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How To Make Trucking For Business Greener
The environment has become a bigger priority for many businesses, and for very good reason. More consumers are looking for sustainable businesses and many business owners are making green practices a priority. Gas and fossil fuel emission are one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases. However, there are some ways to reduce the emissions that are released into the environment, and most of these ways start small. If you use trucks for your business, here’s how you can make them more eco-friendly.
Why Should I Make Trucking For My Business More Eco-Friendly?
There are several good reasons for doing this.
More eco-friendly trucking saves you money. One of the main benefits of more sustainable business transport is that it can keep some more money in your pocket, especially if you choose used trucks from somewhere like Piedmont Trucks .
It’s better for the planet. Truck drivers ought to try to go green because it’s better for the planet. Greenhouse gases are one of the main causes of global warming. If businesses that use trucks for delivery took a few more precautions to conserve energy and prevent waste, it would go a long way to making a difference.
It’s easy. It’s less effort than you might think to prioritize sustainable transportation for your business.
How Can I Make Truck Driving More Eco-Friendly?
If you have vehicles on the road all the time for deliveries, then you might be worried about your greenhouse emissions. With a few simple changes, you can reduce your emissions and make your business more sustainable.
Plan Your Routes
If you need to make a delivery, plan out how you’re going to get it there. Greener trucking can be easy if you make good use of GPS technology or take the time to work out the optimal route the day before. Getting lost on the way means that your trucks are using up unnecessary gas, which is damaging to the environment. Using more gas also means you have to fill up the tanks more often, which will hurt your transport budget too.
If you can, try to have your fleet on the road at times of day when there is less traffic. If you know your route, you can work out how much traffic there will be when, and take steps to avoid it. If your trucks are sitting in traffic with the engine running, they will burn through gas quickly. Instead, aim to have any truck you use at a rolling speed throughout the whole route. If you can leave earlier or later to avoid rush hour traffic, then you can drive more efficiently.
If you’re making a delivery to an area that you’re unfamiliar with, you can estimate the traffic using apps designed for truckers. These apps can be downloaded onto your smartphone, where they will predict traffic and hazards for you. Encourage your drivers to use these so they know where the traffic is and what the fastest route will be. Look for an app that does all this in real-time, so if something changes on a planned route, they’re not live idling and can keep going.
Drive Smarter
One of the simplest ways to make driving a truck more eco-friendly is to encourage more sustainable habits. If your trucks need gas, fill them up in the morning. Fuel expands in the heat, so if you fill up in the morning when the temperature is lower, you can get a little more gas in your tank per gallon than you would if you filled up later in the day when it’s warmer.
Make your fleet more sustainable by encouraging your drivers to maintain a normal driving speed while they’re on the highway. Stopping and starting makes the engine work harder, so the truck will need more fuel. Leaving the engine idling does the same thing, so if the engine can be turned off, it should be done.
Go Paperless
A lot of companies with a delivery fleet require their drivers to manually log their hours on paper. This uses up a lot of paper, but you can do it electronically instead. Not all drivers are big fans of these systems, so consider it carefully. Automatically tracking their hours electronically does save on paper though.
Even if you don’t log hours automatically, encourage your fleet drivers to log their hours on the phone instead of on paper. Saving money on paper products will help the environment too.
Recycle
If you’re trying to get your truck drivers to think green, recycling should be near the top of your list of priorities. If you can’t go paperless, recycle.
Fit all your trucks with somewhere to store waste paper and plastic products, even if this is only a clip to hang up a bag. A huge amount of the products that drivers use every day can be recycled instead of thrown away. A lot of truck stops and gas stations have places to drop off recycling too, so it’s easy to do.
Encourage your fleet of drivers to bring any snacks or food in reusable containers in order to cut down on products in paper or plastic they need to buy when they’re on the road. Put branded canvas bags in the trucks so your drivers don’t need to use plastic ones. Perhaps you could also provide them with branded reusable coffee cups so they don’t need to use a to-go cup that will just end up in a landfill.
If you have old tires or cartons at the depot, recycle them. Almost everything can be recycled into something else. Some places offer discounts or tax breaks for recycling products. Helping the planet can help your wallet too if you put in the effort.
Maintain Your Truck
Taking care of your truck can help you care for the planet. Keeping your fleet running well can make it more sustainable. Regular maintenance on a semi-truck reduces the amount of carbon monoxide emissions that it produces. Keeping the engine air filter clean can improve fuel efficiency by up to 10 per cent.
