Vision

A New Era 

of Freight 

Sustainability

2020
2 SmartWay Vision 2020
Vision for the Future i

Letter from the Office Director

If evidence is needed to demonstrate that collaboration 

and innovation are an effective approach for addressing 

tough environmental issues, the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) SmartWay program is an 

excellent case study. Through SmartWay, EPA and its 

partners have made significant gains in the efficiency 

of how our nation moves goods, helping address air 

quality challenges, improve public health and reduce 

freight’s contribution to climate change.

When we launched SmartWay early in 2004, 

leaders from my office and others representing the 

transportation and freight industry knew the timing was 

right to take action. In developing SmartWay, our goal 

was to craft a strategy to reduce freight’s escalating 

environmental impacts and provide the industry with 

tools that would also help mitigate the risks of rising 

energy costs and an emerging, new world economy.

The freight industry was rapidly growing and changing. 

Our economy was becoming increasingly global and 

more freight was moving faster and further. Though 

goods movement is key to the strength of our economy, 

these changes and growth in freight transportation have 

led to rising levels of greenhouse gases and air pollution.

With considerable input from 

our industry partners we 

built a solid business case for 

SmartWay that has evolved 

and continues to provide valueadded benefits to our partners 

and the environment. We have 

continued the dialogue on the 

future of this dynamic industry. 

Freight activity continues to 

grow rapidly, both domestically 

and abroad. SmartWay already 

has served as a template and is 

being used to help jumpstart green freight initiatives all 

over the globe.

This report reflects what we’ve heard, and provides 

a vision for SmartWay as we move forward to the 

year 2020 and beyond. I am confident that through 

SmartWay, EPA and its partners will continue 

leading by example, helping to not only strengthen 

the sustainability of how supplies and products are 

delivered, but also the health of our economy and U.S. 

competitiveness.

Christopher Grundler 

Director

Office of Transportation 

and Air Quality, U.S. EPA
ii SmartWay Vision 2020

Executive Summary

SmartWay Sets New Goals for Future of Freight Sustainability

As highlighted in SmartWay Vision 2020 SmartWay 

partners have saved 6 billion gallons of fuel, lowered 

fuel costs by $20.6 billion and reduced carbon 

emissions by over 60 million metric tons since the 

program’s inception. A partnership between the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the freight 

industry, participation in SmartWay has grown from 

fewer than 20 partners when it was first announced in 

2004, to more than 3,000 today. 

In the coming decade, SmartWay partners will achieve 

even more emissions reductions and cost savings 

through strategies and technologies that will strengthen 

the efficiency of goods movement, both domestically 

and globally. 

SmartWay partners are committed to sustainability 

and worked with EPA to create SmartWay using 

market-based incentives and technology solutions 

to ensure that the partnership would effectively 

address long-term trends, changes and challenges 

in the goods movement industry. Businesses and 

environmental organizations appreciate how SmartWay 

has helped raise awareness about freight’s economic 

importance, underscore its prominence in the value 

chain, and make it clear that by optimizing the freight 

network companies can get closer to achieving their 

environmental goals. 

Based on recent recommendations from the freight 

community, EPA is issuing SmartWay Vision 2020, a 

plan that outlines how SmartWay will keep pace with 

the evolution and future of the freight industry, based 

on four key principles: 

Complete the transportation supply chain

Specifically, SmartWay is developing its carbon 

assessment and monitoring tools to cover all modes of 

freight transport, including truck, train, barge, air and 

marine. SmartWay tools currently assess emissions 

from truck, train and barge transport. By integrating 

air and marine, SmartWay will be in a better position to 

leverage national and international efforts to streamline 

freight data, amplify the program’s reach and reduce 

freight emissions worldwide. 
Vision for the Future iii

Sustainability reporting 

Many SmartWay partners already are reporting emissions 

from freight transport in their sustainability reports. 

Interest in supply chain emissions is growing, and for 

many companies freight transport is an increasing 

source of emissions. SmartWay’s carbon accounting 

tools use peer-reviewed methodologies and EPA 

standards to generate reliable freight performance data. 

Global collaboration

SmartWay has served as a template for other countries 

and regions that are working to establish partnershipbased programs to address freight emissions. In 

addition to those programs, SmartWay is committed to 

ongoing global efforts to align multimodal supply chain 

carbon accounting methodologies and tools that will 

lead to greater knowledge of freight’s environmental 

impacts and strategies to reduce it.

Information sharing 

In support of the goals that companies are setting 

to further reduce emissions and other impacts from 

moving goods, SmartWay will provide the industry 

with greater opportunities for information exchange, 

including webinars, education, peer review, speaking 

engagements, partner profiles, case studies and best 

practices guidance. As a public-private partnership 

SmartWay provides a neutral and credible platform. 

For over a decade EPA’s SmartWay partners have 

proven that lowering carbon emissions from goods 

movement significantly strengthens supply chain 

performance, and generates returns that positively 

affect the bottom line. At the same time, SmartWay 

partners have successfully elevated the value of efficient 

freight logistics and caught the attention of executives, 

investors and the public, among other constituents.

EPA is confident that the plans we’ve laid out in 

SmartWay Vision 2020 will continue to lead the goods 

movement industry forward, resulting in further 

emission reductions, reduced fuel costs, greater energy 

independence and a stronger economy and healthier 

environment. 
iv SmartWay Vision 2020

Acknowledgments

Chronicling SmartWay, where the program is today, 

and its future direction is no small task. Our SmartWay 

Vision 2020 was developed with critical input from our 

partners, stakeholders and colleagues in the private 

sector, government, civil society and academia.

As we reflect on the progress we’ve made through 

SmartWay over the last 10 years and share our 

collective vision for the future, we would like to express 

our gratitude and sincerest thanks for the support 

provided by so many key stakeholders. Without them, 

SmartWay would not be what it is today, nor would our 

vision for the future be as inspiring or ambitious.

We would like to acknowledge our 15 charter partners 

who came together over 10 years ago to help develop, 

launch and champion SmartWay. Their leadership, 

ingenuity and commitment to freight sustainability led 

the way for the thousands of partners who followed. 

In addition to these business and industry leaders, we 

want to thank the American Trucking Associations 

and Business for Social Responsibility for their help in 

conceiving and launching SmartWay.

Numerous other SmartWay partners and affiliates have 

stepped up over the years to champion the program 

and lead the way for others.

Most recently, EPA convened a SmartWay Legacy 

Fleet Workgroup under the Mobile Sources Technical 

Review Subcommittee of the Clean Air Act Advisory 

Committee. This group of several dozen shippers, 

carriers, logistics firms, trade associations, academic 

experts, environmental and community groups worked 

over two years to study SmartWay and develop 

recommendations for enhancing, strengthening and 

growing the program. Their thoughtful ideas and 

recommendations were incorporated into our vision for 

SmartWay.

Thank you again to everyone who dedicated time, 

energy and expertise in contributing to our SmartWay 

Vision 2020.
Vision for the Future v

Contents

Letter from the Office Director ....................................................................................................................................... i

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................... ii

Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................................................. iv

SmartWay Overview ..........................................................................................................................................................1

The Importance of Efficient Goods Movement to Supply Chain Sustainability ........................................................ 2

Environmental and Social Costs of Freight ................................................................................................................................4

SmartWay: Making a Difference Today ......................................................................................................................... 7

The Power of Partnership ....................................................................................................................................................................8

Ten Years of Environmental Progress ............................................................................................................................................9

The SmartWay Brand ............................................................................................................................................................................11

EPA SmartWay Technology Assessment Center .....................................................................................................................13

SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability ................................................................................................15

Advancing Sustainability Goals in the Transportation Supply Chain .............................................................................16

Reaching Consumers and the Public ............................................................................................................................................. 20

Facilitating Collaboration on a Global Stage ............................................................................................................................. 24

Informing the Marketplace .................................................................................................................................................................. 28

Beyond the 2020 Horizon: Achieving a Shared Vision for the Future of Freight ............................................... 33

Endnotes ............................................................................................................................................................................... 36
vi SmartWay Vision 2020
Vision for the Future SmartWay Overview 1

SmartWay Overview

In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pioneered SmartWay to encourage greater 

efficiency and lower greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions from transportation supply 

chains.1 In the years since, SmartWay and its partners have made significant progress toward these 

goals, leading businesses through a historic transition toward a new era of freight sustainability.

From the beginning, EPA and its partners worked through SmartWay to collaborate, to provide 

technical assistance and funding to seed investment in verified environmental and energy 

improvements, and to create tools to quantify freight emissions and their costs in the supply 

chain. Moving forward, EPA will continue to leverage SmartWay and help businesses and their 

transportation service providers find ways to more efficiently move goods in an increasingly energyconstrained, low-carbon world.

