Shipper Partner 2.0.12 Tool: 

Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide

2012 Data Year - United States Version
Transportation and Climate Division

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

EPA-420-B-13-051

October 2013

Shipper Partner 2.0.12 Tool: 

Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide

2012 Data Year - United States Version
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 3 

 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. 3

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 5

Downloading and Setting up the Tool .................................................................................... 7

About Microsoft Excel............................................................................................................7

Downloading the Shipper Tool ...............................................................................................7

Security Settings for the SmartWay Tools ...............................................................................7

For Excel 2003 Users......................................................................................................................... 7

For Excel 2007 Users......................................................................................................................... 9

Basic Organization of the Shipper Tool................................................................................. 16

Understanding the Tool Format and Structure ......................................................................16

Reviewing the Introductory Screens.....................................................................................17

SmartWay Introduction Screen.......................................................................................................18

SmartWay Partnership Annual Agreement Screen.........................................................................19

Required Information Screen ..........................................................................................................20

Navigating the Home Screen ............................................................................................... 22

Preparing for Data Entry...................................................................................................... 27

Section 1 Data Entry: Enter Partner Name............................................................................ 28

Section 2 Data Entry: Enter Company and Contact Information ............................................ 29

Steps for Entering Contact Information:...........................................................................31

Section 3 Data Entry: Shipper Company Characterization .................................................... 32

“Company Characterization” Screen Overview ..............................................................................32

Adding Companies to Your List of Shipper Companies.....................................................34

Deleting Companies from Your List of Shipper Companies..............................................34

Adding Comments/Notes ................................................................................................. 35

Finishing Your Shipper Company Characterization.........................................................................35

Section 4: Download Latest SmartWay Carrier Data File....................................................... 37

Section 5: Select Company for Data Entry (providing carrier activity information for your 

companies).......................................................................................................................... 38

“Company Status Review” Overview ..............................................................................................38

Steps for Selecting a Business Unit to Review:................................................................. 39

Steps for Completing the Basic or Comprehensive Screen.............................................................39

COMPLETING THE CARRIER SELECTION SCREENS...........................................................................41

Instructions Screen ...........................................................................................................41
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Steps for Completing the Manual Input SmartWay Carriers Tab: ...........................................43

Steps for Completing the Manual Input Non-SmartWay Carriers Tab:....................................44

Optional Carrier Differentiation Screen............................................................................44

Steps for Completing the Activity Data Screen ...............................................................................46

1. Entering Data Source Description................................................................................48

2. Selecting the Data Availability Option .........................................................................49

3. Selecting the Preferred Inventory Calculation Metric .................................................51

4. Entering Mile and Ton-Mile Data.................................................................................51

5. Validating Your Activity Data .......................................................................................55

Viewing the % SmartWay Screen....................................................................................................57

Viewing the Data Display Screens...................................................................................................59

Viewing Optional Sections ..............................................................................................................63

The Shipper Strategies Screen ..........................................................................................63

Modal Shift Screen............................................................................................................64

Sections 6-8: Optional Steps—Year to Year Comparisons, View Reports, and Provide 

Additional Information ........................................................................................................ 68

Validating Your Data........................................................................................................... 69

Viewing Reports.................................................................................................................. 72

Viewing the Year-to-Year Comparison Report..................................................................73

Viewing Other Data Reports.............................................................................................76

Providing Additional Information......................................................................................... 79

Submitting Data to SmartWay............................................................................................. 82

Troubleshooting the Tool..................................................................................................... 85
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Introduction

This document, the “Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide” for the Shipper Tool, is the second of two 

guides available to help your company participate fully in the SmartWay Transport Partnership as a 

Shipper Partner. The Shipper Tool “Quick Start Guide” is a basic walk-through of the process of 

identifying, gathering, preparing, and submitting your data by using the SmartWay Shipper Partner Tool, 

and includes several worksheets referenced in this guide. (From this point on, this guide will refer to the 

SmartWay Shipper Partner Tool as the “Shipper Tool” or simply, the “Tool,” for brevity.) The Quick Start 

Guide may be all you need to successfully complete the Shipper Tool. However, the Data Entry and 

Troubleshooting Guide is intended for situations in which you have already read the Quick Start Guide 

and prepared your data for entry, but need more information on how to complete your data submission 

than is provided in the Quick Start Guide. 

The Table of Contents for this guide is laid out so that, if you have a very specific area that you need to 

review, you can find the relevant information without reading through the entire guide.

In this guide, you will learn how to enter the company and carrier data you collected (as mentioned in 

the Quick Start Guide and the online data entry forms it references) into the Shipper Tool. This guide 

covers: 

• Downloading and setting up the Tool to run properly

• Basic organization of the Shipper Tool

• Entering your data

• Viewing company performance summary data

• Submitting data to SmartWay

• Troubleshooting the Tool

• Appendices 

WARNING! 

Completing this Tool requires a considerable amount of information about your company/companies

and the freight carriers used by your companies. While you will have the ability to save your Tool along 

the way and return to it at anytime, we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to review the Quick Start Guide to 

understand key information about joining the Partnership and preparing the required data BEFORE

attempting to complete the Tool. 
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PART 1:

DOWNLOADING AND

SETTING UP THE TOOL
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Downloading and Setting up the Tool

About Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program used for storing and manipulating data. The 

Shipper Tool was built using Microsoft Excel Forms.

Downloading the Shipper Tool 

The Tool, and information about the Tool, can be downloaded from the SmartWay website at: 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm. 

Save the Tool in a folder on your hard drive; this folder will house copies of your data and future 

updates.

Security Settings for the SmartWay Tools 

The following instructions should appear on your screen if you need to change your security settings 

before running the Tool. The instructions differ depending upon what version of Excel you use.

For Excel 2003 Users

Before you begin, be sure to set your Excel security setting level to “Medium.” 

1. When using Excel 2003, on the menu bar, go to Tools  Macro Security Level. 

2. When the “Security” window opens, select the Medium level. 

ro Drop-Down Menu Figure 1: Macro Drop-Down Menu
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To run the Tool: 

1) Save the Tool to your computer in a folder on your hard drive; and,

2) Go to that folder and double-click on the file to open the Tool. 

3) You will see a security warning box appear (Figure 3). Select the Enable Macros button 

in the security warning box. 

Figure 2: Security Dialog Box
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Figure 1: Security Warning Box

3) The following screen (Figure 4) should appear:

Figure 2: Shipper Tool Welcome Screen

For Excel 2007 Users

The default settings for Excel 2007 should enable you to run the Tool without any changes. To run the 

Tool: 

1) Save the Tool to your computer; and,
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2) Open the file, and select the “Options...” button that appears after the Security Warning 

just below the menu bar (Figure 5). Detailed instructions are also provided on the 

screen itself.

Figure 3: Security Warning Screen

3) In the Microsoft Office Security Options dialog box (Figure 6), choose “Enable this 

content” and select OK. The Tool should open after a short delay.
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Figure 4: Security Options Dialogue Box

If the Tool opens, skip ahead to the next section, “Basic Organization of the Shipper Tool.” 

If you reach this point and the Tool does NOT open, you may have your security set too high. To adjust 

your security settings, select the Office button (in the top left corner of the screen) and then select the 

“Excel Options” button in the bottom right corner of the pull-down menu (Figure 7). Otherwise, please 

review the “Software and Hardware Requirements” in the Quick Start Guide. 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 12

 

Figure 5: Excel Options Drop-Down Menu

On the Excel Options screen, select Trust Center in the left navigation bar (Figure 8):

Figure 6: Excel Options Drop-Down Menu

When the Trust Center options display opens, select Trust Center Settings in the bottom right portion of 

the screen (Figure 9):
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Figure 7: Trust Center Settings Screen
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 14

 

Choose the setting “Disable all macros with notification” (Figure 10) and select OK. 

Figure 8: Macro Settings Screen

Next, to run the Tool: 

1) Save it to your computer.

2) Open the file, and select the Options or Enable Content button as described above.

3) In the Microsoft Office Security Options dialog box (Figure 6), choose “Enable this 

content” and select OK. The Tool will then open after a brief delay.

If the Tool does not open at this point, return to the Software and Hardware Requirements in the 

Quick Start Guide. If after reviewing this section, you cannot determine how to correct the problem, 

contact your SmartWay Partner Account Manager or the SmartWay help line at 734-214-4767. 
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PART 2:

TOOL ORGANIZATION
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Basic Organization of the Shipper Tool

Understanding the Tool Format and Structure 

The Shipper Tool contains (1) information screens, (2) forms or worksheets, and (3) reports/summaries 

that guide you through completing your tool.

Each screen, or form, opens up within a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The screens generally look like the 

one shown here in Figure 11, with the Report Year displayed prominently at the top: 

Figure 9: Opening Screen of Shipper Tool
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The part of the Tool that you fill out resides in the gray and blue forms that appear on the screen. The 

Excel workbook that remains in the background – and which normally appears as a blue screen as in 

Figure 4 – is where all of the data you enter is actually stored. However, for the purpose of your data 

entry, disregard the background workbook. 

The name of each form appears at the top left-hand corner of the screen, in white text on the blue 

window bar.

 

Figure 10: Screenshot of Title of Screen/Form

Each screen contains text instructions or information about the program. Where applicable, the screen 

will also include buttons linking to the SmartWay website or other sections of the Tool (e.g., the various 

data entry screens); these buttons will be shown in blue and clearly labeled, as seen in Figure 13. 

Figure 11: Screenshot of Link in the Tool

The screens also contain navigation buttons to direct you through the Tool (Figure 14). 

