Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool: 

Data Collection Overview and 

Workbook 

Part 2 
Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool: 

Data Collection Overview and 

Workbook 

Part 2 

Transportation and Climate Division 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

EPA-420-B-12-025 

March 2012 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Part 2: DATA COLLECTION OVERVIEW AND 

WORKBOOK 

This guide is Part 2 of a three-part series to help trucking companies participate in the SmartWay 

Transport Partnership. 

In this guide you will learn about: 

1. The general organization of the SmartWay Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool, and 

2. Data needs for each section of the tool. 

You will also have the opportunity to collect your data using our data collection worksheets in 

preparation for the data entry step (Part 3). 

Please review this guide carefully BEFORE attempting to use the tool or enter data. Understanding the 

data requirements and gathering all data in advance will save considerable time and frustration while 

completing your tool submission. 

If you wish to explore the Multi-modal Carrier FLEET tool in preparation for joining the program, 

please review Part 3: Data Entry Guide and return to this workbook to prepare for gathering your data. 

Please note that each fleet/division that you operate will be characterized separately. If you have 

multiple fleet/divisions with different operations modes, or you contract segments of your freight 

operations to other companies, you may need to complete additional tools (e.g., Logistics FLEET and/or 

Truck FLEET) to accurately assess your operations. 

In the event that you have a question about any of the data collection activities, you can contact 

SmartWay Email Support at smartway_transport@epa.gov and a member of our SmartWay Partner 

Support Team will assist you. 

WARNING! 

Completing the Multi-modal Carrier FLEET tool requires a considerable amount of 

information about your company, the divisions that are joining SmartWay, and the fleets within those 

divisions. There are multiple sections and screens to complete for each fleet/division that you operate. 

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 Part 1 to understand key information about joining the 

partnership. Then, use Part 2 of this series to learn about the data requirements and gather your data 

BEFORE attempting to use Part 3 to complete the tool. 

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Overview of Data Collection Requirements
 

The SmartWay Multi-modal Carrier FLEET tool is the data collection and calculation system for truck 

carriers that join the SmartWay Transport Partnership. There are three sections of the SmartWay Multimodal Carrier FLEET Tool that require data about your company’s operations: 

1. Enter Company and Contact Information 

2. Define Your Component Fleets/Divisions 

3. Define Your Composite Fleets/Divisions 

This guide will explore the data required for completing these four sections. Part 3 of the three-part user 

guide series explains more about the structure of the tool and the data entry process; this guide will 

focus primarily on what you need to do to prepare for completing the tool. 

NOTE: If you are a new SmartWay partner you should enter the most recent 12 months of 

data into the tool. If you do not have a full year of operational data, please collect a 

minimum of three months’ data for input into the SmartWay tool. In your next update year, 

you will be required to submit a full year’s data. 

Section 1: Specify Official Partner Name 

To begin, you must specify you company’s Partner name, exactly as you want it to appear on the 

SmartWay website. For example, if your company’s name includes “Inc.” or “Ltd.”, you may choose not 

to include that in your Partner name. Please also pay special attention to proper capitalization, 

abbreviations, and punctuation. 

Section 2: Enter Company and Contact Information 

SmartWay needs complete company information for correspondence, web posting, press releases, and 

awards and recognition (where applicable). The SmartWay tool asks for: 

• General company information (e.g., name, location, web address, etc.) 

• A primary contact1 for any questions about your company’s participation and tool submissions 

• An executive contact2 for participation in awards and recognition events 

1 The primary contact is the individual designated by the Executive Contact to directly interface with SmartWay regarding specific tasks 

involved in the timely submission of the tool. The Primary Contact is responsible for coordinating the assembly of information to 

complete/update fleet/division 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 emails from SmartWay/EPA 

are not blocked, new primary contacts may need to add SmartWay/EPA to their preferred list of trusted sources.) 