This overview section highlights transportation’s importance to supply chain sustainability, key 

trends, and the environmental and social challenges the goods movement industry must meet to 

thrive. We’ll also take a look at how industry, government agencies and the public are collaborating 

through SmartWay to make their supply chains leaner.
SmartWay Vision 2020

Between 1990 and 2013, total U.S. freight greenhouse gas emissions from supply chain 

activities grew by over 50 percent.

2 In 2012, the U.S. freight and logistics industry moved 

more than 54 million tons of goods worth nearly $48 billion every day, which is more 

than 60 tons of freight per person per year.

3

This much movement demands an extraordinary 

amount of energy, consuming over a billion barrels 

of oil and generating over 500 million metric tons of 

greenhouse gas emissions annually.

4

Projections are that by 2025, as international 

commerce increases and supply chains become more 

global and complex, shipments of U.S. goods will 

grow another 23.5 percent,

5 and by 2040, a total of 

45 percent.

6 As freight activity in the United States 

increases, projections are that during this same time 

frame, growth in greenhouse gas emissions from 

freight will exceed growth in greenhouse emissions 

from all other transportation activities, including 

passenger transportation.

7

These trends are compelling many corporations to more closely assess their shipping 

operations, and find opportunities to move goods using less fuel and with fewer emissions.

EPA’s SmartWay program is integral to these efforts, providing a comprehensive and 

well-recognized system for tracking, documenting and sharing information about freight 

emissions and fuel use across the supply chain. The program also is used to help identify 

and select greener modes, carriers and operational strategies that can improve shipping 

efficiency and lower costs.

The Importance of Goods Movement to 

Supply Chain Sustainability

2Photo courtesy of Port of Long Beach
Vision for the Future SmartWay Overview 3

The U.S. Department of Transportation projects that over the 

next 25 years, freight shipments by truck will grow more than 40 

percent. During this time total freight shipments are expected 

to increase 45 percent. At this rate of growth, even with the 

introduction of new fuel and emissions standards for freight 

equipment, the 2015 Annual Energy Outlook forecasts that 

greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption from goods 

movement will increase at a faster rate than all other sources 

of greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation industry. 

Within transportation, heavy-duty trucks are the fastest-growing 

contributor to emissions. 

Figure 1. U.S. Freight and Truck Shipments

Projected Growth 2012–2040

SmartWay partners and other industry leaders realize 

that carbon is a leading indicator of efficiency, and that 

their transportation and logistics operations represent 

significant opportunities for both carbon reductions 

and energy savings. For personal and household goods 

manufacturers that manage extensive global supply 

chains, shipping can account for over 10 percent of their 

carbon emissions in the value chain.9 For retailers and 

companies that move heavy commercial goods and 

industrial products, emissions from goods movement 

and logistics can account for more than one-half of 

their supply chain carbon footprint.10

More and more, these companies are joining SmartWay 

and using the program to help identify opportunities 

for improving how they source and transport goods 

and supplies. By tracking and reporting emissions from 

goods movement, companies also are well-positioned 

to respond to growing public and shareholder interest in 

how supply chains and product transport contribute to 

climate change. Carbon reporting also gives companies 

a chance to monitor their progress, and show their 

commitment to responsible business practices and 

sustainable growth.

Increasingly, through SmartWay, business leaders 

recognize the importance of freight transport to supply 

chain performance, and to demonstrate that supply 

chain, financial and environmental performance all go 

hand in hand.

Weight of Shipments (million tons) 

Truck Shipments in U.S. Total Freight Shipments in U.S.

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

2012 2040
4 SmartWay Overview SmartWay Vision 2020

While there is broad agreement that 

growth in global trade has a net positive 

effect on the world economy, there’s a 

growing recognition of transportation’s 

contribution to climate change, and 

other negative impacts that freight 

movement has on the environment 

and public health. These concerns are 

especially prevalent in communities 

located near ports, highway corridors, distribution 

centers, rail yards and other shipping centers.

Carbon emissions are a direct result of the amount and 

type of fuel burned, and are widely used today as a 

common metric in sustainability reporting to monitor 

a company’s progress in improving efficiency and 

reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Volatile fuel prices 

and the rising cost of shipping, as well as current and 

future regulatory standards that would limit carbon 

emissions and increase freight efficiency, are another 

focal point of discussion in the business community.

In addition to carbon and other greenhouse gases, 

the heavy-duty trucks, cargo handling and similar 

equipment used to move freight are a source of 

diesel exhaust, which contains a broad range of toxic 

chemicals. EPA classifies diesel exhaust as a likely 

human carcinogen. Diesel exhaust also is a primary 

source of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, both 

of which are regulated by EPA as “criteria air pollutants,” 

due to their human health and environmental impacts.

Exposure to fine particulate matter, including black 

carbon and other air toxics present in diesel exhaust, is 

harmful to human health, ecosystems and visibility. Health 

effects include respiratory and cardiovascular problems, 

such as asthma, decreased lung function and low birth 

weight, as well as premature death.11 Nitrogen dioxide 

contributes to the formation of fine particle pollution and 

ground-level ozone, and is linked to a number of adverse 

effects on the respiratory system as well.

People living in communities located near large freight 

transport facilities are especially vulnerable to the 

health effects posed by diesel emissions.

In the United States, it’s estimated that more than 13 

million people, including 3.5 million children, live near 

marine ports and rail yards.12 As trade increases, these 

freight hubs are expected to expand, both in the United 

States and in other countries.

Environmental and Social Costs of Freight
Vision for the Future SmartWay Overview 5

Recent studies, including a comprehensive research report 

from the Health Effects Institute, show that substantial 

reductions in both the emissions and health effects 

associated with exposure to diesel exhaust are possible.13

In fact, the United States and other nations have recently 

adopted standards for heavy-duty vehicles that will 

significantly reduce emissions and public health impacts 

of exposure. However, because diesel engines can operate 

for decades, millions of older, dirtier engines are still in use 

today. That’s why public and private investment in clean 

diesel technologies, including truck replacements and 

retrofits, are needed to improve air quality and protect 

public health. Operational strategies, such as reduced 

idling and access improvements, also are important to 

achieving emission reductions and reduced risks. 

EPA and its SmartWay partners have been at the 

forefront of these efforts and share goals that will 

continue to support and develop incentives to reduce 

freight emissions.

Light-Duty

Vehicles

61%

Heavyand MediumDuty Trucks

and Buses

23%

Industry

21%

Commercial and

Residential

12%

Agriculture

9%

Ships and Boats, 2%

Rail, 3%

Other (Motorcycles,

Pipelines, Lubricants), 3%

Aircraft

8% Transportation

27%

Electricity

31%

Figure 2. 2013 Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas

Emissions by Economic Sector

2013 U.S. Greenhouse Gas

Emissions Transportation Sources*

Within transportation, passenger cars are currently the largest 

source of emissions and heavy-duty vehicles are the second 

largest source. Transportation has been the fastest-growing source 

of greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, and heavy-duty vehicles 

have been the largest, fastest-growing contributor to that growth.

EPA’s 2013 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory shows that 

greenhouse gas emissions from transportation accounted for 

nearly 30 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making 

transportation the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas 

emissions, after the electricity sector.

*Sums may not add up 

to 100% due to rounding.
6 SmartWay Overview SmartWay Vision 2020
Vision for the Future SmartWay: Making a Difference Today 7

SmartWay: Making a 

Difference Today

Over 3,000 organizations representing all facets of the transportation and freight industry 

participate in SmartWay today.14 SmartWay partners are leaders, driving change across business 

supply chains. They integrate best practices and measure their progress using metrics and methods 

established by SmartWay and widely accepted by industry. SmartWay partners set clear goals for 

reducing the environmental impacts and costs of transportation, which also contributes to more 

resilient supply chains.

SmartWay supports those goals. The program’s quantification tools are developed in consultation 

with industry experts and peer-reviewed, providing a sound basis for establishing emission 

reduction goals and benchmarking performance. Partners are recognized for their progress and 

given opportunities to collaborate, share ideas and strategies, and work together for a sustainable 

transportation future.

In this section of SmartWay Vision 2020, we cover the progress that EPA and its partners have made 

and the principal elements that contribute to the program’s technical vigor, progress and success.
8 SmartWay: Making a Difference Today SmartWay Vision 2020

The Power of Partnership

Whether it’s a trucker picking up food 

products from a distribution center 

to bring to the local grocer, a rail 

car transporting raw materials to a 

manufacturing facility, or the U.S. Postal 

Service delivering mail, it’s likely you will 

find a SmartWay partner making the 

shipment. A diverse group of partners is 

central to SmartWay’s success, including 

truck, rail and barge carriers, and the 

retailers, manufacturers and logistics 

managers that rely on them to ship their 

products and supplies. Industry groups; 

non-governmental organizations; and 

international, state and local agencies 

also participate as SmartWay affiliates. 