 

 Figure 12: Example Navigation Buttons in the Tool

Reviewing the Introductory Screens 

Before you reach your data entry section of the Tool, you will move through three introductory screens

that allow you to review the basics of participation in SmartWay for Shipper Partners: 
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• The “SmartWay Introduction” Screen

• The “Partnership Agreement” Screen

• The “Required Information” Screen

The features of these screens are described below.

SmartWay Introduction Screen

Figure 15: SmartWay Introduction Screen

The SmartWay Introduction screen is the first window that appears when the Tool is opened (Figure 

15). This screen contains a button linking to the SmartWay website where you can view and download 

additional information about the program, the Tool, and the technical basis for the calculations in the 

Tool. 
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The screen also points out helpful buttons for Tool Help and Navigation that you will see throughout the 

Tool. In particular, note the “Validate Screen” button. It’s a good idea to use the “Validate Screen” 

button whenever it appears in the Tool. This valuable function will help you screen for missing data, 

errors in data entry, or information that may fall out of expected ranges. Taking a moment to validate 

each screen helps you avoid time-consuming problems later.

When new concepts/topics are introduced on a screen, a small question mark ([?]) appears next to it. 

When you select the question mark, you will find additional definitions of terms or instructions to help 

you complete the screen properly. You may also find additional, detailed instructional material on how

to successfully navigate and complete the different data entry screens within the Tool by selecting the 

 buttons at the bottom of selected screens.

SmartWay Partnership Annual Agreement Screen

Figure 16: SmartWay Partner Agreement for Shippers

Click to accept 

Agreement
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After selecting the button on the SmartWay Introduction screen, the SmartWay Partner 

Agreement for Shippers will appear (Figure 16). This screen replicates the agreement language found 

in the Quick Start Guide. 

Submitting a Shipper Tool to EPA constitutes agreement to all terms of the Partnership Agreement, 

which is required for a company to join and continue as a SmartWay Shipper Partner. Therefore, it is 

important to review this screen or the text version in the Quick Start Guide and receive any necessary 

approvals before trying to input data into the Tool. You will not be able to continue on to the next 

screen to enter data into the Tool until this box is selected, indicating that your company accepts the 

terms of the agreement.

Shipper Tool submissions are due on an annual basis; therefore, when you submit your Tool each year, 

this will constitute your renewal of your Partnership Agreement. Failure to send your annual Tool

update will constitute a violation of the terms of the agreement and will result in immediate removal 

of your company name(s) from the SmartWay Partner list.

NOTE: While in the past, SmartWay supported a lengthy warning process for partners that were 

delinquent submitting their partnership materials, due to the large number of partners currently joining 

and submitting materials to SmartWay, this level of customized service can no longer be supported. 

Required Information Screen

The Required Information screen summarizes the information needed to complete the Shipper Tool. 

Select ito print a hardcopy to use as a for reference as you complete the rest of the Tool.
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Figure 17: Summary of Shipper Tool Required Information

Once you have navigated through the three introductory screens, you will be taken to the Shipper Tool

Home screen.
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Navigating the Home Screen 

All data entry screens are reached by starting on the Home screen. 

Figure 18 displays the structure of the Home screen.

Figure 18: Main Tool Navigation or “Home” Screen
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There are nine sections on the Home screen, each described briefly below. Each section has buttons 

linking to additional screens or worksheets within the Tool which are described below. The first five 

sections of the Home screen comprise all the steps needed to complete your Shipper Tool, and you must 

complete them in order. After they are completed, the remaining sections allow you to review your 

output, provide additional information, and/or submit your Tool to EPA.

Section 1: Enter Partner Name (data field): Specify your company’s Partner Name, exactly as you 

want it to appear on the SmartWay website.

Section 2: Enter Contact Information (button): This button takes you to a screen that asks for 

general company contact information, a primary SmartWay point of contact, and a

different executive-level contact. Additional contacts may also be included.

Section 3: Shipper Company Characterization: This button takes you to a screen that asks you to 

define all the shipper companies you operate. Once these companies are defined, the 

software will enable you to generate blank data entry forms for each company. 

Section 4: Download Latest SmartWay Carrier Data File: Select Download Latest SmartWay Carrier 

File. Select this button to download the latest SmartWay Carrier performance data for 

use with your shipper companies. You must download the latest file to ensure you use 

the most up to date information on SmartWay Carrier Partners.

Section 5: Select Business Unit for Data Entry: Selecting a company name will take you to screens 

asking for the carrier and activity information necessary to calculate efficiency metrics 

for the company. 

Section 6: (Optional) Review Year-to-Year Comparison (button): This optional step allows you to 

compare previous year data entries to the data entered for the current year. The 

comparison reports provide a useful tool for performing quality control of current data, 

as well as a method for evaluating trends in operation changes, activity levels and 

company performance over time.

Section 7: (Optional) Go To Reports Menus (button): Here you can view final summaries of your 

data including all data inputs, company performance summaries, an “out of range” 

report (summarizing inputs that are higher or lower than expected values) and a 

summary of comments you have entered.

Section 8: (Optional) Provide Additional Information (button): Here you can provide information 

about your company’s environmental accomplishments and give EPA feedback about 

the SmartWay program.

Section 9: Generate File to Send to EPA (button): This button creates a version of the Tool (in XML 

format) for you to send as an attachment in an e-mail to your Partner Account Manager 

(PAM). Selecting the OK button on this screen does not automatically submit the file to 

EPA; you still need to submit it to EPA by attaching it in an e-mail.
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ENTERING YOUR DATA

With the exception of Section 1, clicking on the buttons or list items in Sections 2 through 9 will take you

to additional screens and worksheets that comprise the data entry segments of the Tool.

The first five sections of the home screen are mandatory and MUST be completed in order. These

sections comprise all the data collection steps needed to complete your SmartWay Shipper Tool. After 

they are completed, you can review your output and/or submit your Tool to EPA. Once you complete 

each mandatory step, a will appear on the left of the screen.

SAVING YOUR DATA

You can save your data you have entered at any time by selecting the button that appears at 

the bottom of most screens (including the Home screen). EPA recommends saving your data frequently

if you are entering information for large numbers of carriers. 

REVIEWING YOUR DATA

Before submitting, you should review your data. To generate a hard copy of screen text or your data 

inputs, select this button. The screen will be printed on your default printer. 

Alternately, you can return to the Home screen, select the

button, identify the report of interest using the 

Reports Menu, and print them out for review. The data reports provided by the Shipper Tool are 

discussed further in the Finalize Data Entry and View Reports section of this guide. 

SUBMITTING DATA TO SMARTWAY

Detailed instructions on properly submitting your data to EPA is included in this guide on page 72. 
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PART 3:

SECTION-BY-SECTION 

DATA ENTRY GUIDANCE
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Preparing for Data Entry

To participate in SmartWay, shipper companies need to gather the following essential information to 

complete the Shipper Tool:

• The official Partner Name, EXACTLY as you would like it presented on the EPA website

• Company contact information

• Contact details for your Primary Contact

• Contact details for an Executive Contact (cannot be the same as the Primary Contact)

• Shipper company name(s) and associated NAICS codes and points of contact

• A comprehensive list of carriers used by your shipper companies including: 

o SmartWay carrier fleet names

o Number and mode of non-SmartWay carriers (truck, rail, logistics, multi-modal)

o Carrier-specific activity, including miles and/or ton-miles hauled

• Data sources for all data to be entered

• SmartWay ID number (if this is not your first Tool submission)

This data must be provided for all of your shipper companies. This data reflects the amount of freight 

carried by each carrier and the distance that freight is carried.

The next five sections of this guide explain how to enter your data on each of the required screens. You 

must complete these sections of the Home screen in order.
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Section 1 Data Entry: Enter Partner Name

SECTION 1 OVERVIEW

Section 1 of the Shipper Tool asks you to “Enter Partner Name.”

 

Figure 19: Field for Entry of Partner Name on Shipper Tool Home Screen

EPA publishes your company’s official name on the EPA SmartWay website. This is how your customers 

will know that you are a SmartWay Partner. The name that EPA lists is known as your “Partner Name” 

and is defined within Section 1 of the Shipper Tool.

Therefore, it is essential that you specify your company’s Partner Name EXACTLY as you want it to 

appear on the SmartWay website.

Pay special attention to proper capitalization, abbreviations, and punctuation, and remember that EPA 

will use whatever you enter EXACTLY as reported.

Steps for Entering Partner Name

1. Type your Partner Name EXACTLY as you would like it to appear on the SmartWay website in the

field as indicated.

2. Proceed to Section 2 to enter contact information.

Enter your Partner 

Name precisely as 

you want it on the 

EPA website
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Section 2 Data Entry: Enter Company and Contact Information

REFER TO WORKSHEET #1: Company Contact Information in the Quick Start Guide, or go to 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm to complete this section of the Shipper Tool. 

SECTION 2 OVERVIEW

The Contact Information section is where you identify all points of contact between EPA and your 

company that are related to your participation in SmartWay.

Section 2 asks you to click the blue button labeled “Enter Contact Information.”

Figure 20: Select Contact Information Button on “Home” Screen

You will then be taken to the Contact Information Screen. The Partner Name entered on the Home 

screen will appear automatically at the top (see arrow in Figure 21). On this screen you establish the 

following details about your company: 

1. Partner Information includes details about the company location, phone numbers, and web 

address.

2. The Primary Contact is the person assigned to work directly with EPA regarding timely and 

accurate Tool submission, and is responsible for assembling information to 

complete/update company data; completing and updating the Tool itself; maintaining direct 

communication with SmartWay; and keeping interested parties within the company 

apprised of relevant developments with SmartWay. (NOTE: To ensure that e-mails from 

SmartWay/EPA are not blocked, new primary contacts may need to add SmartWay/EPA to 

their preferred list of trusted sources.)