2 The executive contact is the company executive who is responsible for agreeing to the requirements in the SmartWay Partnership Agreement, 

overseeing the Primary Contact (as appropriate), and ensuring the 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. 

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•	 Additional contacts (optional): Additional contacts may include your press/media contact, your 

fleet/division manager, etc.—anyone who is not the primary contact for tool and participation 

issues but may be involved in your involvement with SmartWay. 

Please use Worksheet #1 in this guide to prepare for filling out the Contact Information Screen in the 

Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool. 

Section 3: Define Your Component Fleet/Divisions 

Understanding Component and Composite Fleet/Divisions: 

Multi-modal companies are somewhat more complicated to characterize that truck or rail-only
 

companies. Often, multi-modal services are comprised of a wide range of truck, rail, and/or dray
 

services that may be provided by the company or purchased from third party providers by the company.
 

To properly characterize the emission rates for multi-modal companies, one must account for this wide
 

variety of operations and service levels.
 

Note: Multi-modal rail freight is defined as any freight transported by a multi-modal 

carrier, which may include intermodal containers as well as other cargo configurations
 

such as boxcars, tanker cars, etc.
 

To accomplish this SmartWay has developed the concept of “component” and “composite”
 

fleets/divisions.
 

Composite fleets/divisions are entities that your customers can hire to move their freight. For example
 

you may have a Truckload Division and an Intermodal Division, whereas Component fleets/divisions are
 

fleets/divisions organized around your internal management of the company.
 

In the Multi-modal tool you will be asked to input data for all of your component fleets/divisions which
 

will include the fleets/divisions you own and manage as well as any hired services you purchase. Once
 

these component fleets/divisions have been characterized you will be asked to build your composite
 

fleet/divisions (the ones the public sees and can hire) from your component fleets/divisions. This
 

process will attribute the appropriate weighted emission factors to your composite fleets/divisions, and
 

demonstrate to your customers the benefits of using your multi-modal freight services.
 

Example: Company “J” has a Truckload Division, an Intermodal Division, and a Dray Division that the
 

public can hire. Internally the company has its own truckload fleet/division, it hires a 3PL, it hires rail 

services, it has its own dray fleet/division, and it hires dray companies.
 

•	 The Truckload Division’s services are provided by its own truckload fleet/division and its hired 

3PL fleet/division. 

•	 The Dray Division’s services are provided by its own dray fleet/division and hired dray services 

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•	 The Intermodal Division’s services are provided for by its own truckload fleet/division, its own 

dray fleet/division, its hired rail services, and its hired dray services. 

Therefore the partner defines the following component fleets/divisions: 

1. For its truckload fleet/division (using the truck mode selection on the Home screen) 

2. For its dray fleet/division (using the truck mode selection on the Home screen) 

3. For its 3PL fleet/division (using the logistics mode selection on the Home screen) 

4. For its rail and hired dray operations (using the logistics mode selection on the Home screen) 

The partner will then assign the appropriate operations of these component fleet/divisions to define the 

composite fleet/divisions that the public can hire: 

Composite Fleet/division One: Truckload Division 

60% of its truckload fleet/division, 70% of its 3PL fleet/division 

Composite Fleet/division Two: Intermodal Division 

40% of its truckload fleet/division, 30% of its 3PL fleet/division, 100% of its hired rail, 80% of its 

hired dray fleet/division, and 40% of its own dray fleet/division 

Composite Fleet/division Three: Dray Division 

20% of its hired dray fleet/division, 60% of its own dray fleet/division 

NOTE: Drayage operations should be included in the SmartWay Multi-modal tool if your company 

controls drayage movements (e.g., receive payments directly to move the freight using your own 

drayage trucks, or purchases drayage services directly from a third party). 

SmartWay highly recommends developing your list of component and composite 

fleets/divisions offline using a company organization chart or perhaps a customer interface 

webpage. The best strategy is to have a clear idea of how to define your fleets/divisions 

before filling out the tool. 