When EPA first brought these businesses 

and affiliates together and launched 

SmartWay in 2004, it created a unique 

and unprecedented platform for 

addressing the environmental and social 

impacts of freight movement at the 

national level. Though this platform has 

evolved over time, the program rests on key components: 

a strong ongoing public-private collaboration, brand 

recognition and technology assessment.

Collaboration is at the heart of SmartWay and through 

the partnership EPA encourages its partners to leverage 

existing business-to-business relationships up and down 

the supply chain. To help achieve that goal, EPA draws 

on its technical expertise and input from its partners to 

provide a single integrated approach for companies to 

track fuel use and emissions from freight activities.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) and United Parcel Service (UPS) are SmartWay 

partners committed to green freight. Patrick Donahoe, USPS Postmaster General from 

2010 to 2015, and D. Scott Davis, Chairman and Former UPS Chief Executive Officer, also 

collaborated to create Blue and Brown Make Green, an innovative program to achieve their 

shared goals for excellent customer service, lower costs and a reduced carbon footprint of 

package delivery.
Vision for the Future SmartWay: Making a Difference Today 9

Ten Years of Environmental Progress

Figure 4. SmartWay’s Reduction in Carbon

Dioxide Emissions, 2004–2014

Figure 3. Growth in SmartWay

Partnership, 2004–2014 

CO2 Reduction

(million metric tons)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2004 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

to

2007

2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Number of Partners 

When EPA first launched SmartWay in 2004, 15 companies 

joined the partnership with a shared goal to reduce freight 

emissions and improve transportation efficiency across the 

supply chain. The partnership grew quickly, and today includes 

over 3,000 partners, including all major rail companies, many 

Fortune 500 shipper companies, inland barge operators and an 

increasingly diverse group of large and small truck carriers.

Since 2004, SmartWay partners have reduced more than 

60 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, saving 

more than 144 million barrels of oil and over $20 billion in fuel 

costs. At the same time, partners have significantly reduced 

other harmful air pollutants, including over one million tons of 

nitrogen oxides and 43,000 tons of particulate matter.

SmartWay’s suite of carbon accounting tools meets the 

data needs of today’s business community, and facilitates 

communications among shippers, their logistics managers 

and carriers. EPA designed these tools to make data 

transfer and reporting simple, providing users with a 

value-added service for their customers.

For example, many SmartWay shipper partners cite their 

progress in SmartWay in their corporate sustainability 

reports. This is a highly effective way to respond to 

shareholder and public interest in how companies are 

demonstrating corporate responsibility by shrinking their 

carbon footprints. They can also use SmartWay data to 
10 SmartWay: Making a Difference Today SmartWay Vision 2020

set performance goals for business units and suppliers to 

further improve the sustainability of their supply chains.

Similarly, SmartWay freight carriers are integrating 

sustainability into their brands, and they can highlight 

their SmartWay performance as a way to communicate 

their commitment to customers and improve their bottom 

line. SmartWay logistics partners find the program adds 

value in servicing their clients. They use SmartWay data 

to assist their customers in understanding how optimizing 

their freight operations with technology and operational 

improvements strengthens their supply chain.

SmartWay enables companies to move toward a 

balanced realization of their environmental, social 

and economic objectives. The partnership offers a 

streamlined and transparent method to track emissions 

and show their progress toward achieving commitments. 

Through the program, partners can check the return on 

their investments and benchmark their performance. 

Developed for and with businesses, SmartWay is a 

win-win solution for understanding the role of freight 

movement efficiency in supply chain sustainability.

Affiliates Key to Achieving 

SmartWay Clean Air Goals 

SmartWay affiliates are a diverse group of more than 

200 organizations with a shared commitment to clean 

freight, healthy air and a strong economy. Affiliates 

encourage members and customers to join SmartWay 

and move freight more efficiently. SmartWay 

affiliates include trade associations, truck dealerships, 

environmental groups, and truck rental and leasing 

companies, among others. 

Penske is a SmartWay affiliate, logistics and carrier 

partner that takes an active role introducing 

SmartWay and supporting customers that participate 

in the partnership. For example, Penske offers 

customers the option to lease SmartWay tractors 

and trailers; helps complete their SmartWay carbon 

accounting tools and generates reports to help 

benchmark and monitor environmental progress. 

Penske estimates that since 2011 its ‘SmartWay’ 

customers have improved their fuel economy 

by nearly 10 percent, while reducing particulate 

emissions and NO

x emissions by almost 90 percent 

and two-thirds, respectively. According to Penske, 

SmartWay’s sustainability goals are part of its ‘DNA’ 

and the company is committed to working with 

its customers to achieve those goals: improved 

fleet efficiency, better environmental performance, 

reduced fuel use and lower costs.

SmartWay provides a framework that enables us to 

evaluate, measure and reduce the environmental impact 

of our transportation operations in a comprehensive 

and strategic way. Specifically, SmartWay has helped us 

reduce fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions, and 

improve our operational efficiency.

— Kevin J. Igli, Senior Vice President and 

Chief EHS Officer, Tyson Foods15
Vision for the Future SmartWay: Making a Difference Today 11

The SmartWay Brand

The SmartWay brand is a recognized symbol of cleaner, 

more efficient transportation. Since its introduction ten 

years ago, the brand has:

f Helped achieve significant emissions reductions 

from goods movement.

f Raised awareness about the need to improve 

transportation sustainability.

f Motivated carriers, logistics managers and their 

customers to improve how they move goods, 

products and supplies, resulting in less fuel use, 

reduced costs and fewer emissions.

f Helped improve the freight industry’s image among 

consumers and the driving public.

f Contributed to a steady growth in the number of 

companies and affiliates pursuing and delivering on 

environmental excellence through their participation 

in SmartWay.

Today, EPA, its partners, and SmartWay affiliates 

use the SmartWay mark to communicate our shared 

commitment to reducing transportation-related 

emissions. Each SmartWay mark is designed for a 

specific purpose in symbolizing clean transportation:

f EPA uses the basic SmartWay mark to educate and 

promote the partnership to industry, consumers and 

others.16

f The SmartWay Partner 

Getting There With 

Cleaner Air mark 

demonstrates and 

communicates an organization’s participation in 

SmartWay and commitment to freight sustainability.

f The SmartWay Proud 

Supporter mark helps 

SmartWay affiliates 

educate their members and customers about 

SmartWay and encourage these companies to join 

the program.
12 SmartWay: Making a Difference Today SmartWay Vision 2020

f SmartWay Designated

product marks are 

available to vehicle 

manufacturers to label eligible tractors and trailers 

at the point of sale. Truck operators also can display 

the SmartWay Designated mark on their vehicles 

to show their investment in clean and green 

equipment.

f Additionally, EPA 

offers the SmartWay 

Certified vehicle mark 

to enable consumers to identify the cleanest, most 

efficient passenger vehicles.

The use of each of these marks signifies a partnership 

between government, businesses and consumers 

united by a shared goal to protect our environment and 

improve air quality for future generations.17

SmartWay Brand Builds Awareness 

Around the Importance of Green Freight

Before SmartWay, the shipping industry didn’t 

have a way to identify goods moved with reduced 

environmental impacts. Today, the SmartWay brand 

is well known as a symbol of green freight, and 

according to industry surveys, SmartWay and its 

partners are widely recognized for their leadership 

in moving goods using less fuel, more efficiently and 

with a reduced carbon footprint.

SmartWay built this awareness by introducing the 

SmartWay brand to create a greater appreciation for 

the benefits of greener freight. The SmartWay brand 

differentiates the delivery services of SmartWay 

partners and establishes credibility and customer 

trust. “Product on Wheels,” SmartWay’s first public 

service campaign, stood out for its innovation, using 

non-traditional images carried on wheels to deliver 

everyday products like fruit, cameras and shoes to 

convey the fact that fuel savings, clean freight and 

lower costs go hand in hand.18

SmartWay continues to promote the brand and 

encourages freight carriers, shippers and logistics 

providers participating in SmartWay to use it as a tool 

for identifying green freight. The SmartWay brand 

sends a clear signal to suppliers, customers and the 

broader public about a company’s environmental 

commitment.
Vision for the Future SmartWay: Making a Difference Today 13

EPA SmartWay Technology Assessment Center

In the decades leading up 

to SmartWay, average fuel 

economy for combination trucks 

remained fairly constant, at 5 

to 6 miles per gallon.19 Despite 

the emerging availability 

of fuel-efficient equipment 

technologies, large truck carriers 

and independent owneroperators were reluctant to make 

technology investments without verification of benefits 

and a return on this investment.

