SmartWay Transport Partners that purchase or lease SmartWay designated tractors and are in good standing in the SmartWay Program have the privilege of labeling the exterior of their SmartWay tractors with the SmartWay mark. This mark signifies that the tractor meets EPA environmental and fuel efficiency standards for excellence. Such tractors are among the cleanest and most fuel-efficient equipment available.
This is an exclusive designation that sets a SmartWay Partner apart from its peers in the industry. For carriers, the mark is a signal to the community that they are taking actions to limit the negative environmental impacts of their business operations. Designated SmartWay tractor models can be ordered through all manufacturers offering over-the-road Class 8 equipment, and because of the growing demand for such equipment, more options are regularly being introduced—two already this year: Kenworth’s T680 and, more recently, the Peterbilt Model 579.
The Peterbilt 579 not only has all of the technical specifications required by the EPA for a tractor to get SmartWay designation, but also went through highway tests to prove it offered improved fuel efficiency. Landon Sproull, Peterbilt’s chief engineer, said, “SmartWay requires that the truck be a new design, and to be SmartWay compliant we had to demonstrate that it performed, from an aerodynamic standpoint, better than our latest product. We benchmarked it against the Model 386, which is also SmartWay designated.”
He went on to say, “The continuous refinement of aerodynamic efficiency through hundreds of iterations of computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing and customer feedback has resulted in best-in-class performance. Our engineering teams couldn’t be more excited. It is a truck designed to be extremely aerodynamic and to complement our 386.”
For SmartWay designation, a tractor needs to be equipped with an EPA compliant 2007 or newer engine and be designed with aerodynamic mirrors, bumper and cab side extenders, as well as fuel tank and roof top sleeper fairings. It also must include low-rolling resistance steer and drive tires that provide a 3% vehicle fuel economy benefit relative to mid-range rolling resistance tires. The use of lightweight aluminum wheels is encouraged, but not required.
In addition, such a tractor must employ some kind of no-idle system capable of providing at least eight hours of idle-free auxiliary power, heat and/or air conditioning. If a combination of idle reduction systems is needed to ensure that the truck does not idle overnight on a year-round basis, each system must have at least eight hours of operating capacity. Options include an auxiliary power unit or generator set, a fuel-operated heater, a battery-operated heating and/or cooling system, a thermal storage system or the tractor can be fitted with internal wiring, inverter system and HVAC system to take advantage of truck stop electrification.
To continue to use the SmartWay mark, fleets must maintain engines and aerodynamic equipment per service recommendations. SmartWay qualifying low rolling resistance tires or retreads also must be used at all times. Finally, as Sproull said of the Peterbilt 579, “To keep it as fuel-efficient as it is designed to be, users need to keep proper air pressure in the tires.”
More information about fuel saving tractors like the Peterbilt Model 579, as well as trailers, is available by clicking here. This website includes a listing of all currently available SmartWay designated tractors and manufacturers from whom designated trailers are available.
