SmartWay® Transport Partnership:

Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains

SmartWay® Transport Partnership:

Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains

Transportation and Climate Division

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

TOC Table of Contents

Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................................. 1

SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process........................................................................................ 7

1.1 SmartWay provides appropriate assessment tools for each supply chain mode................................................... 7

1.2 SmartWay Partners submit transportation data for the supply chain carbon footprint ....................................... 11

1.3 Accuracy is critical to data quality across all industries that move goods........................................................... 13

General Best Practices...................................................................................................................................... 17

2.1 Physically secure transportation supply chain data .............................................................................................. 17

2.2 Establish effective systems to ensure that data gathering, input, and SmartWay reporting processes 

are consistent, reliable, and timely....................................................................................................................... 21

2.3 Ensure accurate and reliable SmartWay data reporting....................................................................................... 24

Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers...................................................................................... 29

3.1 Have processes in place to ensure that freight transportation data are valid ..................................................... 29

3.2 Use effective methods to ensure data integrity.................................................................................................... 32

Best Practices for Logistics Companies......................................................................................................... 37

4.1 Incorporate quality control into data input processes........................................................................................... 37

4.2 Establish systems and practices to minimize errors in transportation supply chain data.................................... 40

4.3 Work closely with carriers and customers to ensure that carrier transportation supply chain data are 

accurate and consistent......................................................................................................................................... 41

ES

1

2

3

4

Table of Contents iii
Best Practices for Shippers.............................................................................................................................. 45

5.1 Quality-check SmartWay data inputs.................................................................................................................... 45

5.2 Use tools to minimize errors in transportation supply chain data ........................................................................ 47

5.3 Work closely with carriers to ensure the validity of carrier freight transportation supply chain data................. 50

Appendix: Additional Resources...................................................................................................................... 55

Appendix: List of Abbreviations........................................................................................................................ 57

5

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iv SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
September 2013

“On behalf of the EPA and the SmartWay Transport 

Partnership, I am pleased to provide SmartWay Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in the Supply 

Chain Industry. This document is a compilation of best 

practices used by SmartWay Partners to assist with 

freight efficiency-related data collection, management, 

and quality assurance procedures.

The best practices outlined in this document will assist 

EPA and its industry partners in critical and efficient 

supply chain data management operations around the 

world.”

Christopher Grundler, Director

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Table of Contents v
Executive Summary
The freight industry uses price and on-time signals to assess its 

performance, but has historically lacked the necessary data to track its 

progress in environmental performance. In today’s increasingly competitive 

global economy, corporations need to assess their carbon and criteria 

pollutant emissions consistently across their global supply chains. 

SmartWay performs this role by transforming the environmental cost of 

goods movement into an environmental performance factor that can be 

SmartWay is a voluntary collaboration between the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) and the business community (e.g., truck and rail 

carriers, shippers, logistics companies1

) to improve fuel efficiency and reduce 

environmental impacts from moving goods. Established by EPA in 2004, 

SmartWay is the only voluntary program working across the entire freight 

system to comprehensively address key national economic, energy, and 

environmental goals related to goods movement and freight sustainability. 

Environmental, state, and community groups rely upon SmartWay’s clean air 

achievements in protecting Americans’ health and well-being.

SECTION ES Executive Summary

1. Logistics companies include both third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and consultants (4PLs). Logistics 

companies charge a fee for supply chain services, including but not limited to transportation, distribution, 

warehousing, and customs clearance services. 3PLs are non-asset-based logistics companies.

Executive Summary 1
uniformly quantified and ranked. The environmental performance factor is 

available to carriers, logistics companies, and shippers to help them make 

informed choices.

The environmental performance data that SmartWay generates allow the 

market to function in ways that drive environmental benefits:

• Carriers can cut costs, benchmark both internally and against peers to 

improve efficiency, and attract customers looking for environmentally 

preferred ways to move their goods.

• By identifying greener carriers or modes, shippers can make choices to 

reduce their carbon footprint and improve supply chain efficiency.

EPA is proud of the work that registered SmartWay Partners do every day 

to reduce fuel use and emissions. These efforts are good for their bottom 

lines. Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have saved 65 million barrels of oil, 

equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road for an entire year. SmartWay 

Partners have also demonstrated their commitment to sustainability. 