Before SmartWay, it was hard for even sophisticated 

trucking fleets to sort through claims made about fuelsaving devices and equipment, or to understand how these 

devices might perform in their own freight operations.

Through SmartWay, EPA developed an objective, 

credible and transparent verification program that has 

served to demonstrate the effectiveness of various 

emissions control equipment and technologies. The 

program includes the development of testing protocols, 

equipment and vehicle demonstration tests, verification 

performance thresholds, and other data used in agency 

air programs and subject to scientific peer review. 

Most recently, the program established specifications 

for aerodynamic equipment devices (trailer skirts, 

front and rear fairings, under-trailer devices) and lowrolling-resistance tires that trucking fleets can use for 

calculating fuel savings for SmartWay and SmartWay 

Elite dry van and refrigerated trailers.

By verifying the efficacy of truck equipment, such as 

idle control devices, aerodynamic fairings and lowrolling-resistance tires, and supporting market-based 

incentives to spur early adoption, SmartWay has served 

as a catalyst in advancing freight efficiency and as 

“proof of concept” for EPA’s recent greenhouse gas and 

fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy duty 

trucks. Specifically, the performance-based standards 

for Class 8 tractors used in the Heavy-Duty National 

program were informed by vehicle specifications 

developed through SmartWay. 

Going forward, SmartWay’s technology program 

will continue to spur innovation and encourage the 

adoption of cleaner, more efficient technologies that 

support and strengthen our nation’s hard-working truck 

owners, drivers and trucking fleets.
14 SmartWay: Making a Difference Today SmartWay Vision 2020
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 15

SmartWay Vision 2020:

A New Era of Sustainability

SmartWay and its partners have played a critical role in elevating the importance of efficiency and 

sustainability in the transportation supply chain. In the coming decade, EPA will continue this strong 

collaboration to develop and position the partnership so that it effectively meets the needs of its 

partners and the business community at large.

SmartWay Vision 2020 is the outcome of that collaboration, including input from many of our 

partners, and a specially convened federal advisory committee, the Clean Air Act Advisory 

Committee (CAAAC). In 2014, a panel of experts from a CAAAC workgroup issued a series of 

recommendations that EPA has shared with its SmartWay partners, many of which are included in 

this document.

These recommendations, in conjunction with the Agency’s broader mission and goals, helped 

EPA create this vision that will enable SmartWay to continue driving down emissions, energy 

consumption and costs well into the next decade. EPA is pleased to share this vision here.
16 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

Advancing Sustainability Goals in the Transportation 

Supply Chain

Completing the Supply Chain

Companies serious about leaning their 

operations while reducing emissions are looking 

closely at the environmental performance of 

the carriers they hire, the transportation modes 

used to move their goods, and their overall 

goods distribution networks.

To give a fuller picture of freight’s impact on 

the supply chain, both to and from the United 

States, SmartWay is developing tools so that 

emissions from all modes of freight transport 

can be tracked. SmartWay’s existing toolset 

currently covers trucking, rail and, most 

recently, barge transport.

SmartWay carrier partners submit annual data 

about their freight activities—whether truck, 

rail, or barge carriers, or carriers that operate 

more than one mode of freight transportation (“multimodal carriers”).20 SmartWay tools convert those data 

into reports on emissions and efficiency performance. 

Partners can use these reports to benchmark and 

chart their progress. There are also tools for third- and 

fourth-party logistics companies (3PLs and 4PLs) 

that handle freight on behalf of shippers. Through an 

interface with SmartWay’s carrier and logistics tools, 

shippers can generate summary reports of their carriers’ 

emissions data (truck, rail and barge), which gives any 

business a reliable and quantitative measurement of its 

transportation carbon footprint across its supply chain.21

In our increasingly global economy, many SmartWay 

shippers operate overseas and/or use air and 

maritime freight. SmartWay is planning to introduce 

quantification tools to assess and track emissions 

from air and ocean shippers. These additions will 

complement the existing suite of partner tools to 
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 17

provide a “one-stop shop,” enabling shippers to assess 

the complete picture of greenhouse gas emissions 

associated with goods movement across all modes.

By providing a fully integrated suite of assessment 

tools capable of measuring transportation emissions 

from across the supply chain, SmartWay will support 

partner efforts to strengthen the sustainability of their 

Barge: SmartWay’s Newest 

Carrier Category

According to the U.S. DOT Maritime Administration, 

barge navigation serves 87 percent of all major U.S. 

cities and accounts for 79 percent of all domestic 

waterborne freight.22 While many factors determine 

choice of mode, including scheduling, routes, and a 

need to change mode during transport, barge carriers 

are the most efficient among the modes SmartWay 

currently covers. Adding this mode in the 2014 data 

year allows SmartWay to characterize and understand 

a broader landscape of mode choice, and the resulting 

opportunities and outcomes of these choices.

complete freight operations. These tools will provide 

valuable data that companies can use to make decisions 

for adjusting the volume, distance, mode, technologies 

and other strategies to improve the performance and 

efficiency of their shipping operations throughout their 

supply chains. In addition, as an indicator of energy 

consumption, SmartWay’s tracking tools are useful for 

identifying fuel use and costs directly associated with 

transportation—both meaningful measurements to 

design and shape high-performing global supply chains.

As SmartWay moves forward to enhance and expand 

business’ capability to assess all freight modes, we 

collaborate with our partners, industry experts and 

other stakeholders. This enables us to stay informed 

of market drivers and fill gaps that will help strengthen 

the industry and equip it to stay one step ahead of the 

next challenge. The following two sections provide a 

preview of these enhancements to the program’s modal 

assessment capability.

Air Freight

Working with SmartWay 

partners, EPA air quality 

modelers, the International 

Civil Aviation Organization, 

and other experts and 

stakeholders, EPA expects 

to add air cargo to its 

SmartWay suite of freight 

tracking tools in 2015.
18 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

The air cargo market consists of a few dominant air 

freight carriers and several smaller ones. Some air carriers 

already participate in SmartWay because they also 

operate trucking fleets. They support development of a 

tool that would allow integration of the air freight sector 

into SmartWay as a benefit to shippers by providing a 

more comprehensive view of their supply chain impacts.

Additionally, public interest in 

aviation-related emissions is 

strong and many commercial 

and freight air carriers 

are beginning to provide 

information on the carbon 

dioxide emissions associated 

with air travel, including 

individual passenger travel 

and freight/parcel shipments.

The SmartWay air tool will use data that are already 

being collected for other reasons by the Federal 

Aviation Administration and other agencies. This will 

minimize added reporting requirements while helping 

air carriers more fully realize the value of these data in 

carbon accounting and in demonstrating a commitment 

to sustainability and transparency. In addition to carbon 

dioxide emissions, the tool will provide information on 

emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen.

The air component will be fully integrated into the full suite 

of SmartWay’s carbon accounting system, specifically the 

shipper, logistics and multi-modal tools. With the addition 

of air freight emissions, SmartWay moves one step closer 

to covering the entire freight supply chain.

Ocean Freight

The addition of ocean 

freight modes in 

SmartWay is critical to 

give businesses and the 

public a comprehensive 

picture of the carbon 

and other air emissions 

costs of moving 

goods. The increase in 

international trade over 

the past decade has 

placed a premium on 

ocean freight in the supply chain for many companies, 

large and small.

As a step in this direction, EPA will identify opportunities 

for reciprocity and data sharing that will enable us to 

further streamline and enhance the value of SmartWay’s 

tools with the inclusion of ocean shipping. One challenge 

is the complexity of this sector. Segmentation and 

performance differences exist by vessel type and 

structure, cargo, and scope of operations, among others.

Nonetheless, emission 

reductions and energy 

efficiency are a priority for 

ocean carriers across the 

board. Several organizations 

and government agencies 

have developed data sets, 

protocols and emission 
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 19

factors to assess marine emissions from ocean-going 

vessels and container ships. Some have established 

methodologies and initiatives to measure and address 

energy use and emissions. Building on these efforts and 

SmartWay’s successful collaboration with other business 

sectors, EPA plans to increase its engagement with 

the ocean transportation industry, to build a better 

understanding of how to account for shipping’s carbon 

footprint. This will include exploring existing environmental 

and carbon assessment approaches, as well as the need 

for additional or enhanced methods or tools that would 

support ocean carriers and shippers in measuring and 

comparing the impacts of various goods movement 

choices, such as near-sourcing, mode shifts and other 

operational strategies. As with other sectors, our plan is to 

collaborate with industry, scientists and other experts to 

develop a SmartWay tool that will best meet the maritime 

sector’s needs for monitoring and establishing carbon 

inventories and roll this out within the next two years.

