Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/553583
22 T he commercial trucking industry has been home to spectacular advancements in the performance and functionality of heavy-duty engines over the last decade. Today's trucks run cleaner, longer, faster, safer and more effi ciently than ever before. And yet in spite of all of those changes, diesel fuel remains the largest expense in keeping trucks on the road. One area where fl eets and owner- operators have turned to combat that expense is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) SmartWay program. Developed to lower emissions and reduce fuel consumption, SmartWay offers vehicle owners a cheat code. Fuel expenses can't be eradicated, but with SmartWay-approved technology, they can be reduced. For aftermarket distributors, Smart- Way products increase sales and solve customer problems. SmartWay was launched in 2004 as "a public-private initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pol- lution created by freight transportation in corporate supply chains" by reducing overall fuel consumption. Though operated by the EPA, SmartWay is unlike other governmental programs in its acceptance, cooperation and partnership with business. Smart- Way operates a joint effort between the government and private sector, with both sides striving to introduce and accelerate the adoption of fuel-effi cient technology in the transportation industry. "Our fi rst goal is to reduce harmful air emissions by increasing effi ciency and reducing energy consumption," says Cheryl Bynum, EPA's national program manager for SmartWay. Commercial trucking has been a focus of the program from the outset, and today SmartWay has partners in the on-road, off-road, rail, barge and marine industries. In the trucking industry, the program functions predominantly as a perfor- mance standard. The program uses extensive re- search and testing to defi ne average performance levels for products and component systems found in the North American marketplace. Once those numbers are identifi ed, the EPA and its private sector partners work together T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 SmartWay of Thinking The sales potential of EPA's SmartWay program Service Bay By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com Aerodynamic devices, such as this side fairing from Fleet Engineers, are just one of several technologies that benefi t from the EPA SmartWay program. Our fi rst goal is to reduce harmful air emissions by increasing effi ciency and reducing energy consumption. – Cheryl Bynum, EPA's national program manager for SmartWay.