3. The Executive Contact is the company executive who is responsible for agreeing to the 

requirements in the SmartWay Partnership Annual Agreement, overseeing the Primary 

Contact (as appropriate), and ensuring timely submission of the Tool to SmartWay. The 

Executive Contact also represents the company at awards/recognition events. This person 

should be a Vice President or higher-level representative for the company. 

4. Other Contacts include any other company representatives that have a role in your 

participation in SmartWay. These may include representatives from other companies, 

media/public relations, staff, or anyone who has responsibility for specific companies

beyond the person listed as the Primary Contact. This is especially important as you may be 

Select to enter 

contact information
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identifying individual companies in the Tool and will be assigning contacts to each company 

separately.

NOTE: You must supply at least two unique contacts on the contact page to ensure EPA has access to 

at least two people for Tool submission follow-up. Duplicate contacts will be flagged as an error by 

the Tool.

Figure 21: Entering Company Contact Information

Partner Name from 

Home screen
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Each field marked with an asterisk must be filled out. You will not be able to submit the Tool to 

SmartWay without this information. 

Steps for Entering Contact Information:

1. Enter the Partner Information details in Section 1 of the Contact Information screen.

2. Enter Primary Contact details in Section 2. If the Primary Contact’s address is the same as the 

company, you can select the button to automatically fill in the address 

section of this record.

3. Enter the Executive Contact details in Section #3 by selecting the

button to the right; enter the required data. Note that you 

MUST have at least two different contacts on the Contact Information screen. 

4. Enter Other Contacts (if applicable) in Section 4 by selecting the button. 

A new contact field will appear, labeled Other Contact Information. Enter the first Other Contact 

then select OK when done. You can add more contacts by selecting “Add New Contact” again. If 

you wish to edit an existing contact’s information, highlight the name you wish to edit and then 

select the button. You can remove an existing contact by highlighting 

the contact and then selecting the button.

5. Select at the bottom of the screen. If any information is missing, a dialogue box will 

appear informing you what additional information is required. 

6. When finished, select the button to return to the Home screen and proceed to Section 

3.
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Section 3 Data Entry: Shipper Company Characterization

The next section of the Tool is the “Company Characterization” section. This is the section where you 

will define your companies. 

The Shipper Tool allows you to assess your operations by defining multiple companies. If you operate 

more than one separate and distinct company you may wish to track each company separately. 

On the Home screen select the Go To Company Characterization Screen button (Figure 22) to display 

the Company Characterization screen. This is the section where you will define the various components 

of your shipper companies. 

Figure 22: Selecting Shipper Company Characterization on Home Screen

The steps required to complete the Company Characterization screen are described below. 

“Company Characterization” Screen Overview 

The Company Characterization screen is shown below:

Select to enter company 

characterization 

information
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Figure 23: Characterizing Shipping Companies

This screen allows you to create multiple company data records. If you operate more than one separate 

and distinct company you may wish to track each company separately. Each individual data file has the 

ability to track companies, inbound/outbound freight, and international/domestic freight as well as 

other user-defined distinctions. 

Most Partners should create one company; i.e., one line. However, if you are a global conglomerate 

that, for example, has a large home goods retail company, a wholesale parts supply company, and a 

product manufacturer, all with separate corporate identities and transportation systems, you may want 

to create three companies. However, note that these companies will not be listed separately on the 

Partner Listing on the SmartWay website. If you would like multiple companies displayed on the Partner 

Listing, submit separate Tools for each company.

Using data collected using Worksheet #2: Shipping Company Characterization in the Quick Start Guide, 

or go to http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm, enter data for your first company. 

• Company Name(s): Name your companies, beginning with your partner name followed by the 

specific company name. Example: Shipper Company 1 – Retail.
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• NAICS Code: NAICS, or North American Industry Classification System codes, are the Federal 

standard for classifying businesses by activity type. NAICS codes can be from two or three up to 

six digits in length, and are organized hierarchically, with successive digits providing greater 

specificity in its description. Use the NAICS code(s) that most appropriately describes your 

company. You can use the search icon to the right of the data entry field to identify and select

NAICS code(s). If you need to enter multiple NAICS codes, you may check multiple boxes on the 

popup screen while holding down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard, or simply enter them directly 

and separate them with commas.

Note: Detailed information on NAICS codes can be found at 

http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/. 

Alternatively, you may contact your accountant who can locate your NAICS code:

1. On your company's 1120 corporate tax return, filed with IRS, Schedule K, lines 2a, b and c.

2. Or, on the 1120S corporate tax return, filed with IRS, Schedule B, lines 2a and b.

• Company Contact: Select your company contact(s). Use the drop-down menu to display the list 

of contacts you entered in the Contact Information screen and select one. If you need a contact 

for the company that is not already listed in the Contact Information screen, you will need to 

return to the Contact Information screen to add the contact information.

NOTE: SmartWay highly recommends developing your list of companies beforehand by using 

an organization chart or perhaps a customer interface webpage. For example, evaluate how 

your organization contracts with carriers, identify your companies’ different NAICS codes, and 

determine how they choose what carriers to hire. The best strategy is to have a clear idea of 

how to define your companies before filling out the Tool.

Adding Companies to Your List of Shipper Companies

To enter a shipper company, select the button and fill in the Company Name, NAICS 

Code, and Company Contact, as described above. At this point you may add another shipper company 

by selecting , or you may choose to delete a company, add notes, or finish data entry 

on the company characterization screen by following the instructions below. 

Deleting Companies from Your List of Shipper Companies 

To delete a company, select the box next to the company you wish to delete, and then select the 

button. Then you may add a company as described above or complete your 

shipper company characterization by selecting . 
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Adding Comments/Notes

Creating useful comments assists SmartWay Tool reviewers in approving your Tool as quickly as 

possible. Your comments help reviewers understand your company operations. Any details that you 

can provide related to your operations may speed up approval time.

NOTE: Please consider using the button located at the bottom right of the screen. This 

allows you to enter notes about the collection process, your assumptions and methods, data, or other 

information. These details could prove useful for your reviewer when you or someone else fills out the 

Tool next year. If comments have been added for a particular screen, the button will be highlighted and 

now read , indicating to your reviewer that there are comments to be read.

A button is also available should you need assistance. You will also notice small gray icons 

with question marks [?] displayed throughout the Tool. When selected, these icons provide additional 

information about specific items located on the screen.

Finishing Your Shipper Company Characterization

Once you are sure you have entered your information correctly for each of your shipper companies, you 

may select the button at the bottom of the screen. Before proceeding to the next screen 

however, a popup screen will appear asking you to verify your company name(s) (Figure 24). 

Figure 24: Shipper Company Name Verification Message

Select OK to proceed, or Cancel to revise your company name(s).

If, at a point later in the data entry process, you realize that you need to add a new company or delete 

an existing company, you can return to the Company Characterization screen. You can add or delete 

companies in the same way as described above, being sure to select the button at the 

end of the process. When you select this button, the system will create blank data entry forms only for 

the new company/companies you have added; any existing companies will not be affected. Note that, if 
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you are deleting a company for which you have already generated data entry forms, the system will 

prompt you to confirm the deletion.

Selecting will take you back to the Home screen (see Figure 25). At this point you may 

define another shipper company following the same process, or proceed to Step 4 on the Home screen. 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 37

 

Section 4: Download Latest SmartWay Carrier Data File

To ensure that the Shipper Tool gives you the most current list of SmartWay carriers to select from, you 

must click the “Download Latest SmartWay Data Carrier Data File” button on the Home screen, as 

shown in Figure 25. You will not be able to input the required shipper company data in Step 5 without 

this file. You must have an active Internet connection to perform this step. 

Figure 25: Downloading Latest SmartWay Carrier Data File

After selecting the button, the carrier file will be downloaded to your computer and the date of the file 

will be displayed to the right on the Home screen, as shown in Figure 26. 

If you already have a SmartWay Carrier Data File located in the same folder as the Shipper Tool (perhaps 

used to create last year’s submittal), the Tool will notify you before downloading the new file. If you 

would like to retain a copy of the old file for your records you can either rename the old file or move it 

to another folder before downloading the latest file. Otherwise you can download the new carrier file 

directly, over-writing the old file.

You are now ready to go on to selecting carriers and entering activity data for each company. 

Select to download 

current carrier 

performance information
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 38

 

Section 5: Select Company for Data Entry (providing carrier activity 

information for your companies) 

Now that you have defined your shipper companies, in Section 5 of the Shipper Tool, you will be asked 

to provide additional information for EACH company separately. 

“Company Status Review” Overview

Once you have returned to the Home screen, you will see all of your shipper companies listed in the 

window below item # 5: Select Company for Data Entry. 

Figure 26: Home Screen with Shipper Company Status Prior to Carrier Activity Data Entry

Company status 

Not Checked
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 39

 

A status message appears after each company name, indicating whether or not the data entry for that 

company is complete. There are three possible status messages: 

• Not checked - Data has not been entered yet. 

• Incomplete - Some data is still missing and/or inconsistent.

• Complete - All data requirements have been met and validation has occurred.

In addition to the status messages above, you may also see one of two qualifiers: “Errors” or 

“Warnings.”

• Errors prevent you from generating internal metrics reports (under the “Go to Reports 

Menu” section of the Tool), and must be addressed before you can submit your Tool to EPA. 

However, with errors, you will be able to use the Review Year-to-Year Comparison report to 

help identify missing data or otherwise clarify uncertainties by referring to previous year 

submissions. 

• Warnings will still allow you to run internal metrics reports and submit your data to EPA. 

However, it is strongly recommended that you carefully review each warning message 

before sending your data to EPA so that you can anticipate questions that may come from a 

partner account manager (PAM) as a result of your data being outside the expected ranges. 

