Goodyear joins EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership

April 23, 2008
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co announced it has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co announced it has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, which previously approved using the company’s Fuel Max linehaul tires on SmartWay tractors and trailers. SmartWay is a collaboration between the trucking industry and the EPA to increase energy efficiency and significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and air pollution.

The fuel-efficient line-haul tires deliver up to 4 percent improved truck fuel economy, and when used with other SmartWay-qualified components, each 18-wheel tractor and trailer used in long-haul can produce savings of up to 4,000 gallons per year, or more than $11,000 annually, according to Goodyear and EPA officials. Goodyear tires featuring Fuel Max Technology include the Unisteel G395LHS steer tire, Unisteel G305 LHD drive tire and Unisteel G316 LHT trail tire in standard (11R22.5) and low-profile (295/75R22.5 and 285/75R24.5) sizes.

While company officials are citing up to a 4 percent hike in fuel economy with the new tires, actual Society of Automotive Engineers lab test results showed an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy compared with standard Goodyear over-the-road tires. The difference reflects adjustments for real-world variations, including vehicle speed, idling time, varying road grades and different driving styles.

The SmartWay Transport Partnership, a collaboration between freight shippers, carriers, and logistics companies, voluntarily improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions from freight transport. By 2012, SmartWay aims to save between 3.3 and 6.6 billion gallons of diesel and eliminate between 33 and 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrous oxide emissions per year.

Goodyear’s environmental activities include its zero-waste-to-landfill initiative, which helps to recycle materials or use waste materials for fuel or energy. In mid-2007, the company’s US chemical operations became the first to achieve total zero waste to landfill.