Addressing Other Pollutants

In addition 

to measuring 

carbon 

emissions 

across all 

modes, 

SmartWay is 

researching 

tool improvements that will give partners emissions 

data on other pollutants that contribute to climate 

change, starting with black carbon.

Black carbon is a component of fine particulate matter. 

Short-term and long-term exposures to fine particulate 

matter are associated with a broad range of human 

health impacts. Recent research shows that in addition 

to causing serious health effects, black carbon is a 

major contributor to climate change.25

Black carbon influences climate by directly absorbing 

light, reducing the reflectivity of snow and ice through 

deposition, and interacting with clouds. Black carbon 

is called a “short-lived climate forcer,” because it lasts 

in the atmosphere for only days to weeks after being 

emitted. However, black carbon is the most strongly 

light-absorbing component of particulate matter and 

can absorb a million times more energy than carbon 

dioxide per unit of mass in the atmosphere. When black 

carbon is released to the atmosphere, its warming 

effect is more immediate and powerful than that of 

carbon dioxide or several other greenhouse gases. 

Consequently, targeted strategies to reduce black 

carbon emissions can be expected to provide climate 

benefits within the next several decades.

Diesel-powered vehicles and equipment, including 

heavy-duty trucks used to move goods, are a significant 

source of black carbon in the United States and 

elsewhere. In the future, EPA—in collaboration with 

other experts in the scientific community—will refine its 

methodologies and tools to incorporate black carbon, 

so that SmartWay partners can track and monitor their 

progress in reducing it.
20 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

Reaching Consumers and the Public

As critical as the issues of globalization, trade 

growth and technology advancement are to 

business’ bottom lines, EPA and its SmartWay 

partners also recognize the value of an 

informed public and smart consumers.

Surveys show consumers increasingly taking 

an interest in the story behind the products 

they buy, asking companies to disclose not 

only social, labor and manufacturing practices 

across their supplier and production networks, 

but also the amount of carbon dioxide that 

was emitted producing and distributing these 

products. In a recent study of online shoppers, 

respondents indicated that they would be 

willing to pay more or wait longer for goods 

ordered over the Internet if they were given a 

sustainable delivery option.26

SmartWay will continue seeking innovative 

opportunities to educate the public on the economic 

and environmental importance of transportation and 

how it contributes to our quality of life. We will do this 

by extending the ways in which we engage and broaden 

the public’s knowledge and understanding of goods 

movement, and highlight the efforts SmartWay partners 

are making to reduce the environmental impacts of 

transportation.

SmartWay is already an active participant in online 

and social media. Going forward, we will step up these 

efforts and strengthen our support of affiliates and 

partners who are reaching their members, customers 

and suppliers through their own Web channels, direct 

marketing, loyalty programs or other innovative 

outreach methods. We will work with them to create 

messages that communicate the importance of freight 

to the economy, our quality of life and the environment. 

We will coordinate with our partners in creative ways 

that resonate with stakeholders. This can include public 

service announcements, communication about their 

SmartWay participation and results, development of 

curricula or other educational material, featured articles 

in trade media and newsletters, blog posts and other 

social media outreach.
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 21

Sustainability Reporting

As part of their 

sustainability 

goals, many 

companies are 

beginning to 

routinely monitor 

carbon emissions 

and establish 

an inventory or 

overall “carbon 

footprint,” used to help identify strategies for reducing 

climate impacts. For guidance in preparing inventories, 

companies look to existing protocols for help in 

measuring their greenhouse gas emissions.

Until recently, the focus of protocol organizations has 

been to require companies to report carbon inventories 

from activities under their direct control, such as their 

manufacturing operations, characterized as “Scope 1” 

emissions, and the direct production or purchase of 

energy, or “Scope 2” emissions.27

Though these direct emissions may contribute to a large 

part of a company’s carbon footprint, indirect carbon 

emissions—from sources upstream and downstream 

in the supply chain—are often an even greater part of 

the total footprint, depending on its business.28 Indirect 

or “Scope 3” emissions consist of a broad range of 

activities, including transportation.29

EPA is actively working with several large, global 

protocol organizations, including the Global Reporting 

Initiative30 and the Carbon Disclosure Project,31 to 

integrate SmartWay carbon data into their guidelines 

and standards for purposes of specifying emissions 

from goods movement across the supply chain. Because 

SmartWay carbon data are generated with scientifically 

based methods using EPA emission factors, these data 

provide consistent and comparable metrics for freight 

emissions across all industry sectors. Further, SmartWay 

also provides a template for collaboration along the 

supply chain, encouraging shippers to collaborate with 

their freight carriers and establish shared efficiency goals.

Our success in measuring, and then 

shaving, energy demand and resultant 

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions 

associated with our brick and mortar 

operations has allowed us to apply the 

same productivity lens to reducing 

Scope 3 tailpipe emissions from vehicles 

that transport our finished goods 

and our employees. Our SmartWay 

Transport Partnership is the most well 

established of our Scope 3 emissions 

and reduction initiatives and has 

stimulated parallel efforts around the 

globe.

— Deborah Patterson, Vice President

Environment, Health and Safety

Stanley Black & Decker32
22 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

Strengthening the Brand

The SmartWay brand is well 

known within the business 

community, and many of 

our partners are leveraging the brand’s reputation in 

the consumer arena. Going forward, SmartWay will seek 

opportunities to use its brand to heighten consumer 

interest in sustainable transportation.

For example, an innovative packaging pilot has allowed 

several electronics manufacturers to use the SmartWay 

partner mark to identify products transported by select, 

high-performing SmartWay partners. We intend to 

expand this initiative so more of our partners can take 

advantage of it.

Many carrier partners already display the SmartWay 

Designated mark on freight trucks and trailers that 

meet performance criteria developed by SmartWay. 

Meanwhile, automobile manufacturers can display the 

SmartWay Certified mark to identify passenger cars 

and trucks that emit less greenhouse gas and smogforming tailpipe emissions. We will work to expand the 

use of the logo by encouraging more manufacturers to 

achieve the required performance levels and display the 

logo on their vehicles.

Why Is This Car 

Smiling?

EPA’s SmartWay 

certification program for 

cars makes choosing the 

most environmentally 

friendly vehicle easy. To 

save fuel, money and the environment, car buyers 

can just look for the SmartWay Certified mark, which 

identifies the 20 percent lowest-emitting passenger 

vehicles in every class, from small cars to vans and 

SUVs. Each model year, EPA rates new passenger 

vehicles for greenhouse gas and smog-forming 

emissions on scales of 1 to 10. To earn the SmartWay 

designation, a vehicle must receive a combined 

score from both scales that is much better than the 

average vehicle in its class. EPA highlights this list 

of SmartWay Certified vehicles in its Green Vehicle 

Guide at www.epa.gov/greenvehicle/. The guide also 

offers helpful tips and suggestions for the driving 

public on how to cut down on driving expenses by 

saving fuel.
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 23

Education

Supply chain management has become a critical 

business discipline, affecting an organization’s corporate 

strategy and bottom line. In response, universities 

and business schools throughout the United States 

now offer degrees and certificates in supply chain 

management.

A number of universities are integrating SmartWay 

into their curricula, across a range of academic 

disciplines and research projects. Some courses 

examine the importance of partnerships, sustainability 

and performance metrics in driving business and 

environmental change. Others look specifically at 

supply chain management and the economics of 

improving efficiency in transportation, warehousing and 

logistics management. The federal government, one of 

the world’s largest “shippers,” incorporates SmartWay in 

its own procurement and transportation management 

training courses.

EPA plans to continue its positive influence with 

educators and researchers on sustainable business 

strategies and practices. We will seek additional 

opportunities to introduce SmartWay and the 

partnership’s approach toward strengthening supply 

chain performance through ongoing collaboration with 

students, teachers, education administrators, nonprofit 

organizations and the federal community.

Communities

Neighborhoods near 

busy highways, marine 

and rail terminals, 

airports, and other 

freight centers are 

disproportionately 

impacted by emissions, 

noise, congestion and 

other effects. In these 

areas, EPA and SmartWay are identifying actions 

we can take to support freight facilities in improving 

communication and integration with community needs 

and goals, and in reducing greenhouse gases and other 

harmful air emissions. For example, EPA is exploring 

ways to collaborate with states, local agencies and 

communities near busy transportation corridors where 

SmartWay’s environmental goals can help contribute to 

regional, state and local air quality plans.
24 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

Facilitating Collaboration on a Global Stage

Applying SmartWay Approaches 

Globally

As a leader and early pioneer in the freight 

sustainability movement, SmartWay is invited to engage 

with a broad range of national and global initiatives. 

