While at the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) August 23-25 in Dallas, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) co-sponsored the SmartWay “Get Green” Trucking Summit that included comments from Andy Meyer of Safe Handling Inc, a tank truck carrier and transloading facility in Auburn, Maine, that emphasizes environmental care.
Members of EPA SmartWay Grow & Go include owner-operators, trucking fleets, suppliers, brokers, and anyone who is interested in fuel conservation, emissions reduction, and sustainable trucking practices. “Safe Handling has long believed in sustainable transportation and in addition to using highly efficient tri-axle trucks, we run our entire fleet on biodiesel,” said Meyer, “Partnering with the EPA SmartWay Grow & Go program is a great way for us to learn fuel saving techniques that help reduce emissions as well. Our customers are keenly interested in working with sustainable suppliers, and our partnership with EPA SmartWay Grow & Go is one more reason for them to use us for their transportation needs.” The Dallas event highlighted the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership, with a special focus on SmartWay Grow & Go. The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a collaboration between the EPA and the trucking industry with a goal to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. EPA SmartWay Grow & Go also will help reduce United States dependence on petroleum, according to NBB information. “The NBB and EPA SmartWay have a long working relationship with the goal of helping the trucking industry adopt renewable fuels to help reduce fuel usage and emissions from burning fuel,” said Mitch Greenberg, EPA SmartWay program manager. “Grow & Go was developed to help increase the use and acceptance of biodiesel in the freight industry, and to educate truckers and small fleets on the benefits of biofuels. It became clear there was a need to help shippers identify carriers using renewable fuels.”
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel for diesel engines that is made from domestic vegetable oils and animal fats. It can be used in any diesel engine at a B20 blend or lower, with no modifications. It significantly cuts harmful environmental emissions. Today, more than 1,100 retail filling stations, half of which are truck accessible, make biodiesel and biodiesel blends available to the public, NBB said.