The method of addressing errors and warnings is described for the various input screens in 

the following sections.

Steps for Selecting a Business Unit to Review:

1. Using your mouse, select and highlight the name of the company for which you wish to enter 

data.

2. Double click the name; you will then be taken to the Basic or Comprehensive screen for that 

company. 

Steps for Completing the Basic or Comprehensive Screen

After selecting a shipper company for data entry, you will see the Basic or Comprehensive screen 

(Figure 27). 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 40

 

Figure 27: Basic or Comprehensive Screen

Two options are available for assessing the performance of the carriers used by your company on the 

Basic or Comprehensive screen. Selecting Emissions Footprint and % SmartWay (Comprehensive 

option) allows you to calculate the mass emissions associated with your company, as well as to 

determine your % SmartWay Value based on percent of ton-miles or miles traveled, or CO2 emitted, or 

other activity measure attributable to SmartWay Carrier Partners (we will use the name “SmartWay 

Carriers” to describe this group of Partners). The Emissions Footprint and % SmartWay selection also 

allows you to determine emission reductions from mileage- or weight-reducing strategies employed by 

your company, and to estimate the change in emissions due to various mode shifts. 

Selecting % SmartWay Only (Basic option) allows you to estimate the relative percentage of your 

carriers that are SmartWay Carriers, but does not allow you to estimate mass emissions.

If you select the Emission Footprint and % SmartWay option then you will be required to enter direct 

activity estimates (i.e., miles and ton-miles) which are used to calculate mass emissions estimates for 

your carriers. Once you’ve entered the required data on the Activity Data screen you will calculate your 

% SmartWay Value on the % SmartWay screen. In this case, your % SmartWay Value will be used to 

determine if you qualify for a SmartWay Excellence Award. 

Select
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 41

 

If you do not have total mileage and/or ton-mile estimates available for each carrier you have hired in 

the reporting year, select the % SmartWay Only option. This will allow you to calculate your % 

SmartWay Value based on the weighted utilization of your carrier selections (using % spent, % weight, 

% packages, or % custom). However, note that the Shipper Strategies and Modal Shift screens will be 

unavailable, and you will be ineligible for the SmartWay Excellence Awards. 

After you make your selection, use the button to proceed to the Input Carriers Screens. 

COMPLETING THE CARRIER SELECTION SCREENS

Instructions Screen

The first screen you encounter under the Input Carriers tab is the Instructions screen, which describes 

the two basic methods of data input to specify your fleets in detail (Figure 28). Carefully read the 

instructions, using the scroll bar on the right to read the description of all five of the Input Carrier screen 

options. Afterward, you must check the box that will appear at the bottom of the Instructions screen 

acknowledging that you have read and understood the carrier data input instructions before proceeding 

to the next screen.

Figure 28: Input Carriers Instructions Screen
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 42

 

After reading the Instructions screen, you will need to identify the carriers used by each shipper 

company. Two options are available for identifying your carriers. If you have a large number of carriers 

(e.g., as a large 3PL), you may wish to develop your carrier details separately and upload your data in a 

single file using the Data Import method. Alternatively, if your company has a limited number of 

carriers, you may choose to specify your carriers one at a time using the Manual Entry method. These 

two methods are described in detail in the Data Import/Export Guide located at

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/documents/partnership/shipper/partnership/420B13052.pdf

. 

Regardless of the method you choose, you will need to first identify the mode of transport for the 

carrier. Four carrier mode selections are available, including:

• Rail

• Truck

• Multi-modal

• Logistics

(Note: By selecting “All” on the Tool’s Select Carrier(s) screen, you may search across all carriers, 

regardless of mode.)

Next, you may also specify a carrier ranking category for the Truck mode. Truck ranking categories 

include:

• TL Dry Van

• LTL Dry Van

• Refrigerated

• Flatbed

• Tanker

• Dray

• Heavy/Bulk

• Package

• Auto Carrier

• Moving

• Utility

• Specialized

• Mixed

• Expedited

Ranking category selections are not currently available for other modes but may be added in the future. 

(Note: Multi-modal selections list “Truck/Rail” as the ranking category.)

After identifying the mode (and ranking category, if available), you should identify each carrier’s specific 

fleet name, as listed in the SmartWay Carrier Data file, along with any associated SCACs, MCNs, and DOT 

numbers. The Carrier Data File can be downloaded from the SmartWay website by selecting the button 

under Step 4 on the Shipper Tool Home screen and viewed on the Select Carrier(s) screen or offline 

using Microsoft® Excel.

In certain cases, a carrier may have multiple fleets associated with its operations. In the case of 

trucking, multi-modal and logistics Partners, you may use the SCAC list in the Carrier Data file to select 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 43

 

among multiple fleets. The Select Carrier(s) screen also allows you to filter carrier fleets by SCAC, MCN 

and/or DOT number if needed.

If one or more carriers used by your company are not SmartWay Partners, you should specify “NonSmartWay” for the given mode – for example, Non-SmartWay Truck Carrier or Non-SmartWay Multimodal Carrier. If you have any non-SmartWay carriers in your list, then you must also specify the 

number of non-SmartWay carriers utilized for each mode, but only include carriers used during the 

reporting year.

After reading the Instructions screen you must now decide how you will enter your data; i.e., via manual 

input or through the outside data import function. Refer to the “Shipper Company Partner 2.0.12 Tool: 

Guide to Importing Carrier Data Using Outside Data Import Function-2012” on the shipper page of the 

SmartWay website for more information about using the Outside Data Import function to enter your 

carriers. 

Otherwise, proceed to the tab.

Steps for Completing the Manual Input SmartWay Carriers Tab:

1. To select carriers manually, you can enter all or part of the carrier’s name directly into the 

“Carrier Name” input box and the select the button. A new filtered list will 

appear in the Available SmartWay Carriers box.

Double click on the carrier name to add it to the “Selected SmartWay Carriers” box.

2. You may also search for carriers by filtering using carrier mode, ranking category, SCAC, MCN, 

and/or DOT to find your carriers in the SmartWay Carrier data file. 

3. To search by Carrier Mode, select the mode of transport from which you wish to choose a 

carrier. Five carrier mode selections are available, including “All,” “Rail,” “Truck,” “Multi-modal” 

and “Logistics.” 

• Note that by selecting “All”, you may search across all carriers, regardless of mode.

4. Next, if you select the Truck mode, you may also specify a carrier ranking category. Truck 

ranking categories include TL Dry Van, LTL Dry Van, Refrigerated, Flatbed, Tanker, Dray, 

Heavy/Bulk, Package, Auto Carrier, Moving, Utility, Specialized, Mixed, and Expedited.

To select carriers manually, you can enter all or part of the carrier’s name directly into the 

“Carrier Name” input box and the select the button. A new filtered list will 

appear in the Available SmartWay Carriers box.

After identifying the desired carrier, double click on the carrier name to add it to the “Selected 

SmartWay Carriers” box.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 44

 

5. Once you have successfully identified your carriers using the Manual Entry method, proceed to 

the tab.

Steps for Completing the Manual Input Non-SmartWay Carriers Tab:

1. Enter the total number of Non-SmartWay Carriers for the shipper company into the data field.

2. Check the box to confirm that you have added all of the Non-SmartWay Carriers for your 

company. 

3. Using your mouse, double-click on each non-SmartWay carrier type used by this company; 

double clicking will add it to the “Selected Non SmartWay Carriers” list.

4. Once the required data has been entered on the tab, you 

can proceed to the Activity Data screen. 

Optional Carrier Differentiation Screen

If you wish, after specifying (and importing if necessary) all of your SmartWay and Non-SmartWay 

carriers, you may provide additional information to help you reflect how your company uses and tracks 

its carriers. This screen allows you to differentiate your carriers’ activity based on a variety of 

characteristics, including the following optional “tags”:

• Business Unit Identifier

• ID Code

• Inbound/Outbound/Internal

• Domestic/International

• Internal Shipper Segment 1

• Internal Shipper Segment 2

An example Optional Carrier Differentiation screen is provided below (Figure 29).
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 45

 

Figure 29: Optional Carrier Differentiation Screen

If you do not wish to provide such information you may proceed directly to the Activity Data screen. 

If you do wish to provide additional information, look near the top of the Optional Carrier Differentiation 

screen for the complete list of carrier names you have specified up to this point, either manually or 

through data import, along with carrier information such as mode, ranking category, and 

SCAC/MCN/DOT. In order to provide additional information for a given carrier, first highlight the carrier 

name in the upper list box and you will see the carrier name appear in the lower list box. At this point 

you may enter one or more tags for the selected carrier. Once you enter the desired information, select 

the button at the lower right to associate the tag information 

with the carrier. If you wish to change the tag information, simply highlight the carrier name in the 

lower list box and repeat the process.

If you wish to differentiate the activity associated with a single carrier (e.g., splitting inbound and 

outbound freight movements), highlight the carrier name in the upper list box select the 

button immediately below the box. You will then see an additional 

row appear in the lower list box with the same carrier name. Enter the different tag combinations for 

each row as described above, and repeat the process as many times as necessary. Rows in the lower 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 46

 

text box may be deleted by highlighting them and selecting the 

button at the bottom right. Once finalized, your complete 

list of differentiated carrier rows will be brought forward to the Activity Data screen.

At this point you may return to the Export Carriers screen to export your selected carrier list in CSV 

format, or you may proceed to the Activity Data screen to input the mile and/or ton-mile data 

associated with each of your carriers using the Tool itself. If you designated multiple tags for a given 

carrier, you must provide separate activity data inputs for each carrier tag. 