Identifying Your Truck Component Fleets/Divisions: 

The Fleet/Division Characterization portion of the tool has four subsections: 

1. Identify Fleets/Divisions 

2. Fleet/Division Details 

3. Operation Categories 

4. Body Types 

These apply to both Truck and Logistic component fleet/divisions. The requirements for each subsection 

are described below. 

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NOTE: You may wish to print multiple copies of Worksheet #2 if you have multiple fleets/divisions. 

Data Requirements for “Identify Fleets/Divisions” Screen 

For each component fleet/division, you will need to specify: 

•	 Fleet/Division Prefix (Partner Name): On the SmartWay website, each of your fleet/division 

names will begin with the name of your company. This fleet "prefix" will be whatever you enter 

in the Partner Name field on the Identify Fleets/Divisions screen. By default, the Partner Name 

for your first fleet/division on the Identify Fleets/Divisions screen is automatically populated 

with the first 50 characters of the partner name that was entered on the Home screen. You 

should specify the Partner Name so that it appears EXACTLY as it you want it to show within 

each fleet/division name. (For example, if your company's name includes "Inc." or "Ltd.", you 

may choose not to include that in your fleet names.) Please pay special attention to proper 

capitalization, abbreviations, and punctuation. Remember that this name will be automatically 

inserted at the start of each of your fleet/division names on the SmartWay website. 

•	 Fleet/Division Suffix (Business Unit Identifier): Please make sure to specify each fleet suffix 

name exactly as you want it displayed on the SmartWay website, including proper capitalization, 

any abbreviations, and punctuation. Remember that it will automatically be combined with your 

Partner name. NOTE: If you have only one fleet/division, you may leave the Fleet/Division Suffix 

field blank, in which case your fleet/division name will simply be your Partner Name. 

Data Requirements for “Fleet/Division Details” Screen 

•	 Standard Carrier Alpha Codes (SCACs) and/or Motor Carrier Numbers (MCNs): The Standard 

Carrier Alpha Code is a unique 2-4 alphabetic character code used by the transportation industry 

to identify transportation companies. The Motor Carrier Number is a 6 or 7 digit number 

provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 

•	 Fleet/Division Type: Fleet/Division Type is defined as the service type for your fleet/division. 

There are two options accepted by the tool—“For-Hire” and “Private/Dedicated.” If your 

company has only one fleet/division, your “Fleet/Division Type” selection will reflect your 

company’s operations as a whole. If there are multiple fleets/divisions, each will have its 

fleet/division type defined separately. 

•	 Percent Operational Control: “Control” means that you operate/route the fleet/division, 

regardless of ownership status. Control includes dedicated fleets/divisions that you operate for 

other parties. Specify if your company controls over 95% of the operation of each fleet/division, 

weighted by miles. If you contract out more than 5% of the fleet’s/division’s operation, the 

Logistics mode should be selected for that fleet/division. Note this box is not included in the 

Identify Fleet/Divisions screen for the Logistics mode selection. 

•	 Fleet/Division Contact: This contact should be one of the contacts you already identified in the 

Company Information section as the fleet/division contact for each fleet/division. NOTE: A 

drop-down menu will supply this information; if there is a contact for the fleet/division that is 

not already listed in the Company and Contacts worksheet, you will need to go back to that 

screen to add the contact information. 

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Data Requirements for “Operation Categories” Screen 

For each component fleet/division, you will also need to specify: 

•	 Fleet/Division-level Operational Category (by percentage of mileage): Determine the percent 

of each operational type based on approximate mileage. The percentages for each 

fleet/division must sum to 100%. This percentage calculation does not need to be exact but 

should be reasonably reflective of your fleet/division. Operational categories include: 

o	 Truckload (TL) - A truckload carrier is a trucking company that generally contracts an 

entire trailer-load to a single customer. 