SmartWay Partners have collectively reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) by 28 

million metric tons as well.

SmartWay Serves Domestic and International Freight 

Communities

More than 3,000 of the nation’s shippers and truck carriers—including many 

Fortune 500 companies and Class 1 rail companies—have registered with 

SmartWay to continue improving their transportation supply chains. They are 

using SmartWay tools to assess, track, and reduce transportation-related 

carbon, energy use, and air emissions.

2 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
SmartWay’s drayage program extends the benefits of cleaner, more efficient 

vehicles and equipment with tools designed specifically to help protect the 

health and well-being of citizens, especially in low-income communities 

near ports, truck stops, and borders. SmartWay also complements EPA 

regulations: SmartWay’s experience in demonstrating new technologies 

and test procedures to evaluate trucks and truck components also helped 

to inform our nation’s first-ever greenhouse gas and efficiency standards for 

freight trucks.

Through SmartWay, EPA has also provided technical and policy assistance 

to international agencies and foreign governments launching their own 

green freight programs:

• SmartWay in Canada was launched through a formal U.S.-Canada 

agreement.

• Mexico launched Transporte Limpio, modeled on SmartWay.

• China adopted a $17 million green freight program using SmartWay 

technology transfer and market mechanisms demonstrated via a city 

pilot that SmartWay helped to develop and support.

• Green Freight Europe is working to emulate the benefits of SmartWay 

in an industry-driven non-governmental structure.

• The United Nations Environment Programme selected a SmartWay-like 

green freight program as a key climate initiative for developing regions 

under the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived 

Climate Pollutants (CCAC).2

2. CCAC supports efforts to rapidly reduce short-lived climate pollutants. These actions protect public health, food 

and energy security, and climate. For more information, visit CCAC’s website: http://www.unep.org/ccac/.

Executive Summary 3
SmartWay Strives to Lead Industry in Transportation 

Data Integrity

SmartWay’s success depends on measuring and documenting emissions 

savings. Thus, it is critical that SmartWay Partners enter their data into the 

tools accurately and completely. Data accuracy and completeness also 

serve SmartWay Partners in turn, who can use SmartWay data outputs to 

assess the benefits of their investments in technologies and strategies to 

reduce their emissions.

EPA and its SmartWay Partners have joined forces to develop and 

implement a number of data quality assurance best practices to ensure 

SmartWay’s data integrity. This document presents these practices and 

strategies to help readers in their own efforts to collect, manage, and 

assure the quality of their SmartWay-related data. The best practices 

outlined in this document can assist EPA and its partners in continuing to 

achieve our objectives, and in promoting best practices in supply chain data 

management more broadly. The latter is an important goal since supply 

chains are interlinked across industries and globally.

Thanks to the shared wisdom of these SmartWay Partners, the best 

practices in this document will help support more accurate, consistent, and 

reliable information across business supply chains. This will contribute to 

greater efficiency of transportation supply chain networks.

4 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
SmartWay Best Practices Ensure Data Quality

SmartWay drives data quality in transportation supply chain reporting for SmartWay Partners and the freight industry. SmartWay visits a cross-section of SmartWay Partners to assess 

their data collection methodologies and processes and uses 

the results to share best practices more widely. In addition, 

SmartWay regularly performs reasonableness checks compared to industry norms, year-over-year comparison reports, 

and reviews of its reporting tool submissions. SmartWay also 

provides up-to-date guidance on data that businesses need to 

calculate carbon footprints for transportation supply chains.

Executive Summary 5
SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process
SECTION 1 SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process

SmartWay provides appropriate assessment 

tools for each supply chain mode

SmartWay provides tailored carrier and shipper assessment tools for 

different modes of moving goods. Available carrier modes include truck, 

rail, logistics, and multi-modal (truck/rail/logistics). Companies engaged in 

the same type of business, with similar equipment types and operations, 

can use these tools to compare their environmental progress over time and 

against peers.