NOTE: Before proceeding to the Activity Data screen, check your carrier listing to be sure the list 

includes all carriers that your company uses, and that the names, SCACs, MCNs and DOT 

numbers match perfectly. You may review your carrier list using the Input Summary Report 

available under the Reports Menu on the Home screen.

Steps for Completing the Activity Data Screen 

REFER TO WORKSHEET #3B: Activity Data in the Quick Start Guide, or go to 

http://www.epa.gov/smartwaylogistics/partnership/shippers.htm for additional help to complete this 

section.

Data reported on this screen are used to calculate your shipper company’s overall performance and 

mass emissions. Carriers specified in the Input Carriers screens are automatically listed on this screen, 

along with their associated mode and performance ranking category, if applicable (Figure 30). 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 47

 

Figure 30: Activity Data Screen

Before proceeding with your activity data entry, note that you can display detailed tag information for 

each carrier row on the Activity Data screen by selecting the button. Selecting this button 

will display the specific tags assigned to each carrier on the Optional Carrier Differentiation screen, as 

shown in Figure 31. The Shipper Tool provides this feature to assist SmartWay Shipper Partners that 

have defined multiple rows for a single carrier, in order to determine which activity data should be 

entered in which row. Select the Close button to re-display the screen instruction text.

2. Select Data 

Availability 

Option

3. Select 

Inventory 

Calculation 

Metric

4. Enter Tonmiles and/or 

Miles

1. Select to 

enter Data 

Source 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 48

 

Figure 31: Activity Data Screen with Tag Information Displayed

The following describes the steps required for completing the Activity Data screen.

1. Entering Data Source Description

Before you begin entering activity data for your companies, select the 

button and enter a detailed description of the sources used to generate your activity data in the popup 

text box (Figure 32). Be sure to indicate how you calculated miles and ton-miles, and where these data 

were obtained. For example, you may use PC Miler, carrier reports, or accounting/purchasing records to 

determine miles. Payload and ton-mile estimates may be based on bills of lading or other internal 

records.

Select 

button to 

display 

tag info 

above

Carrier specific 

tag information 

for row 1
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 49

 

Figure 32: Activity Data Source Description Text Box

2. Selecting the Data Availability Option

To begin entering data regarding how you use each carrier, you must first specify a Data Availability

option. There are seven Data Availability options offered, as summarized below (and listed near the 

bottom left area of the Activity Data screen for your reference; see Figure 31). 

1. Enter ton-miles and miles

2. Enter ton-miles and average payload

3. Enter ton-miles, density, and load percentage

4. Enter ton-miles only

5. Enter miles and average payload

6. Enter miles, density, and load percentage

7. Enter miles only

Depending on the Data Availability option selected, the fields on the screen will become active (white) 

or remain grayed out.

Choose the method that uses the most accurate data at your disposal for each carrier. You can specify 

various data availability options for carriers, depending on what type(s) of data you have for each and 

the reliability of that data. 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 50

 

• If you have reliable data for both ton-miles and total miles, select Option 1. 

• If you don’t have reliable mile data, but do have reliable ton-mile data, select Options 2, 3 or 4. 

In Option 2, you will need to provide average payload, which will be used to develop a mileage 

estimate. In Option 3, you may include information on load percentages and the types of cargo, and the 

Tool will calculate an average payload for you based on the commodities shipped with each carrier. In 

Option 4, the Tool will use an average payload number based on the bin category of the carrier to 

estimate a miles number for you. For all of these options, the miles estimates are paired with the 

carriers’ g/mile efficiency factors to estimate mass emissions for each carrier. Although dependent on 

industry type and product mix, Option 2 is generally preferred to Option 3 in terms of data quality, while 

Option 3 is generally preferred to Option 4 (again, depending upon the accuracy of the data available for

each carrier). 

Providing ton-mile data (Options 2, 3, and 4) is generally preferable to simple mileage data for most 

modes. For example, when shipping bulk commodities by rail, ton-mile estimates are often available and 

will result in a more precise estimate of mass emissions (when combined with gram per ton-mile metrics 

for each carrier) than relying on gram per mile metrics. Ton-mile estimates are also most appropriate for 

LTL and package delivery truck shipments, given the uncertainty in cargo volume utilization. Ton-miles 

are also more appropriate for heavier TL shipments. Alternatively, mileage activity measures are most 

appropriate for light truckload shipments. However, for all calculations, where precise estimates of 

weight are often unknown, and distance estimates are highly reliable, mileage activity measures may be 

the better metric. See the SmartWay Shipper Tool Technical Documentation for additional information 

on these calculations.

NOTE: Data Availability options for less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers are restricted to numbers 

2, 3, 5, and 6 due to the difficulty apportioning mileage activity in the absence of payloadrelated information.

• If you don’t have reliable ton-mile data, but do have reliable mile data, select Options 5, 6 or 7. 

In Option 5, you will also need to provide average payload which will be used to develop a ton-miles 

estimate. In Option 6, you may include information on load percentages and the type of cargo, and the 

Tool will calculate an average payload for you. In Option 7 (miles only), SmartWay will use an average 

payload number based on the bin category of the carrier to estimate a ton-miles number for 

you. (Option 7 requires additional off-line calculation to account for partial loads.) In each of these 

three options, the ton-miles estimates are paired with the carriers’ g/ton-mile efficiency factors to 

estimate mass emissions for each carrier. Although dependent on industry type and product mix, 

Option 5 is generally preferred to Option 6 in terms of data quality, while Option 6 is generally preferred 

to Option 7 (again, depending upon the accuracy of the data available for each carrier). 

NOTE: Do not use Data Availability Option 6 or 7 for rail carriers. 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 51

 

3. Selecting the Preferred Inventory Calculation Metric

For each carrier record in which you have selected Data Availability Option 1, you must define your 

preferred metric (Inventory Calculation Metric) for calculating mass emissions. For all other data 

availability options, the Tool will designate the metric for you.

Options for Data Availability Option 1 include grams per (truck) mile, grams per railcar-mile, and gram 

per ton-mile (all modes). 

NOTE: The Shipper Tool calculates your emission performance based on the best available data 

for each of your carriers. Since your mass emissions inventory can be produced using either 

g/ton-mile or g/mile metrics, you may mix your selected metrics across carriers. Regardless of 

the metric you select, the Tool will calculate tons of emissions. In order to compare 

efficiencies across different carriers and/or modes, the Tool expresses performance in both 

g/ton-mile and g/mile.

Use the metric most appropriate for characterizing your carrier activity where you have selected Data 

Availability Option 1. Select g/mile metrics for estimating mass emissions for lighter weight truck 

freight, while g/ton-mile should generally be used for rail and heavier truck freight. 

NOTE: If your company uses Package Delivery carriers, choose ton-miles as the calculation metric 

if possible. However, if it is not properly calculated, you can make significant overestimates of 

the ton-miles. For example, consider the case in which your company has one pallet on a truck

that is also carrying 21 other pallets belonging to other companies. If you base your calculations 

on miles x the g/mile factor for that truck carrier, your carbon allocation would be overstated a 

factor of 22. The same calculation for one package on a truck carrying 300 packages would 

overstate the carbon by a factor of 300. 

4. Entering Mile and Ton-Mile Data

After specifying the Inventory Calculation Metric for each carrier, enter the total activity data for the 

carrier for the associated unit type (ton-miles, miles, or railcar-miles). Enter the data to the nearest 

whole number. If you selected Data Availability Option 1 , enter both miles and ton-miles for the given 

carrier. 

If you selected Data Availability Option 2, you must enter ton-miles along with the average payload in 

short tons (2,000 lbs). In this case the total miles for the carrier will be back-calculated by dividing tonmiles by tons. 

If you selected Data Availability Option 3, first enter your ton-miles. Next, you must enter your freight 

density using the Average Density Calculator. The calculator, which is activated by selecting the 

appropriate Calc button in the Average Density column, allows you to specify the percentage of 

shipments that fall into various commodity groupings. Each grouping has an associated average density, 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 52

 

expressed in pounds per cubic foot of available cargo space. The densities for a given commodity 

category vary for rail and truck modes, since utilized container space varies by mode.1

 Figure 33

presents example inputs for the Density Calculator. 

Figure 33: Example Average Density Calculator Inputs (Truck, Logistics, and Multi-modal Carriers)

2

NOTE: Be as precise as possible entering your mileage and ton-mile data. Enter to the nearest 

whole number. 

After inputting your freight distribution data into the Average Density Calculator, use the Average Load 

Percent Calculator to adjust your activity for partial loads. Load percentages can be either weightbased (with full truckloads weighing out), or volume-based (with full truckloads cubing out). 

 

1 The density categories for Logistics and Multi-modal carriers are assumed to be the same as for Truck carriers. 2 Average density cagegories differ for rail carriers.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 53

 

For example, if 3,000 loads of your LTL shipments are 50% truckload and 5,000 loads are 70% truckload, 

enter the corresponding load information in the Average Load Calculator (Figure 34). The calculator will 

then estimate the weighted average load (in this case, 62 percent) which will be applied to your total 

miles for this carrier. 

NOTE: If you do not convert partial shipments into whole shipments, you will be assigned the 

carbon impact of the entire load. Refer to the Shipper Company Tool Technical Documentation 

for details regarding the application of the calculator inputs.

Figure 34: Example Average Load Calculator (Truck, Logistics, and Multi-modal Carriers)3

Once the calculator data have been entered, the resulting average density and load percentage will 

appear on the Activity Data screen. The back-calculated mileage values will also appear in gray boxes 

on the screen.