o	 Less-than-truckload (LTL) – Less-than-truckload carriers collect freight from various 

shippers and consolidate that freight onto enclosed trailers for linehaul to the delivering 

terminal or to a hub terminal where the freight will be further sorted and consolidated 

for delivery. 

o	 Drayage (Dray) – Dray carriers are predominantly associated with port, or railhead connections where freight is picked up, and moved to another transfer facility 

or transport mode terminal. Often these moves are short in nature, but can be longer 

depending on specific situations. 

o	 Package delivery (PD) – Package delivery covers operations characterized by residential 

or business package delivery/pickup consisting primarily of single or small groups of 

packages. It does not include larger scale pickup delivery operations that are more 

properly characterized as LTL operations. 

o	 Expedited – Time-sensitive freight shipments, with trucks typically on standby. 

NOTE: Define your fleets/divisions based on the ability of your customers to choose them. If a 

fleet is a mix of TL and LTL, you will indicate the percentages of each. If customers can choose to 

hire your TL fleet/division, your LTL fleet/division, or your dray fleet/division separately, then 

each should be regarded as a separate fleet/division. 

Data Requirements for “Body Types” Screen 

•	 Fleet/Division-level Body Type (by percentage of equipment): Determine the percent of each 

body type represented in the fleet/division. Percentages can be approximate, based on vehicle 

populations, but must sum to 100%. Body type categories include: 

o	 Dry van/box van 

o	 Refrigerated (Reefer) 

o	 Flatbed 

o	 Tanker 

o	 Intermodal chassis containers (pooled and owned) 

o	 Heavy-bulk hauler 

o	 Auto Carrier 

o	 Moving 

o Utility3 

3 The utility category encompasses class 2B to 8B vehicles that do not carry typical commercial freight. Examples include garbage, 

recycle, service, work, dump, landscape, cement, bucket, boom, ambulance, armored, fire, farm, wrecker and other similar trucks. 

Because these trucks do not carry traditional freight payload, the user should self-define their payload so as to make the emissions 

per payload efficiency useful to the user. SmartWay will not use the emissions per payload results for the utility category. 

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o Special hauler (e.g., Hopper, Livestock, and other specialized carriers) 

Use the Logistics mode selection within the Multi-modal tool to characterize rail freight 

movement. Body type selections for rail freight should match the above selections as 

closely as possible. 

Once you have defined your component truck and/or logistic fleets/divisions, you will need to enter 

detailed information regarding fleet/division vehicles and activity levels. Please refer to the Data 

Collection Overview and Workbook for the Truck Carrier FLEET Tool (Part 2) and Data Collection 

Overview and Workbook for the Logistics Company FLEET Tool (Part 2) for guidance on gathering and 

preparing this data. 

Please use the Worksheet #2 provided in this guide to prepare for filling out the Component 

Fleets/Divisions sections in the Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool. 

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Section 3: Define Your Composite Fleets/Divisions 

Now that you have identified and characterized your component fleets/divisions, you will be asked to 

provide information for EACH composite fleet/division. In this section, you will be asked to allocate 

component fleet/division miles and ton-miles across the different composite fleets/divisions. 

The “Define Your Composite Fleet/Division” section of the tool has two subsections: 

1. Define Composite Fleets/Divisions 

2. Allocate Component Fleets/Divisions 

The requirements for each subsection are described below. 

Please use Worksheet # 3 to prepare for filling out the composite fleet/division information in the 

Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool. 

Note: Your company’s name and your composite fleet(s)/division(s) will be listed on the 

SmartWay website to indicate your participation in the SmartWay Transport Partnership. 

Your shipper and logistics customers can also use the SmartWay Online Database to search for 

your company by the name you submit in the tool, your SCAC number or your Motor Carrier 

Number. Therefore, it is critical that you identify your company and composite 

fleet(s)/division(s) in the tool as you would have them appear on the SmartWay website. 

