet certified any models of the trucks on which they would be used.
As we discussed on this page in recent months, EPA SmartWay will soon be using new criteria to certify vehicles, criteria based on fuel consumption tests instead of the use of components verified to save fuel. Up until now, only long-haul tractors have been certified as having fuel saving/low emission designs because over-the-road transport burns more fuel than any other segment of the trucking industry. Of course, there are some SmartWay verified products that can be used on trucks in applications other than line haul.
For example, over the past several years, EPA has evaluated idle reduction technologies/devices to study the effects of idling on air quality, fuel consumption and driver health. Based on these studies, a variety of idle reduction technologies have been determined to save fuel compared to idling the main engine. The use of these technologies could be very advantageous to a P&D fleet that is faced with the possibility of excessive idling times.
Low rolling resistance tires also offer P&D fleets an opportunity to save money. Recently two tires, specifically designed for P&D operations, have been evaluated and verified by SmartWay as offering low rolling resistance, the Bridgestone’s R260F and R250F products. Chris Hoffman, a product marketing manager at Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions, said, “Until now, most tires approved for SmartWay-certified vehicles were long-distance radials, which aren’t built for the high-scrub environments encountered by beverage hauling, package and parcel delivery, grocery, food service and other P&D operations. Adding the R260F and R250F to the verified technology list allows SmartWay fleets to specify the right tire for the job.”
All major tire manufacturers offer low rolling resistance tires to the trucking industry. Yokohama’s manager of commercial tire sales, Rick Phillips, said, “We were being environmentally friendly before it was popular to be so. About 10 years ago, we began introducing low rolling resistance tires that did not sacrifice tread life. Now, those same characteristics have become very important to the fleets. Fleets are also being pressured by their shipper customers to be environmentally friendly, to move more freight with fewer trucks and leave a smaller carbon footprint.” Tires verified by SmartWay as low rolling resistance products offer fleets the opportunity to save a minimum of 3% of fuel when compared to the average “best selling” new tire.
SmartWay verification is always included in Yokohama’s design goals when the company initiates development of new low rolling resistance products, as it likely is with other tire manufacturers. There are industry recognized facilities available to manufacturers that are accepted by SmartWay to deliver dependable test results.
Phillips said, “We normally use a third party independent testing lab to test the rolling resistance of our tires and submit the test results to SmartWay, which verifies the rolling resistance of the designs.
Another development in the world of truck tire manufacturers is worthy of note. Yokohama recently joined Continental and Michelin as supplier members of the EPA SmartWay Partnership. This means that these manufacturers are committed to shipping more than 50% of their products on SmartWay-designated transport carriers, a move that adds an incentive for fleets to actively participate in the SmartWay Partnership.