If you select Data Availability Option 4, simply enter your ton-miles, and the corresponding mileage will 

be back-calculated using the carrier’s average payload value, as determined from the performance 

 

3 A similar calculator is used for calculating railcar load percentages.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 54

 

ranking category averages. This option is the least accurate of the ton-mile-based calculations, since no 

information is provided regarding your shipper company’s payload profile.

If you select Data Availability Option 5, enter your total miles, expressed as either truck miles (for truck, 

logistics, and multi-modal carriers), or railcar-miles for rail carriers. Next enter your average payload in 

tons and ton-miles will be back-calculated for you. 

Selecting Data Availability Option 6 requires total miles to be entered, along with payload density 

information and load percentages using the calculators described above. 

Selecting Data Availability Option 7 only requires entry of total miles, and ton-miles will be backcalculated using the carrier’s average payload value.

NOTE: Correctly calculating Ton-Miles is critically important for the accurate determination of 

your carbon foot-print. 

Enter the ton-miles hauled per year attributable to each carrier. A ton-mile is one ton moving one mile. 

NOTE: DO NOT ESTIMATE TON-MILES BY SIMPLY MULTIPLYING TOTAL MILES BY TOTAL TONS - 

this calculation effectively assumes your entire tonnage is transported on EACH AND EVERY 

truck, and will clearly overstate your ton-miles. 

There are two ways to calculate your company’s ton-miles: 

1) Companies can determine their average payload per carrier, multiply the average payload by the 

total miles per carrier, and sum the results for all carriers for the reporting year; or 

 

 (total miles per carrier x total tons per carrier) 

2) Set Ton-miles per carrier = ____________________________________ 

 total # of trips per carrier 

To check your data, divide ton-miles by miles. The result is your fleet-average payload. If this number is 

not reasonable, check your calculations.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 55

 

5. Validating Your Activity Data

The Shipper Tool also contains data validation checks designed to identify missing and potentially 

erroneous data. Selecting the button at the bottom of the screen will allow you to view 

any potential data entry errors. Figure 35 provides an example validation screen check result.

Figure 35: Example Validate Screen Check Result

The red highlighting in Row 4 indicates an error. Errors must be addressed before proceeding with the 

rest of your data entry. Selecting the red highlighting will display details – in this case, informing you 

that an Average Payload entry is required for Data Availability Option 2. 

The yellow highlighting indicates a warning condition. Warnings do not have to be addressed before 

proceeding, but may indicate a possible data entry error. In row 7 above, the average payload entered, 

12.5 tons, is less than the validation threshold of 14.5 tons. 

Errors –

select for 

details

Warning –

select for 

details

Low Payload 

Value

Missing 

Payload value

Low calculated 

Payload value

Weighted 

Average 

Payload 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 56

 

Finally, row 1 indicates a possible error – dividing ton-miles by total miles results in a very low average 

payload value for this carrier (3.4 tons). By double-clicking on the Average Payload cell (highlighted in 

red on the far right), you may enter an explanation detailing the reasons for the unusual value (see 

Figure 36). After entering your text explanation and selecting OK, the highlighting will change from red 

(error) to yellow (warning) status. 

Figure 36: Example Average Payload Validation Explanation

NOTE: By selecting the checkbox at the bottom of the Average Payload Validation text box, the 

user may apply the explanation to all instances of potentially high/low payload values on the 

Activity Data screen. This function is provided primarily for shippers importing large numbers 

of carriers resulting in the same error/warning condition multiple times.

NOTE: You must address all errors, whether highlighted in red or yellow. You can do this either 

by entering an explanation (by double-clicking on the highlighted cells) concerning the validity of 

the value, or by making any necessary corrections. 

Other validation messages may be presented for a variety of payload and ton-mile values. Please refer 

to the Shipper Tool Technical Documentation for a complete list of validation ranges used within the 

Shipper Tool.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 57

 

Finally, the Activity Data screen provides company-level mile, ton-mile and payload summaries at the 

bottom of the screen (see Figure 35). You may check these values to help ensure the accuracy of your 

carrier activity inputs. The Total Miles and Total Ton-Miles values are simple summations of the 

individual carrier rows. However, the Weighted Average Payload is calculated by multiplying the 

average payload for each carrier (as shown in the far right column) by the fraction of the total ton-miles 

attributable to each carrier, and then summing across all carriers. Check this value for reasonableness 

before proceeding.

NOTE: Select the button to calculate the company level weighted average payload, 

displayed at the bottom of the Activity Data screen (see Figure 35).

Viewing the % SmartWay Screen 

REFER TO WORKSHEET #3C: % SmartWay in the Quick Start Guide, or go to 

http://www.epa.gov/smartwaylogistics/partnership/shippers.htm to complete this section of the 

Shipper Tool. 

Once you finish entering your data you may proceed to the % SmartWay screen (Figure 37). The % 

SmartWay screen calculates your % SmartWay Value, reflecting the percentage of total emissions 

attributable to SmartWay Carriers. For Shipper Partners selecting the Emissions Footprint and % 

SmartWay option on the Basic or Comprehensive screen, the % SmartWay Value is used to determine 

eligibility for the SmartWay Excellence Awards. 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 58

 

Figure 37: % SmartWay Screen

Carriers identified in the Input Carriers screens are automatically carried over to this screen. In 

addition, if the Activity Data screen has been completed, the fractional mileage, ton-mile, and CO2

amounts attributable to each carrier are also shown here, and may be used as weighting factors across 

your carriers to calculate your % SmartWay Value. If you prefer, you may select other weighting factors 

(using the drop-down selection on the far right column) for calculating your % SmartWay Value, 

including the percentage of total payments, the percentage of total weight or total packages, or an 

alternative “custom” factor, across the different carriers. (If you selected % SmartWay Only on the 

Basic or Comprehensive screen, you will not see the Ton-Mile, Total Mile, or CO2 columns.) 

Enter the type of data you use for your percentage allocation estimates using the drop-down menu at 

the top left,4 and then enter the percent allocated to each carrier. Percentages must sum to 100. The 

resulting weighted average % SmartWay Value is displayed at the bottom right of the screen.

 

4 If you select the “% Custom” option for allocating your % SmartWay Value, you must provide a detailed description of the 

custom factor used in the text box at the lower left of the screen. 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 59

 

Viewing the Data Display Screens 

Once you finish entering your data, you may view your performance on the Emissions Summary, Carrier 

Performance and Carrier Performance (Ranking Category Detail) screens under the Data Display tab. 

Based on the shipper company activity data inputs and the carrier performance data downloaded from 

the EPA website, weighted average g/mile and g/payload ton-mile factors are calculated for CO2, NOx, 

PM10, and PM2.5 for each carrier, as well as total mass emissions (based on the preferred metric 

designated for each carrier). The company-specific g/mile and g/ton-mile factors, as well as total mass 

emissions, are shown on the Emissions Summary screen.5

 A full range of summary data is displayed on 

the Carrier Performance screen. The Carrier Performance (Ranking Category Detail) screen provides 

this same information, but allows the user to display carrier data by truck performance ranking category 

(e.g., TL/Dry Van, Dray, etc.) Note that mass emissions displays are only provided for partners selecting 

the Emissions Footprint and % SmartWay option on the Basic or Comprehensive screen.

The Emissions Summary screen (see Figure 38) displays emissions performance by carrier and for your 

shipper company as a whole, presented in terms of grams per mile and grams per ton-mile. Select the 

pollutant to display using the buttons at the top of the screen.

 

5 The gram per mile and gram per ton-mile values provided for SmartWay Truck carriers actually represent averages for a given 

truck operating category (e.g., TL Dry Van operators), indicating range midpoints for the ranked set of all operators in this 

category. In this way precise performance metrics are not attributed to any given carrier. Alternatively, performance metrics 

for rail are industry-averages, without ranges.
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Figure 38: Emissions Summary Screen

The Emissions Summary screen also displays the performance category ranking for any truck carriers. 

Truck carrier emission factors are determined by placing similar trucking companies in groups called 

Ranking Categories. There are 13 current ranking categories for truck carriers: 

• Truckload-dry van /container

• Less than truckload-dry van

• Refrigerated

• Tanker

• Flatbed

• Package delivery

• Dray

• Auto Carrier

• Expedited

• Heavy/bulk

• Moving

• Specialized hauler

• Mixed

Select Pollutant
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The fleets in each ranking category are divided by performance into five roughly equal sets (ranges.) 

The midpoint of performance for each range represents the emission factor for all fleets in that range. 

Thus, a fleet will have a ranking for each of the four pollutants and two performance metrics. Rankings 

are currently used for truck, logistics, and multi-modal carriers. Mass emissions in tons per year are also 

calculated in the right hand column of the Emissions Summary screen. The Composite row at the top of 

the table provides the activity-weighted average performance metrics across all carriers and modes. This 

summary, plus other detailed reports can be printed by returning to the Home screen and selecting Go 

to Reports Menu. 

The Carrier Performance screen displays data at a more detailed level than the Emissions Summary

screen. Emission factors, mass emissions or category ranking may be selected for display using the 

Display Type drop-down box (Figure 39). 

Figure 39: Carrier Performance Screen

You may also expand or aggregate the display rows to show carrier performance by individual carrier by 

clicking the icons to the left. 

Select Emission Factors, 

Mass Emissions or 

Category Ranking

Click to Show 

or Hide 

specific 

carriers
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 62

 

The Carrier Performance (Ranking Category Detial) screen displays data at an even more detailed level 

than the Carrier Performance screen. Emission factors, mass emissions or category ranking may be 

selected for display on this screenusing the Display Type drop-down box for any truck category of 

interest (Figure 40). 

Figure 40: Carrier Performance (Ranking Category Detail) Screen

These data, plus other detailed reports, can be printed out by returning to the Home screen and 

selecting . 