Carriers input data into their carrier reporting tool for each applicable fleet 

or business unit level that a shipper can easily identify. For truck carriers, 

this is typically at the trucking fleet level. The multi-modal, logistics, and 

shipper reporting tools import carrier performance data, multiplied by each 

carrier’s share of that shipper’s freight, providing shippers with a composite 

weighted average of their emissions performance.

Carriers collect information, such as fuel used, miles driven, truck and 

engine model year, and cargo payload, and input it into the reporting tool to 

calculate freight environmental performance. The reporting tools generate 

outputs in grams-per-ton-mile or gram-per-mile allowing for emissions 

rankings within each mode of moving goods. The tools enable partners to 

integrate those data into a single environmental performance profile. They 

1.1

SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process 7
can also see how their environmental performance profile changes from 

year to year as a result of the measures they take to reduce emissions and 

to improve efficiency.

The following charts illustrate the steps partners use to capture and report 

their data, starting from goods movement through the completion of the 

SmartWay reporting tool.

Once partners complete and submit their reporting tools, SmartWay 

quality-checks the data, enters the data into a database, and calculates 

their company emissions score. SmartWay then sorts the scores from low 

(best) to high (worst) and posts the ranked scores in a performance ranking 

report on the SmartWay website. This ranking system replaces what 

otherwise would be a black box or worse—thousands of individual carriers 

and shippers trying to provide and obtain this information absent uniform 

metrics, emission factors, or consistency in data integrity and organization.

8 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Figure 1.1: Best Practices Example of Carrier SmartWay Data Flows

MILES

PAYLOAD

VOLUME

FUEL

SPEED

ROAD TYPE

Figure 1.1 Best Practices Example of Carrier SmartWay Data Flows

Completed Reporting

Tool Submitted to EPA

Reporting tool undergoes final review.

8 Action Taken: Review

of Reporting Tool

Reporting tool’s output undergoes a

reasonableness check (e.g., year-overyear data are checked for accuracy).

7

SmartWay

Carrier Tool

Partner enters data in the SmartWay 

Carrier Tool.

6 Action Taken:

Data Check

Tests are run to check results of

queries against expected results

(e.g., total fuel consumption is

checked against data submitted

to IFTA).

5 Action Taken:

Post-Processing

Analyses or calculations get the data 

into the form needed for submission 

to the SmartWay reporting tool.

4

Data from separate trips are aggregated.

Queries are run on the data (e.g., “Add up

all the mileage for this particular fleet...,”

“Develop an average for all my payloads

from the past year...”).

Data are input into database.

Company Database/Data 3 Management System

Data undergo quality check before

entry into database (e.g., fuel receipts

are checked against fuel consumption

data from the ECM).

Action Taken: 2Data Check

Data start out highly disaggregated 

from different trips.

Trip- and Fleet- 1Specific Carrier Data

SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process 9
Figure 1.2: Best Practices Example of Shipper SmartWay Data Flows

SmartWay Truck Carrier 01 ................

SmartWay Truck Carrier 02 ................

SmartWay Truck Carrier 03 ................

SmartWay Truck Carrier 04 ................

Non-SmartWay Truck Carrier 01..........

Non-SmartWay Truck Carrier 02..........

SmartWay Freight Carrier 01...............

SmartWay Freight Carrier 02..............

SmartWay Freight Carrier 03..............

Non-SmartWay Freight Carrier 02......

Non-SmartWay Freight Carrier 03......

MILES

PAYLOAD

VOLUME

FUEL

SPEED

ROAD TYPE

Figure 1.2 Best Practices Example of Shipper SmartWay Data Flows

3

Reporting tool undergoes final review.

Completed Reporting 8Tool Submitted to EPA

Reporting tool’s output undergoes a

reasonableness check (e.g., year-overyear data are checked for accuracy).

Action Taken: Review 7of Reporting Tool

Partner enters data in the SmartWay 

Shipper Tool.

SmartWay 6Shipper Tool

Tests are run to check results of

queries against expected results

(e.g., random spot check on particular

carriers, checking aggregate against

records).

Action Taken: 5Data Check

Analyses or calculations get the data 

into the form needed for submission 

to the SmartWay reporting tool.

