Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/426899
44 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2014 fl eet with newer aerody- namic models to further in- crease fuel effi ciency. It also focused on better effi cien- cies in how freight is loaded into trailers (the company discovered that shorter dock employees couldn't reach the top of the trailer when loading merchandise, so it now uses stepping stools to increase fi ll by 3 percent), reducing empty miles and cross-dock consolidation networks. About the same time, Walmart be- gan to explore alternative fuel options, and the company currently is evaluat- ing both compressed natural gas- and liquefi ed natural gas-powered trac- tors, and also has explored renewable diesel in the form of animal fat, grease and vegetable oil in a joint partner- ship with Tyson Foods at a Louisiana distribution center. Another tool Walmart Transporta- tion uses is lean routing, a concept that involves monitoring seasonal demand for certain products and altering ship- ments to meet that demand rather than delivering on fi xed schedules. Walmart says if a store normally receives daily deliveries during peak season, it can eliminate extra miles and extra deliver- ies by adapting the schedule to less- than-daily shipments to keep trailers as full as possible. Through eight years of implemen- tation, Walmart's global responsibil- ity initiative has resulted in an 84.2 percent improvement in fl eet effi ciency compared to 2005, or 830 million more cases while driving 300 million fewer miles. The company recognizes that in recent years, large gains in fl eet ef- fi ciency are harder to come by as it now searches for new opportunities to im- prove effi ciency by another 16 percent by the end of next year. From concept to reality In a demonstration of just how serious Walmart remains in its quest to increase effi ciency past 2015, the company last March unveiled a new tractor-trailer concept at the Mid-America Trucking Show that features a teardrop-shaped body that the company hopes will im- prove aerodynamics by 20 percent over conventional models. Developed after Walmart representa- tives saw another truck on display four years ago at the IAA Show in Han- nover, Germany, the concept truck has a fuel-neutral turbine engine, meaning it can run on diesel, gasoline, natural gas, biofuels and other sources, says Elizabeth Fretheim, director of busi- ness strategy sustainability in Walmart's logistics wing. The turbine engine uses hy- brid power, with the electric motor and energy storage handling acceleration and deceleration, and producing low emissions without aftertreatment. Fretheim says the company then wanted to "make something bolder, more transformative" for itself. There's no word yet on what type of fuel economy numbers the truck posts, as track testing is just now underway. The truck's cab has been placed over the engine, shortening its wheelbase and reducing weight. The gap between the trailer and truck has been reduced to lower trailer aerodynamic drag. The trailer's body is made almost entirely of carbon fi ber, cutting weight by about 4,000 pounds. Fretheim says though a truck like this may not go to market for some time if ever, the technologies of the truck are its key sticking points. CC J I N N O VATO R S profi les carriers and fl eets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking's challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953. At the Mid-America Trucking Show earlier this year, Walmart unveiled a new concept truck that features a teardrop- shaped body and fuel-neutral turbine engine that can run on diesel, gasoline, natural gas, biofuels and other sources.