Click to selecte specific 

Ranking Categories
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Viewing Optional Sections

The Shipper Strategies Screen 

REFER TO WORKSHEET #4A: Shipper Strategies in the Quick Start Guide, or go to 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm to complete this section.

The Shipper Tool calculates the emissions savings impacts for a range of activities and best practices 

which are known to impact the emission footprint of the transportation supply chain. Using the Shipper 

Strategies screen (Figure 41), you can input specific information pertaining to your company’s strategies 

to impact emissions that are already being implemented for the reporting year. On this screen, all 

strategies are based on eliminating miles or weight from the system.

Note: The use of this screen is optional and not required for submitting the Tool to SmartWay.

Figure 41: Shipper Strategies Screen

First, select an activity category from the drop-down menu at the upper left, and then chose a specific 

activity from the options provided. You may select from the following options:

• Miles Removed from the System
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o Distribution center relocation

o Retail sales relocation

o Routing optimization

o Cube optimization

o Larger vehicles and/or trailers

• Weight Removed from System

o Product weight reduction

o Package weight reduction

o Vehicle weight reduction

For each strategy selected, you must provide an estimate of the percentage impact (in terms of miles or 

ton-miles, as appropriate), for each mode of interest, along with a text description of the strategy itself 

and details regarding the methods and assumptions used to estimate the changes. Based on actual data 

from your current carriers, the Tool will calculate the quantity of emissions changed for each pollutant. 

You can repeat this process for each strategy that your company has implemented. 

The Tool assumes that total mass emissions are changed in direct proportion with the specified mileage 

or weight reductions. This assumption should be accurate for weight reduction strategies when applied 

to truck-load shipments that weigh out. Additional uncertainty arises though in the case of LTL and 

package delivery shipments, where such reductions may not result in one-to-one impact in miles hauled. 

Uncertainties are even greater for non-truck modes, where the shipper commonly does not control the 

entire content of the container.

Please carefully document the procedure used to estimate the percentage impacts associated 

with your different measures, including how you established your baseline performance levels. 

Use the button on the upper right of the screen to 

obtain additional information regarding how shipper strategies should be quantified and documented. 

If you have questions regarding calculations and/or documentation, contact your SmartWay Partner 

Account Manager. 

Modal Shift Screen

REFER TO WORKSHEET #4B: Modal Shift in the Quick Start Guide, or go to 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm to complete this section of the Shipper Tool. 

The Modal Shift screen is intended for scoping purposes and scenario evaluations only. Shippers should 

develop carrier emissions inventories (and associated average emissions factors for their company) by 

inputting activity data in the Activity Data screen.

Note: The use of this screen is optional and not required for submitting the Tool to SmartWay.

The Modal Shift screen allows you to estimate the emissions impact of shifting modes by selecting one 

or more modal shifts between air, marine, truck, logistics, multi-modal and rail operations. The resulting 
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 65

 

estimates of emissions impacts are for partner information only and are not used in determining 

performance estimates. 

On the Modal Shift screen (Figure 42), you can specify the mode from which you have shifted freight or 

are considering shifting freight (“From Mode”), as well as the target mode (“To Mode”). You have 

several options for selecting an emissions factor for both the “From Mode” and “To Mode”:

Shipper’s Carrier Average – This option will utilize the weighted average gram per mile or grams per 

ton-mile metric from your carriers, for a specified mode (e.g., rail or truck), based on data you provided 

in the Activity Data screen. If this option is selected for the “From” mode, filters can also be applied to 

evaluate a subset of your current operations (e.g., inbound/domestic only). Note that in most cases 

performance metrics represent midpoints for the given ranking category range, rather than the precise 

value for a given carrier. If you have data specific to your carriers, select the User Input option (see 

below). Note that the Shipper Carrier Average option is not available for air and marine modes at this 

time.

Modal Average – This option will use an industry-average performance metric for the mode in question. 

Metric options include g/ton-mile and g/mile (or g/railcar-mile, as appropriate). The data sources and 

assumptions used to derive these values are discussed in the Shipper Tool Technical Documentation. 

You may want to use this option to investigate shifting freight to a transportation mode that you have 

not used previously, although we recommend that you use a more representative emission factor to 

analyze scenarios whenever possible. The Modal Average option is not available for air and marine 

modes at this time.

User Input – This option allows you to input performance metric estimates for any carrier mode, using 

alternative data sources. This is the only option available for Air and Marine modes at this time. If you 

select this option, you MUST provide a description of the data sources that you used to develop these 

estimates (by clicking the button.) This option may prove particularly useful in 

those cases when you have access to carrier-specific performance estimates. We also encourage you to 

use this option when you have access to an emissions factor that reflects the full emissions impact (e.g., 

including likely drayage emissions) and/or that best represents the fleet equipment and operational 

type that you are most likely to work with for your unique freight movement.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 66

 

Figure 42: Modal Shift Screen

Note that emissions factors that automatically appear in the Modal Shift screen do not include all 

potential emissions impacts; for example the factors do not include emissions associated with drayage 

(i.e., short-distance trips often required to move freight from one mode to another) or the operation of 

intermodal facilities. 

You may select to perform the emission impact calculation based on miles or ton-miles inputs, by 

specifying the Units in the drop-down menu under the Amounts column. Mile inputs for truck, logistics, 

and multi-modal modes correspond to truckload miles, or railcar-miles for rail modes. Once the Units

are selected for the calculation, the screen will present the “Before” and “After” efficiency factors for 

the “From” and “To” modes for each of the four pollutants, in the table on the right. (User Input

selections will result in empty white cells which require manual entry of the required values.) Next, the 

actual amount of freight to be shifted must be specified for both the “From” and “To” modes, in terms 

of miles or ton-miles, as appropriate. (Note that these two values can be different, since the point to 

point distance travelled is likely to be different across modes.) The corresponding emissions impact is 

then presented in tons per year for each pollutant. Emissions increases are shown as negative values.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 67

 

Note that the Shipper Carrier Average and Modal Average values for railcar gram per mile values are 

adjusted to reflect truckload-equivalents (on a volume basis). Refer to the Shipper Tool Technical 

Documentation for details.
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Sections 6-8: Optional Steps—Year to Year Comparisons, View 

Reports, and Provide Additional Information

After completing Steps 1 – 5 on the Home screen, you have access to three optional sections of the Tool.

The Year-to-Year Comparison Report allows the user to compare the shipper company characteristics 

and activity values, as well as CO2 performance metrics for the current year with those of a prior year. 

This report is particularly helpful in identifying any changes that may have occurred since your last 

reporting period, determining trends in activity and performance over multiple years, and performing 

general quality assurance of the inputs used for your current Tool. You can access this report by 

selecting under item #6 on the Home

screen. 

The Reports section gives you access to 14 reports to help you understand your data and use it to make 

better performance decisions. You can access these reports by selecting 

under item #7 on the Home screen.

The Provide Additional Information section allows you to provide EPA with input about your company, 

potential use of the SmartWay Logo, and general feedback regarding the SmartWay program. This 

information is optional and is not required in order to submit your Shipper Tool data to EPA. Selecting 

the button under item #8 on the Home

screen will open the Partner Information forms. 

***Once you’ve reviewed these sections, you will be ready to submit your Tool to EPA***
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Validating Your Data

The Shipper Tool has validation checks embedded at different points in the Tool to ensure data quality, 

including checks of payload and ton-miles, to help ensure the reasonableness and quality of Partner 

data. 

In most instances the validation ranges are based on Truck Partner data distributions from the 2012 

calendar year. (Refer to the Shipper Tool Technical Documentation (found on the website at 

http://epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm) for a detailed discussion of all validation criteria 

used within the Tool.)

At any time, you can select the button at the bottom of the screens to make sure you 

have filled out everything properly before proceeding to the next screen. 

Any time you leave a particular screen, the Tool will automatically perform a screen validation. 

Any time you return to the Home screen, the Tool will automatically perform a company-level

validation.

If you select the button and no potential errors are identified, the following message will 

be displayed. Select OK to proceed.

Figure 43: Validation Check Notification – No Errors

If missing or potentially erroneous inputs are identified, you will see the following message.

Figure 44: Validation Check Notification – with Errors/Warnings
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Select Yes to see a complete list of validation errors/warnings. An example Validation Check results 

screen is provided in Figure 45. 

Figure 45: Validation Check Screen - Error/Warning Details

The and

buttons at the bottom of the screen provide additional information to assist you in correcting any errors. 

Once you close the Validation check screen, you will see warnings and errors highlighted in a red or 

yellow on the Activity Information screen. Entering new data in a highlighted cell will cause the colored 

shading to disappear, even if the new value is still invalid. To check the validity of your newly entered 

data, select the button again and repeat the procedure described above as necessary. 

For a complete listing of all validation checks used in the Tool, refer to the Shipper Tool Technical 

Documentation. 
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Once all potential validation errors have been corrected or otherwise verified, select to 

proceed to the next step.
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 72

 

Viewing Reports

Once you have returned to the Home screen, notice that the company that you filled out and validated 

now identifies its status as “Complete” or “Complete (with Warnings).” You may now highlight the next 

company if you have another one to complete. In the example below, the company listed as “Shipper 

Company 1 - Wholesale" remains to be finished. Fill out unfinished company in the same manner as the 

previous company. 

Figure 46: Home Screen - After Completing the Data Entry/Modification Process for First Business Unit

Once you have filled out information for all your companies, be sure that all companies show 

"Complete” or “Complete with Warnings” beside the name. If, and only if, all companies are marked as 

Updated fleet 

status indicator
Shipper Partner Tool Data Entry and Troubleshooting Guide | P. 73

 

such, you can move on to the next step. If one or more companies are not marked as such, review the 

data you entered for errors or omissions.