Due to the maturity and success of SmartWay, EPA is in 

a good position to share its technical expertise for 

furthering these initiatives, regardless of their 

stage of development, including:

f Partnership building and 

development

f Branding and recognition

f Technology verification support

f Performance benchmarking and 

measurement tools

In addition to the environmental benefits, 

this interaction has a positive effect for 

U.S. businesses that are sourcing from, or 

selling to, these global markets. 

For example, China—our nation’s second-largest 

trading partner—and the United States recently 

formed a bilateral Climate Change Working Group to 

address climate emissions through a broad range of 

initiatives including the China Green Freight Initiative 

(CGFI).33 Under this initiative, EPA is collaborating 

with China’s Ministry of Transport, Ministry of 

Environmental Protection and other agencies to 

foster the development of more sustainable supply 

chains, using SmartWay as a model. EPA helped lay 

the groundwork for this collaboration a few years 

earlier, when China conducted a pilot “Green Truck 

Demonstration” in Guangzhou, China, working with 

EPA and using combinations of SmartWay verified 

technologies. The success of the pilot prompted 

China to implement a larger green freight 

demonstration pilot in the Guangdong 

Province, with funding assistance from 

the World Bank, and again supported 

by SmartWay.34 The success of 

these pilots led the United States 

and China to incorporate green 

freight as part of the Climate Change 

Working Group’s bilateral climate 

strategy. SmartWay—its program 

design, partnership model, carbon 

accounting tools and technologies—is 

integral to this effort. EPA will continue to 

support this effort and contribute to its success. 

As part of a CGFI expert group, we will offer technical 

and policy recommendations to assist with further 

program development. EPA also intends to continue its 

participation in an annual summit sponsored by China 

Green Freight, where stakeholders representing both 

programs share information and exchange ideas on 

program developments and related interests.
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 25

Looking further across the developing world, 

SmartWay is playing an increasingly active role in the 

development of a Global Green Freight Action Plan, an 

initiative launched by the United Nations Environment 

Programme’s Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).35

The plan is an outgrowth of CCAC’s work to address 

short-lived climate forcers, including a project to reduce 

black carbon and greenhouse gases from heavy-duty 

vehicles and engines, especially in emerging regions. 

Under that project, EPA is sharing best practices and 

lessons learned through SmartWay. This includes 

development of a workbook intended as a “how to” 

manual for any region or country that is looking to adopt 

SmartWay’s approaches in areas such as partnership 

development, technology verification, branding and 

recognition, and other program fundamentals.36 The 

workbook is currently available in five languages: 

English, Spanish, Mandarin, French and Portuguese. 

EPA will continue to support CCAC’s development 

of complementary training tools that draw from 

the SmartWay experience: a trainer guide to help 

educators teach the lessons in the SmartWay green 

freight workbook; companion slides that summarize 

the workbook content, to use as a visual aid in teaching 

this material; and a guide to help countries and regions 

establish credible technology verification programs, 

based on SmartWay’s technology verification model. EPA 

will continue supporting broader global technical and 

capacity building efforts by participating in future CCAC 

activities that may include regional train-the-trainer 

workshops to share SmartWay tools and approaches.

EPA and SmartWay are also providing guidance in 

South America, where efforts are underway to assess 

the prospects for developing a regional green freight 

effort. EPA is contributing to efforts in São Paulo, Brazil, 

where discussions center on developing support for a 

growing green freight effort in South America. Working 

with local experts and development organizations, EPA 

will advise on how to approach the design, development 

and implementation for a broader regional effort that 

could launch from Brazil. This work may include regional 

workshops and technology pilots in key countries such 

as Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
26 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

Similarly, in Europe, SmartWay helped lay the 

foundation for Green Freight Europe,37 an initiative 

aimed at providing a single platform for shippers 

and carriers to assess, validate and benchmark the 

environmental performance of transport operations. 

A consortium of U.S. businesses with EU operations 

formed to pilot tools and methods modeled on 

SmartWay. EPA will extend its collaboration with this 

consortium by sharing best practices and promoting 

green freight efforts with a growing group of global 

shippers and carriers.

EPA is also coordinating with experts from academia, 

industry and nongovernmental organizations that have 

formed a “Global Logistics Emissions Council” with the 

future goal of creating a framework of environmental 

metrics covering freight movements throughout the 

world.38 As with EPA’s other global efforts, the goal 

isn’t to replicate SmartWay everywhere, but rather to 

advance more aligned approaches that can complement 

one another. This avoids a patchwork of competing and 

potentially confusing efforts, which contributes to each 

program’s environmental success while supporting U.S. 

businesses that buy and sell to the global market.

Promoting North American 

Supply Chain Efficiency

With SmartWay as a template, both Canada and Mexico 

have reached out to engage, collaborate and build 

public-private partnerships with stakeholders that 

Figure 5. Growth in Global Carbon Dioxide 

Emissions by Transportation Mode

Light-Duty 

Vehicles

Heavy-Duty 

Vehicles Aviation

Motorcycles Rail Marine

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

CO2 Emissions (million metric tons)

This chart reflects projected growth in global carbon emissions 

between 2010 and 2030 based on an analysis of tank-to-wheel 

vehicle emissions and fuel use developed by the International 

Council on Clean Transportation. International policies and 

standards, including U.S. vehicle standards adopted in 2014, 

have helped to slow this rate of growth. Increases in vehicle 

miles traveled, however, will result in higher future CO2 levels. 

EPA works with several global organizations to support 

adoption of SmartWay’s best practices in freight management 

with a goal to reduce transport emissions, now and in the future.
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 27

are based on a mutual understanding of the goods 

movement and supply chain issues in their respective 

nations.

In 2012, EPA and Natural Resources Canada formed an 

agreement to expand SmartWay into Canada as one 

seamless cross-border program.39 Over the next few 

years, Canada developed its freight partnership using 

SmartWay’s program design, including a shared set 

of standard quantification tools and methodologies, a 

common program name, and a consistent approach to 

performance benchmarking. Looking to the future, the 

two nations plan to further collaborate and harmonize 

efforts to reduce transportation emissions. For example, 

working together, EPA and Natural Resources Canada 

created e-learning short courses for professional truck 

drivers. The SmartDriver tools help drivers understand 

the relationship between their driving behavior and fuel 

consumption, and how simple technology choices can 

contribute to improved fuel efficiency. The majority of 

the strategies demonstrated in the training courses can 

be applied by trucking fleet operators of any size, from 

large fleets whose drivers access the newest vehicles, 

to smaller businesses that operate older or pre-owned 

trucks. And going forward, as SmartWay expands to 

cover all modes within the goods movement supply 

chain, the two nations will continue to collaborate on 

effective ways to reach out to stakeholders across 

modes and across borders.

EPA is also collaborating with the United States’ third 

largest trading partner, Mexico, to improve supply 

chain efficiency across North America. In 2011, using 

SmartWay “generation one” tools and methods, the 

Mexican government launched its Transporte Limpio 

(“Clean Transportation”) program.40 The program now 

includes over 100 companies, including many U.S.-

based SmartWay businesses. EPA and its counterpart, 

Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural 

Resources, plan to continue working together to 

further enhance and grow Transporte Limpio while 

exploring ways to more closely integrate Transporte 

Limpio with SmartWay in the United States and 

Canada. These efforts will ensure that businesses—

regardless of location—can reap the benefits of a more 

comprehensive and consistent North American strategy 

to transform the freight marketplace and prepare it for 

the future.
28 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

Informing the Marketplace

For years SmartWay has served as a credible and 

reliable information source, helping the industry achieve 

efficiency gains that may not otherwise have been 

possible. As an industry resource, we’ve effectively 

helped bridge the knowledge gap between freight 

professionals, technology providers and manufacturers 

across the board.

Looking ahead, we anticipate 

that the demand for our 

expertise and service will 

only increase. To meet the 

growing information needs of 

our partners and the larger 

domestic and global freight 

community, SmartWay will 

continue serving as a convener 

of information and data.

We will do so by leveraging our connections with 

leading EPA climatologists and environmental scientists, 

other government agencies, and their research arms. 