Action Taken: 4Post-Processing

Data are input into database.

Data from separate trips are aggregated.

Queries are run on the data (e.g., “Add up

all the mileage for this particular fleet...,”

“Develop an average for all my payloads

from the past year...”).

Company Database/Data

Management System

Data undergo quality check before

entry into database (e.g., shipment

weight on invoice is checked against

product weight in product database).

Action Taken: 2Data Check

Shippers compile a list of all the

carriers they hire in a year. Data

start as highly disaggregated data 

from different carriers and trips.

Trip- and Fleet- 1Specific Carrier Data

10 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
1.2 SmartWay Partners submit transportation data 

for the supply chain carbon footprint

All SmartWay Partners agree to voluntarily report information to SmartWay 

about their freight-transportation-related environmental performance by 

completing and submitting information every year into the SmartWay 

reporting tool. Partners include descriptive quantitative information 

about their fleet, company or business unit, fleet activity, and changes in 

performance with regard to vehicle miles traveled, fuel consumption, and 

payload.

Truck and multi-modal carriers submit the following data:

• Total miles driven

• Revenue miles versus empty miles

• Road speed and operational characteristics

• Total fuel consumed

• Alternative fuel (e.g., biodiesel, natural gas) consumed

• Number of trucks by class

• Fuel and payload by truck class

• Truck model engine year

• Payloads

• Trailer capacity volume and utilization

• Average idle-hours per truck

SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process 11
Shipper and logistics companies submit some combination 

of the following information for each of their carriers:

• Ton-miles driven

• Total miles driven

• Payload

• Number of loads

• Type of cargo by commodity group

Shippers and logistics companies all need to specify the percentage of 

their freight shipments that are provided by SmartWay and non-SmartWay 

partners in order to calculate their percentage SmartWay value. The 

percentage SmartWay value reflects the percentage of total emissions 

attributable to SmartWay carriers. These values are calculated based on 

miles or ton-miles driven. Shippers have the additional option of calculating 

their SmartWay value based on the percentage CO2 generated by their 

carriers, or by a custom metric.

These data elements enable shippers and logistics companies to calculate 

their carbon footprints. They also serve to:

• Encourage greater use of high-performing SmartWay carriers, 

thereby increasing the shipper or logistics company’s contributions to 

SmartWay program benefits (i.e., higher SmartWay values).

• Encourage carrier or mode shifts to improve the shipper or logistics 

company’s composite emissions score.

12 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
1.3 Accuracy is critical to data quality across all 

industries that move goods

SmartWay collaborated with stakeholders and industry experts in 

developing the SmartWay Partner reporting tools. EPA conducted an 

Agency peer review on the beta versions3 of the reporting tools. This 

peer review process included a review of the data sources, calculation 

methodologies, usability, and guidance for partners on how to collect and 

submit data to ensure that submissions are consistent and accurate.

SmartWay has also implemented a number of data quality control checks 

to ensure data integrity. After partners submit data using the reporting 

tools, SmartWay performs a comprehensive review and cross-check of 

partner data before accepting the data submission. The reporting tools that 

partners use to submit their data also have rigorous automated internal data 

quality assurance controls, which include reasonableness checks based on 

industry norms and annual data comparison reports to ensure year-over-year 

consistency. These data quality assurance controls help partners recognize 

data input errors before submitting the reporting tool.

SmartWay has developed a data verification program to assess the quality 

of partner data collection and verification procedures. To verify the integrity 

of SmartWay data submissions, a sample of partners from a cross-section 

of freight industries is invited to participate in data verification interviews. 

EPA staff visit these partners to observe and record the processes and 

safeguards they maintain to collect, handle, check, manage, track, and 

preserve the data they submit to SmartWay. During these visits, EPA 

3. A beta version is a program or an application that contains most of its major features, but is not yet complete. 

Often these versions are released to a select group of people for testing purposes. Testers generally report any 

errors they encounter or changes they would like to see before the final version is released to the public.

SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process 13
meets with key staff involved in data collection and reviews how their data 

management and quality assurance measures function. EPA also shares 

its SmartWay data verification best practices with these partners to ensure 

that they understand SmartWay expectations for verifying the integrity of 

their data submission.