Data Requirements for “Define Composite Fleets/Divisions” Screen 

On the “Define Composite Fleets/Divisions” screen, you may add a new composite fleet/division or 

delete an existing composite fleet/division and associate each fleet/division with a fleet/division contact. 

Data Requirements for “Allocate Component Fleets/Divisions” Screen 

For each component fleet/division you identify, you will allocate their usage across the various 

composite fleets/divisions by specifying the percentages for miles and ton-miles that are 

accumulated by each composite fleet/division. The percent miles and percent ton-miles for 

each component fleet/division must total 100%. All component fleets/divisions listed must be 

allocated to one or more composite fleets/divisions. 

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Worksheets for Data Collection
 

List of Worksheets 

#1: Company and Contact Worksheet.........................................................................................12

#2: Component Fleet/Division Characterization Worksheet....................................................13

#3A: Define Composite Fleets/Divisions Worksheet..................................................................14

#3B: Allocate Component Fleets/Divisions Worksheet.............................................................15

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Worksheet #1: Company and Contact Information
 

#1. Enter your Contact Information: 

General Company Contact Information 

Company Name 

Headquarters 

Mailing Address 

City State/Province Zip Country 

Main Phone Toll-free Number Cell Web Address 

Number number 

Primary Contact Information 

Primary Contact Name 

Primary Contact Mailing 

Address 

City State/Province Zip Country 

Primary Contact Phone Email 

Number Address 

Executive Contact Information 

Executive Contact Name 

Executive Contact Mailing 

Address 

City State/Province Zip Country 

Executive Contact Phone Email 

Number Address 

Other Contact Information 

Executive Contact Name 

Executive Contact Mailing 

Address 

City State/Province Zip Country 

Executive Contact Phone Email 

Number Address 

Contact’s role in program 

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Worksheet #2: Component Fleet/Division Characterization
 

Complete this worksheet for each component fleet/division you will be submitting in the Multi-modal 

Carrier FLEET Tool. 

#2: Define your Fleets/Divisions 

Partner / Division Name 

SCAC: _____ MCN:_____ FLEET/DIVISION TYPE:_____ 95% Control* _____ 

Fleet/Division Contact:______________________________________________ 

Operation Category Percentages:
 

Truckload _____ LTL _____ Drayage _____ Package Delivery_____ Expedited_____
 

Body Type Percentages: 

Dry Van_____ Reefer _____ Flatbed _____ Tanker _____ Chassis _____ Heavy Bulk _____
 

Auto Carrier _____ Moving _____ Utility _____ Special Hauler _____
 

* Applicable for Truck fleets, not Logistics fleets 

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Worksheet #3A: Define Composite Fleets/Divisions
 

Complete the following for each composite fleet/division you will be submitting in the Multi-modal 

Carrier FLEET Tool. 

#3A: Define Your Composite Fleets/Divisions 

Company / Component Fleet / Division Name 

Fleet/Division Contact:______________________________________________ 

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Worksheet #3B: Allocate Component Fleets/Divisions 

Complete the following table for each component fleet/division you will be assigning to the composite 

fleets/divisions listed in Worksheet 3A. 

#3B: Allocate Your Component Fleets/Divisions 

List each composite fleet/division identified in Worksheet 3A. Add lines to the table below or 

copy the table multiple times if necessary. 

“% Miles” and “% Ton-Miles” columns must each sum to exactly 100% for each component 

fleet/division. 

Composite Fleet/Division Name % Miles % Ton-Miles 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

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Next Steps
 

Now that you understand the data collection requirements for the SmartWay Multi-modal Carrier FLEET 

Tool, and you have collected the data you need in the worksheets, you are ready to download the tool 

and begin the data entry process. Part 3 of the user guide series will guide you through the tool screens, 

and help you enter the data and troubleshoot any problems you may have with your submission. Please 

visit http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/multimodal.htm to download Part 3: Data Entry Guide 

and the Multi-modal Carrier FLEET Tool if you haven’t already done so. 

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