Working with our partners, we will also access experts 

from their organizations, trade associations, nonprofit 

organizations, academia and others. For example, 

SmartWay and the ENERGY STAR® program recently 

collaborated on an effort to help warehousing and 

distribution centers improve efficiency and cut costs 

by providing tools to assess energy and emissions from 

both their facilities and shipping operations.

Driving Best Practices in Freight 

Data Management

Reducing carbon emissions using strategies to improve 

fuel efficiency requires an understanding of the carbon 

accounting process, an essential step for carbon 

management. Using SmartWay’s tools enables partners 

to assess and benchmark performance, and to integrate 

the results into their Global Reporting Initiative, Carbon 

Disclosure Project and other reporting efforts.

Going forward, EPA intends to continue to train and 

educate SmartWay partners in the most effective 

processes and data requirements to create robust 

annual environmental performance assessments in their 

freight operations. SmartWay will continue to build 

communication tools and approaches that help logistics 

and sustainability experts integrate this environmental 

and efficiency information into corporate-wide planning. 

For example, SmartWay has incorporated interactive, 

instructional aids into many of its tools, providing real-time 

assistance to streamline data reporting and reduce errors.

And, to ensure consistent and reliable data across the 

supply chain industry, SmartWay will continue to drive 

best practices in data collection, data management and 

safeguards to ensure data accuracy and consistency. 

For example, in 2013 we published a guidance 

document on best practices, SmartWay Transport 

Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation 
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 29

Supply Chains.

41 We plan to update this guidance as the 

program expands to cover more modes.

In addition to this guidance, SmartWay will host 

webinars, workshops or other opportunities to convene 

experts in the field, inviting them to share innovative 

strategies and best practices that leading-edge 

organizations use to improve freight efficiencies—and 

their bottom line. Businesses adopting these strategies, 

such as mode diversification, also have the added 

benefit of improving the resiliency of their supply chains. 

SmartWay will encourage partners and other businesses 

to use these tools to influence the practices of suppliers 

and others engaged in their supply chain network. In this 

manner, efficiencies can be gained and best practices 

adopted across the entire supply chain—outbound and 

inbound, direct and indirect, domestic and international.

Technology Verification

Over the past decade, 

technologies have made 

unprecedented impacts 

on improving supply chain 

freight efficiency. Fleets 

are adopting sophisticated 

logistical tools, improvements 

in containerization and realtime monitoring to control 

the flow of goods. At the 

same time, the SmartWay 

Technology Program has verified numerous innovative 

technologies which fleets are adopting because of their 

quick return on investment.

Technology improvements will continue to be a major 

influence in furthering efficiency. EPA’s first heavy-duty 

greenhouse gas regulations have stimulated tractor 

and engine manufacturers to adopt and integrate more 

technologies to reduce emissions. These efficiency 

improvements are being recognized by SmartWay 

partners who are buying new trucks in record numbers.

The SmartWay program will continue to evaluate and 

highlight technology opportunities. Through research and 

peer-reviewed technical papers, the SmartWay Technology 

Program is working with industry to improve the 

understanding, confidence and performance in fuel saving 

technologies. SmartWay Designated Tractors and Trailers 

have been and will continue to be convenient methods of 

recognizing top performance in the trucking industry.

Operational Strategies

While equipment technologies can 

help improve day-to-day operations 

in supply chain transportation, 

technology is not the only answer. 

Our partners are integrating 

a range of strategies, often 

combining multiple technology 

solutions with advanced logistics 

and sophisticated supply chain 

modeling tools.
30 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020

To support our partners, SmartWay analyzes and shares 

information on the emissions, performance benefits and 

cost savings of these operational practices including 

route optimization, driver training programs, increased 

intermodal utilization, collaboration, packaging efficiencies 

and load optimization to remove miles or weight.

For example, studies have shown a strong link between 

driver behavior and a truck’s fuel economy and 

emissions. Through our partnership with the American 

Trucking Associations (ATA), SmartWay reaches out 

and joins ATA in its annual Truck Driver Appreciation 

program. We recognize smart driving practices and 

promote efficiency gains that drivers can achieve through 

minor improvements in how they drive. Through EPA’s 

agreement with Natural Resources Canada, SmartWay 

has made available a suite of online SmartDriver training 

modules aimed at teaching drivers to maximize freight 

efficiency and use advanced technology systems to 

improve logistics and reduce emissions.42

Besides advocating for smart driving behaviors to save 

fuel, cut costs and reduce emissions, SmartWay will 

continue to inform the shipping community about a 

variety of innovative sustainable operational strategies 

that businesses can incorporate into their shipping 

operations. In the future, as new operational strategies 

emerge, SmartWay will evaluate, publish and highlight 

case studies, partner data and other information to 

quantify the benefits of these strategies. These can 

include near-shoring, low-carbon fuels and equipment 

and route-sharing. As EPA extends SmartWay’s 

reach internationally by its leadership role in global 

green freight efforts, SmartWay also will encourage 

opportunities to promote more low-investment, highreturn operational strategies, including in emerging 

nations that supply U.S. businesses.

Helping Small Businesses Thrive

An overwhelming 

majority of truck 

carriers are small 

fleets, including 

independent 

owner-operators. 

About 25 percent of 

SmartWay carriers 

are fleets with 

no more than 20 

trucks.43 SmartWay has committed time and resources to 

provide small independent owner-operators with technical 

advice and support, access to funds, and recognition for 

their efforts to operate their trucks more efficiently.

Going forward, SmartWay plans to streamline and 

develop tools and mobile device applications that will 

make it easier for small businesses to participate in 

SmartWay and meet the challenges of our changing 

industry. This will help further the benefits of SmartWay 

in communities, as many intra- and inter-city deliveries 

are handled by smaller, independently owned and 

operated companies.
Vision for the Future SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability 31

Figure 6. SmartWay Best Practices Performance Benchmarking

Performance Benchmarking

Performance benchmarking is a SmartWay hallmark, 

and the partnership is committed to offering effective, 

up-to-date performance indicators and metrics. We will 

continue to encourage SmartWay partners to analyze 

their operations and submit data on an ongoing, 

annual basis to foster continuous improvement within 

companies and across the freight transport industry.

These data enable companies operating in the same 

business sector to benchmark and compare their 

performance while preserving anonymity, helping to 

foster a healthy competition.

To benchmark performance for freight transport, 

a SmartWay partner:

1. Measures its transportation footprint using 

SmartWay’s peer-reviewed tools.

2. Uses SmartWay data outputs to assess its freight 

performance, compare the result to performance 

in previous years, and benchmark against 

SmartWay peers.

3. Reports results internally and externally to 

customers and shareholders.

4. Identifies and selects strategies and options for 

improving freight operations.

5. Implements technology and operational 

innovations.
32 SmartWay Vision 2020: A New Era of Sustainability SmartWay Vision 2020
Vision for the Future Beyond the 2020 Horizon 33

Beyond the 2020 Horizon: 

Achieving a Shared Vision 

for the Future of Freight 

Growing public concern and the increasingly damaging effects of climate change, unstable energy 

costs and globalization will continue to significantly affect the transportation industry into and 

well beyond 2020. EPA and its SmartWay partners are committed to meeting the challenges and 

seizing opportunities that the future holds. Working together through SmartWay, we will succeed in 

developing a more sustainable and high-performing freight sector.
SmartWay Vision 2020

Achieving a Shared Vision

Today, scientists and other experts from around the world have compiled comprehensive 

information on the harmful impacts of increased greenhouse gases and other air 

pollutants on human health and well-being, and on the delicate balance of our planet’s 

biosphere and climate. This rise in greenhouse and other climate-forcing air pollutants is 

closely tied to the rapid increase in global industry and commerce as nations build and 

expand their economies to raise the standard of living for their citizens.

Yet, as SmartWay demonstrates, prosperity and sustainability are highly compatible. 

As we enter a period of rapid expansion of trade across national boundaries, EPA and 

its SmartWay partners are lending considerable expertise, knowledge and capability to 

improve sustainability in goods movement, which in turn reduces business costs and 

supports a vibrant economy.

This effort is especially important as individual consumers, investors, academics and 

others are making day-to-day decisions on what goods to purchase, which businesses 

to support, which technologies to research or adopt, and where to invest hard-earned 

resources. We are basing these decisions not only on our current circumstances, but on 

a deepening awareness of how we are affecting the world in which we’ll live tomorrow, 

and the world that we are leaving for future generations.

The transparency and comprehensiveness of data that SmartWay provides; the 

methodologies and awareness it brings forward that accelerate adoption of cleaner, 

lower-carbon technologies and operations; the incentives it offers that drive the market 

mechanisms involved in goods movement to operate more efficiently—all of these 

contribute positively to the world in which we live and that our children’s children 

will inherit.