Using the information shared during the site visits, EPA assesses whether 

its SmartWay guidance or tools need to be refined. As part of its overall 

data integrity system, EPA also obtains industry-wide data from a variety of 

credible sources against which to compare and validate partner data.

EPA is always looking for ways to recognize SmartWay Partners that take 

the lead in ensuring transportation supply chain data quality. Participating 

in the data verification program is a way for partners to demonstrate their 

commitment in this area.

Finally, EPA provides aggregated SmartWay program data to its program 

participants, and to the public through various means, including the EPA 

Trends, Indicators, and Partner Statistics (TIPS) Web page.4 This ensures 

the transparency of SmartWay program data. By disseminating SmartWay 

program data to stakeholders and across industry, academia, governmental 

agencies, and the general public, EPA provides additional opportunities for 

assessment, analysis, and commentary of SmartWay program data.

4. Visit the SmartWay TIPS Web page at http://www.epa.gov/smartway/tips/index.htm.

14 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
SmartWay Data Flow and Integrity Check Process 15
General Best Practices
SECTION 2 General Best Practices

Physically secure transportation supply 

chain data

SmartWay Partners using best practices in data quality assurance/quality 

control (QA/QC) have a set of policies and procedures in place to ensure 

the physical security of their transportation supply chain data. Strategies 

employed include the following:

• Limit access only to those who input the data and those who use 

the data. Give other employees, at most, read-only access to this 

information.

• Require a password to access the data, and regularly change the 

password (e.g., every 90 days).

• Employ a rigorous data backup process and have a data recovery 

system in place.

• Cite data sources so that users know where to go to retrieve the 

information should a computer malfunction or disaster occur (e.g., a 

system crash or some other physical or natural calamity).

2.1

General Best Practices 17
• Maintain computer-generated backup copies of all SmartWay-related 

data and data sources regularly (e.g., every month), and store copies at 

one or more remote locations. For example, the data might be stored 

on a jump drive that is kept in a security box where the company does 

its banking.

Kimberly-Clark Best Practices 

Increase Efficiency and Security

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (K-C), with its North American 

Transportation team in Knoxville, Tennessee, has been a 

SmartWay Partner since 2006. Upon joining SmartWay, K-C’s 

most immediate objectives were to improve communications and gain efficiencies among the fleets it hires. Today, 

99 percent of K-C’s miles and 96 percent of its shipments are 

made with SmartWay carriers. K-C made a significant new 

investment in its transportation management system (TMS) 

software, enabling the company to improve freight mode selection and increase intermodal utilization and savings. K-C 

has expanded intermodal utilization by 117 percent, going 

from 42,141 loads in 2006 to 91,353 by the end of 2012.

K-C has established a set of principles that govern all applications and user access. Violators of those principles are 

subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination 

18 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Kimberly-Clark Best Practices 

Increase Efficiency and Security (cont.)

of employment and legal action. Security incident and event 

management solutions monitor for unauthorized access or 

events and are reviewed in a timely manner. Access to systems, applications, and data is granted only after approved 

authorization from system owners for each respective system or application. All production servers and telecommunications equipment are in segregated, secure locations that 

meet physical control standards.

K-C is a three-time SmartWay Excellence Award winner.

At Kimberly-Clark, we see SmartWay as both good environmental policy and good business. The transportation 

strategies that SmartWay recommends are saving us 

fuel, lessening our carbon footprint, and making a big difference in bringing us closer to our sustainability goals.

—Stelios Chrysandreas, 

Transportation Manager at Kimberly-Clark

“

 ”

General Best Practices 19
Lowe’s Employs a Variety of Measures 

to Secure Transportation Data

Lowe’s Companies, Inc., has been a registered SmartWay 

Partner since 2005. Lowe’s has taken extensive measures 

to protect the security and integrity of its data. Lowe’s has 

controls in place to limit data transfer via both external hardware and email. Lowe’s has a formal disaster recovery system in place as well.