Viewing the Year-to-Year Comparison Report

The Year-to-Year Comparison Report allows the user to compare the activity values, as well as CO2, NOx 

and PM performance metrics for the current reporting year with those of the previous year. This report 

is particularly helpful in identifying any changes that may have occurred since your last reporting period, 

determining trends in activity and performance over multiple years, and performing general quality 

assurance of the inputs used for your current tool. You can access this report by selecting 

under item #6 on the Home screen. 

Figure 47 shows the data entry screen for the comparison report. Note that your current year’s data is 

already “loaded,” including the data you have entered for your current company/companies. In order to 

load data for the previous year, select the button. A screen will appear allowing 

you to specify the location of your 2011 file, using the button as shown in Figure 48. 

Figure 47: Year-to-Year Comparison Report Input Screen
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Figure 48: Data Load Screen for Year-to-Year Comparison Report

Once your comparison years have been specified and your prior year data loaded into the Shipper Tool, 

select the “RUN REPORT” button to view the line-item data entry comparisons. An example report is 

presented in Figure 49. 
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Comparison Report Report Year: 

2012

Tool: Shipper

Metric Change 

% 

Change 

Amount 2012 2011

Partner Name Shipper - 1, Inc. Shipper - 1, Inc.

Primary Contact

Stephen 

McCarty Stephen McCarty

Phone X 214-817-8946 214-817-8989

Total Miles Total -38.4% -2,409,246 3,866,542 6,275,788

SmartWay Total Miles -40.2% -2,409,246 3,576,735 5,985,981

% SmartWay Total Miles -3.0% -2.88% 92.50% 95.38%

Non-SmartWay Total Miles 289,807 289,807

% Non-SmartWay Total Miles 62.4% 2.88% 7.50% 4.62%

Ton Miles Total -41.3% -47,761,475 67,943,910 115,705,385

SmartWay Ton Miles -43.7% -47,761,475 61,443,880 109,205,355

% SmartWay Ton Miles -4.2% -3.98% 90.40% 94.38%

Non-SmartWay Ton Miles 6,500,030 6,500,030

% Non-SmartWay Ton Miles 70.9% 3.98% 9.60% 5.62%

Ton-Miles % SmartWay Allocation Truck -33.4% -31.35% 62.61% 93.96%

Ton-Miles % SmartWay Allocation Rail 100.00% 100.00%

Ton-Miles % SmartWay Allocation Multi-modal 100.00% 100.00%

Ton-Miles % SmartWay Allocation Logistics 100.00% 100.00%

Ton-Miles % SmartWay Allocation Overall -25.5% -24.09% 70.30% 94.38%

*Average Weighted Payload -4.7% -0.8586 17.5578 18.4164

*Average Weighted Density 14.6815 14.6815

Average Weighted Load Percent 90.5613 90.5613

Emission Metrics CO2 g/mile 4.7% 82 1,812 1,730

Emission Metrics CO2 g/ton-mile 24.0% 30 155 125

Emission Metrics NOx g/mile 29.3% 2.91 12.84 9.93

Emission Metrics NOx g/ton-mile 40.9% 0 0.950 0.674

Emission Metrics PM10 g/mile 52.7% 0.135 0.391 0.256

Emission Metrics PM10 g/ton-mile 64.5% 0.0151 0.0385 0.0234

Emission Metrics PM25 g/mile 52.8% 0.134 0.388 0.254

Emission Metrics PM25 g/ton-mile 64.2% 0.0149 0.0381 0.0232

CO2 Mass Emissions -26.7% -4,245 11,675 15,920

NOx Mass Emissions -15.6% -14.1 76.4 90.5

PM10 Mass Emissions -3.7% -0.1092 2.8250 2.9342

PM25 Mass Emissions -3.8% -0.1092 2.7892 2.8984

*WEIGHTED AVERAGE ONLY APPLICABLE WHERE DATA WAS ENTERED

Figure 49: Example Year-to-Year Comparison Report
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The example above indicates that a change in phone number has occurred for the Primary Contact since 

2011, with no other changes in basic contact information. Comparisons are also shown for a number of 

activity parameters including:

• Total Miles and Ton-Miles, for both SmartWay and Non-SmartWay carriers

• Activity allocation (in this case based on ton-miles) for SmartWay Value by mode

• average payload, density and load percent

A variety of calculated annual performance metrics are also shown, including: 

• mass emissions in short tons for all pollutants

• grams per mile for all pollutants

• grams per ton-mile for all pollutants

Percentage changes are also indicated for each of these items, relative to the earlier year baseline 

values. Note that all comparisons are at the aggregated Partner level rather than the individual 

company level.

Viewing Other Data Reports

Once you are ready to continue, select to 

go to the following screen:
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Figure 50: View Reports Menu

Selecting any of the blue buttons on this screen will display the indicated data. Several reports 

summarize the data you entered on specific data input screens, such as the Company Characterization 

and Input Summary Report. The Out of Range Report may be particularly useful in identifying and 

addressing those inputs flagged as potentially erroneous during company validation.
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Selecting any of the summary report types will take you to a screen allowing you to preview and print 

your reports. Figure 51 shows one of many sample reports that the Tool can generate for you; in this 

case summarizing emission reductions in tons and assorted performance metrics at the carrier mode 

level (including all carriers). These reports will prove useful for your company‘s evaluation and 

improvement efforts.

Figure 51: Example of Emissions Summary Report
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Providing Additional Information

After completing Steps 1 – 4 on the Home screen, you may provide EPA with additional information 

regarding your company, potential use of the SmartWay Logo, and general feedback regarding the 

SmartWay program. This information is optional and is not required in order to submit your Shipper 

Tool data to EPA. Selecting the button on 

the Home screen will open the Partner Information form (see Figure 52). 

Figure 52: Partner Information Screen

Use this page to provide information you would like to share publicly. Information should be entered in 

the text boxes displayed. Use the scroll bar to the right to display additional questions. SmartWay will 

use this information to create a SmartWay Partner profile page for your company on the SmartWay 

website. You do not need to complete every question. SmartWay will NOT edit for spelling or 

grammar, so make sure the text is exactly as you wish it to appear. If your company contains public 

relations functions, you may want them to review this information before submittal, however, keep 

your SmartWay due date in mind. SmartWay WILL review this data for appropriate content. 

Information provided should be informational in nature, and speak to the question.
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Figure 53 shows the Logo Qualification screen. The SmartWay Partner Logo is provided at the company 

level to Partners that submit and have their Tools approved on-time. Use this screen to provide 

information regarding your qualification for, and planned use of, the Partner Logo. Use the scroll bar to 

display more questions and input fields. Additional information on Logo qualification and use can be 

found by selecting the button link.

Figure 53: Logo Qualification Screen
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Figure 54 displays the Suggestions screen. You may respond to some or all of these questions in order to 

provide feedback regarding the various aspects of the SmartWay program. SmartWay values your 

feedback. Any information you provide will be used to improve the program, and will be kept 

confidential. Use the scroll bar to the right to display additional questions.

Figure 54: Suggestions Screen

Once you have completed these three screens, select the button to return to the Home

screen.
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Submitting Data to SmartWay

Congratulations! You are now ready to send your data to EPA. 

From the Home screen, select , which will open the following screen.

Figure 55: Creating Submission File for EPA

Select the checkbox to indicate you understand the terms of the SmartWay Partnership Agreement once 

again. Next, a question will appear asking if you are an existing SmartWay Partner (Y/N). If you are, a 

question will appear asking if you submitted your data the previous reporting year. If so, you must then 

enter your Annual Submission ID, which has been sent to you by your SmartWay PAM via email. If you 

cannot locate your submission ID you can select the link “Email me my SmartWay ID” to have your ID 

sent to you. 
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Figure 56: Completed Submission File Screen

When ready, select NEXT to create a file with the following naming convention:

PartnerName_ Year_Shipper_V0.xls 

For example, ABC Company_2012_Shipper_V0.xls

where PartnerName is your company’s name, as entered for Step 1 on the Home screen, and Year 

indicates the year for which you are submitting your data. 

Next specify the folder where you would like to save the .xml file. After specifying the folder and 

selecting Save, and the following screen will appear. 
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Figure 57: Completed Submission File Screen

Follow these instructions for submitting your .xml file to SmartWay. Note that the .xml file is 

approximately 10 times smaller than the .xls files the Tool generated in the past. Upon selecting

a screen will appear that allows you to close the Shipper Tool or return to the Home

screen.

NOTE: The XML file is not sent to EPA automatically. You will need to locate the file and attach it in an 

e-mail to your Partner Account Manager). 

NOTE: DO NOT ZIP the File. Send it to EPA as a normal file attached in an e-mail. EPA security will not 

allow zipped files through the EPA firewall.

Please visit http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/shippers.htm for additional resources, including 

printable data collection worksheets and technical documentation for the Shipper Tool. 
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Troubleshooting the Tool

Although the revised SmartWay Tools have been tested extensively, you may encounter errors. 

Intermittent errors have been encountered when opening the Tools directly from an e-mail or from the 

SmartWay website rather than from a drive, or when multiple Excel files are open simultaneously. If you 

encounter an error during use of the Tool, try restarting it directly from a disk drive, with all other Excel 

files closed. In addition, make sure that your computer is using a system and application version 

validated for use with the SmartWay 2012 Tools (XP and Vista operating systems, and Excel Office 2003 

and 2007.) 

If you continue to encounter problems, please make a screen capture of the error message, and save the 

data at that point. (You can make a screen capture by pressing Alt-Prt Scr, and then pasting the image 

into a document such as MS Word.) Then send the screenshot, along with the saved data to your 

Partner Account Manager for further assistance.
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