In addition to the need to cut carbon emissions, there is an emerging awareness of our 

need to plan for transportation systems that are better adapted to handle the changes 
Vision for the Future Beyond the 2020 Horizon 35

brought about by climate change. Higher temperatures, 

erosion, flooding, wildfires, extreme weather events 

and other impacts can place more stress on our freight 

infrastructure and cause closures or disruptions of 

goods movement routes. By increasing the efficiency of 

today’s transportation supply chains, sharing data and 

information, and raising awareness about the benefits 

of intermodal and multi-route options, SmartWay can 

also contribute toward planning more resilient freight 

transportation networks.

Collectively, SmartWay and its partners are making a 

difference today and taking steps to plan for tomorrow. 

These actions will contribute toward achieving our 

vision for a sustainable freight future in the 2020 

decade and beyond.
36 Endnotes SmartWay Vision 2020

Endnotes

Sources: Text

1. “SmartWay.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified 29 January 2015. http://www.epa.gov/smartway/

2. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 − 2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 430-R-15-004 (2015). 

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2015-Main-Text.pdf

3. Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2013. U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (Washington, DC: 2014). 

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/TSAR_2013.pdf

4. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 − 2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 430-R-15-004 (2015). 

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2015-Main-Text.pdf

5. ATA U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast to 2025. American Trucking Associations (2014). 

http://www.atabusinesssolutions.com/Default.aspx?TabID=1415&productId=2529327

6. Freight Facts and Figures 2013. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (2014).

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nat_freight_stats/docs/13factsfigures/pdfs/fff2013_highres.pdf

7. Annual Energy Outlook 2015 with Projections to 2040. U.S. Energy Information Administration. DOE/EIA-0383 (2015). 

http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/pdf/0383(2015).pdf

8. “G20 Action on Vehicle Efficiency and Emissions.” Drew Kodjak, David Shorr, and Sheila Watson, Lowy Institute for International Policy. 

http://lowyinstitute.org/files/kodjak_shorr_watson_t20_fuel_economy.pdf

9. “Introducing the Scope 3 Evaluator” (webinar). Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Quantis (2014). 

http://www.quantis-intl.com/en/scope-3-evaluator

10. “Categorization of Scope 3 Emissions for Streamlined Enterprise Carbon Footprinting.” Huang, Y. Anny, Christopher Weber, and H. Scott 

Matthews, Environmental Science and Technology 43, no. 22 (2009): 509-515.

11. “Particulate Matter: Health.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2014). http://www.epa.gov/airquality/particulatematter/health.html

12. Harboring Pollution: The Dirty Truth about U.S. Ports. Bailey, Diane, Thomas Plenys, Gina M. Solomon, Todd R. Campbell, Gail Ruderman Feuer, 

Julie Masters, and Bella Tonkonogy, Natural Resources Defense Council (2004). http://www.nrdc.org/air/diesel-exhaust/community-resources.asp
Vision for the Future Endnotes 37

13. HEI Research Report 184: Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES): Lifetime Cancer and Non-Cancer Assessment in Rats Exposed to 

New-Technology Diesel Exhaust. McDonald, Jacob D., Jeffrey C. Bemis, Lance M. Hallberg, Daniel J. Conklin, Health Effects Institute (2015). 

http://pubs.healtheffects.org/view.php?id=430

14. “SmartWay.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified 29 January 2015. http://www.epa.gov/smartway/

15. “SmartWay Helps Tyson Foods Drive Out Miles, Tackle Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 420-F12-065 

(2012). http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/documents/spotlight/420f12065.pdf

16. SmartWay Graphics Standards and Usage Guide. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA-420-B11-014 (2011). 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/documents/logo-use/420b11014.pdf

17. Ibid.

18. “Outreach Materials.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified 12 September 2014. http://www.epa.gov/smartway/about/outreach.htm

19. Transportation Energy Data Book. Davis, Stacy, Susan Diegel, Robert Boundy, eds., Edition 32, ORNL-5198, Office of Scientific and Technical 

Information (2013).

20. SmartWay Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

EPA-420-B-13-005 (2013). http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/documents/dataquality/420b13005.pdf

21. Ibid.

22. “Inland Waterways Gateway (St. Louis).” U.S. Department of Transportation, Marine Administration. Last modified 1 January 2015. 

http://www.marad.dot.gov/about-us/gateway-offices/inland-waterways-gateway/

23. International Civil Aviation Organization. Last modified 1 January 2015. http://www.icao.int/Pages/default.aspx

24. “The Logistics and Transportation Industry in the United States.” U.S. Department of Commerce. Last modified 1 January 2015. 

http://selectusa.commerce.gov/industry-snapshots/logistics-and-transportation-industry-united-states

25. Report to Congress on Black Carbon. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act 2010, EPA 450-R-12-001 (2012). http://www.epa.gov/blackcarbon/2012report/fullreport.pdf

26. “Need for Green or Need for Speed: A West Monroe Partners Survey.” Yves Leclerc and David South. West Monroe Partners (2014). 

http://www.westmonroepartners.com/en/insights/white-papers/need-for-green-survey

27. Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard. Greenhouse Gas Protocol, World Resources Institute (2011). 

http://www.ghgprotocol.org/files/ghgp/public/Corporate-Value-Chain-Accounting-Reporing-Standard_041613.pdf

28. “Categorization of Scope 3 Emissions for Streamlined Enterprise Carbon Footprinting.” Huang, Y. Anny, Christopher Weber, and H. Scott 

Matthews, Environmental Science and Technology 43, no. 22 (2009): 509–515.

29. Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard. Greenhouse Gas Protocol, World Resources Institute (2011). 

http://www.ghgprotocol.org/files/ghgp/public/Corporate-Value-Chain-Accounting-Reporing-Standard_041613.pdf
38 Endnotes SmartWay Vision 2020

30. “Global Reporting Initiative.” Last modified 1 January 2015. https://www.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

31. “CDP: Driving Sustainable Economies.” Last modified 1 January 2015. https://www.cdp.net/en-US/Pages/HomePage.aspx

32. “Stanley Black & Decker Uses SmartWay Tools to Reduce Freight Footprint.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 420-F14-043 (2013).

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/documents/spotlight/420f13043.pdf

33. “Development of China Green Freight Initiative.” Clean Air Asia. Last modified 1 July 2014. 

http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/projects/GreenFreightChinaProgram

34. Ibid.

35. “Global Green Freight Action Plan.” The Climate and Clean Air Coalition. Last modified 1 January 2015. 

http://www.unep.org/ccac/Events/UNClimateSummit2014/ActionStatementSupport/tabid/794296/Default.aspx

36. How to Develop a Green Freight Program: A Comprehensive Guide and Resource Manual. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

EPA 420-B-14-054 (2014). http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forcountries/documents/420b14054.pdf

37. “Green Freight Europe.” Last modified 1 January 2015. http://www.greenfreighteurope.eu/

38. “Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC).” Last modified 1 January 2015. http://www.smartfreightcentre.org/main/what-we-do/glec

39. “Natural Resources Canada: Fleetsmart.” Last modified 1 January 2015. http://fleetsmart.nrcan.gc.ca/

40. “SmartWay International.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified 3 December 2014. 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forcountries/index.htm

41. SmartWay Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

EPA 420-B-13-005 (2013). http://www.epa.gov/smartwaytransport/forpartners/documents/dataquality/420b13005.pdf

42. “SmartWay International.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified 3 December 2014. 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forcountries/index.htm

43. “SmartWay and Small Business.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA-420-F-13-013 (2013).

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/forpartners/documents/trucks/techsheets-truck/420f13013.pdf
Vision for the Future

Sources: Figures

Figure 1: Freight Facts and Figures 2013. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

(2014). http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nat_freight_stats/docs/13factsfigures/pdfs/fff2013_highres.pdf

Figure 2: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 − 2013. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 430-R-15-004 (2015).

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2015-Main-Text.pdf 

Figure 3: “SmartWay Trends, Indicators, and Partner Statistics.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last modified 20 November 2014. 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/tips/

Figure 4: “SmartWay Program Highlights.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 420-F14-003 (2014). 

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/about/documents/basics/420f14003.pdf

Figure 5: The State of Clean Transport Policy: A 2014 Synthesis of Vehicle and Fuel Policy Developments. Miller, Joshua, and Cristiano Façanha, 

International Council on Clean Transportation (2014). http://www.theicct.org/state-of-clean-transport-policy-2014
EPA-420-K-15-001

July 2015

United States

Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20460

Printed on processed chlorine-free, 100% recycled paper with a minimum 50% post-consumer fiber using vegetable-based ink.

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