20 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
2.2 Establish effective systems to ensure that 

data gathering, input, and SmartWay reporting 

processes are consistent, reliable, and timely

Quality methodologies

SmartWay Partners employing data QA/QC best practices have policies 

and procedures in place to ensure data quality in all business processes, 

specifically in the areas of data collection and storage, recording, and 

reporting. SmartWay-related data review and verification are integrated into 

the quality management methods as well. Quality methodologies used 

by partners include registration to ISO5

 standards. Many also implement 

Lean practices6 and Six Sigma,7 along with other institutional practices 

and controls developed to ensure and enhance corporate governance and 

accountability. Some of these may be specific to a given industry. Quality 

methodologies used in combination with the SmartWay reporting tool help 

ensure an efficient and robust operation.

Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

SmartWay Partners using best practices in data QA/QC also have 

comprehensive, up-to-date documented SOPs in place for collecting, 

5. ISO is the International Organization for Standardization, located in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO promotes the 

development and implementation of voluntary international standards, both for particular products and for 

environmental management issues.

6. Lean practices target and eliminate the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value 

for the end customer. Lean is a set of practices and procedures that assist in the identification and elimination 

of waste. (Lean manufacturing. In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_

manufacturing.)

7. Six Sigma is a set of tools and strategies to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing 

the causes of errors and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. (Six Sigma. In 

Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma.)

General Best Practices 21
storing, and reporting data. These SOPs include worksheets that document 

the queries and tables used to fill out the reporting tool pages. The 

worksheets also show how to input the data into each reporting tool page, 

with accompanying step-by-step instructions. Having SOPs makes it very 

easy for anyone to step in and complete the SmartWay reporting tool with 

minimal prior training on the program.

In addition, standard work instructions are developed to document the stepby-step process in greater detail, including screen shots of key reporting 

tool screens, to ensure comprehensive process understanding.

Succession planning

Succession plans ensure a seamless transition in collecting and storing 

data should there be staff turnover in these areas. Quality-driven SmartWay 

Partners have trained backup staff ready to assume the duties of collecting 

In 2009, Dow became the first major chemical company to join SmartWay. SmartWay brings government, 

shippers and carriers together to drive improved transportation, energy and environmental initiatives. Dow’s 

participation in this program makes good business sense 

as well as reaffirms our company’s commitment to the 

planet.

—Don Taylor, Dow’s corporate Vice President for Supply Chain, EH&S Operations & Operations Services

“

 ”

22 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Dow Chemical Uses Management of 

Change Procedures to Ensure Consistency 

in SmartWay Submission

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), based in Midland, 

Michigan, has been a SmartWay Partner since 2009. Dow 

created and uses a quality management system to ensure 

the quality, reliability, and integrity of Dow’s products and 

services. The system was designed to help ensure strict adherence to specifications, as well as regulatory and quality 

requirements.

Dow also has a formal management of change (MOC) procedure that is applied to all personnel, process, and procedure 

changes, including formal succession plans for key positions. 

MOC requires a formal, documented hand-off of responsibilities from the person leaving the position to the new person 

entering the position. This process applies to SmartWay data 

management responsibilities as well and helps ensure that 

the person handling SmartWay’s annual data reporting requirement understands the program.

and submitting SmartWay data if the primary SmartWay contact has a 

change in duties or leaves the company. Additionally, these partners inform 

SmartWay of the new contact.

General Best Practices 23
2.3 Ensure accurate and reliable SmartWay data 

reporting

SmartWay Partners committed to ensuring the integrity of their SmartWay 

data take extra steps to ensure that SmartWay data are accurate and 

reliable. They:

• Provide training for staff assigned to perform SmartWay data collection 

and entry into the reporting tool. This training should include a review 

of SmartWay user guides and a review of screen demos in the 

reporting tools.

• Conduct periodic internal reviews on SmartWay-related data, including 

having multiple trained staff review the reporting tool data.

• Ensure that the SmartWay reporting tool includes data for their entire 

fleet. This includes all types of carriers (e.g., rail, contract, private) and 

all types of fleets (e.g., drayage, less-than-truckload, package delivery, 

refrigerated [including fuel for the refrigerator unit]).

• Perform a year-to-year comparison on the SmartWay-related data 

before submitting the report. Look for major discrepancies or changes 

in year-to-year data and analyze them. Unless the company has 

undergone a major expansion or has had a serious decline in business, 

major discrepancies (e.g., in vehicle miles traveled) may indicate data 

entry errors.

24 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
• Consult with the SmartWay executive contact and jointly review the 

SmartWay reporting tool before submitting it. The executive contact 

performs a detailed review of the various tool reports, asks probing 

questions about company data trends, and provides official approval to 

submit the reporting tool.

• Involve company senior management in the year-over-year review (this 

is also a great way to get them involved in SmartWay). Sharing this 

information with company senior management serves as a catalyst for 

crafting new environmental performance goals for the company.

Menlo is committed to improving the sustainability of 

our operations. The data provided through the SmartWay 

partnership has enabled creative new ways to provide value to our customers by reducing freight emissions while 

managing cost and other service requirements. The first 

step to reducing the freight footprint is understanding 

what it is, and SmartWay has laid a foundation of understanding. Now it is the responsibility of shippers, 3PL’s, 

and carriers to work together to make decisions that will 

reduce emissions today.

—Ashton Shaw, Sustainability Engineer for Menlo

“

 ”

General Best Practices 25
Menlo Incorporates Transportation Data into ISO 

Processes to Ensure Data Integrity

Menlo Worldwide Logistics (Menlo), a subsidiary of Con-way 

Freight, with its Transportation Analytics Department headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, has been a SmartWay Partner 

since 2007. Menlo is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and the carbon footprint of its supply chain.

Menlo’s goal is to achieve a sustainable business model 

while being a good steward of the environment and the communities where it operates. Menlo strives to ensure that its 

sustainability principles are realized by integrating applicable 

processes into its lean operating culture. The results of these 

principles are realized through specific actions aimed to:

• Procure the most resource-efficient mode of 

transportation and carriers where possible.

• Partner with organizations that share comparable longterm objectives.

• Continuously improve the resource efficiency of the 

assets and processes Menlo controls.

26 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Menlo Incorporates Transportation Data into ISO 

Processes to Ensure Data Integrity (cont.)

• Contribute zero waste to landfills through prevention, 

minimization, re-use, and recycling.

• Contribute to the communities where employees live 

and operate.

A SmartWay Excellence Award winner, Menlo operates 85 

percent of its network miles using SmartWay carriers, with 

75 percent carrier participation. Menlo has implemented a 

no-idling policy at its distribution centers.

Menlo is certified under ISO 14001, the standard for environmental management systems at its Aurora facility. This 

provides external assurance to Menlo’s carbon management 

system, CarbonNet, which it uses for transportation emissions reporting. SmartWay data collection, tracking, reporting, reviewing, and submission procedures will become part 

of Menlo’s ISO 14001 process in 2013 and part of its ISO 

auditing procedures in 2014. Finally, data from the SmartWay Logistics Tool are compared, year-over-year, by senior 

management before being submitted to EPA.

General Best Practices 27
Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers
SECTION 3 Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers

3.1 Have processes in place to ensure that freight 

transportation data are valid

SmartWay Partners committed to SmartWay data integrity use accuracy 

checks to ensure the validity of their transportation data. They:

• Verify satellite records against odometers, dynamic truck 

routing, and mileage software

Truck routing software is not error-proof. Quality-driven SmartWay 

Partners know this and double-check their satellite data against their 

truck hardware or other dynamic mileage and routing software. Most 

SmartWay carriers use dynamic truck routing and mileage systems that 

yield better delivery mileage predictions and real-time tracking capability 

than traditional (i.e., static, fixed, zone, “pins on a map”) routing 

software programs.

• Check data against International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA) 

records, fuel receipts, Electronic Control Modules (ECMs), or 

other verification sources to ensure accuracy

Typically, carriers will periodically perform validation checks. Qualitydriven carriers will validate their data at least quarterly, if not monthly. 

Some carriers take the additional step of verifying their truck records 

against geo-coded customer locations.

Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers 29
• Check fuel use against fuel receipts or electronic fuel 

metering for accuracy

This includes drayage fuel usage as well as auxiliary power unit and 

refrigerator unit fuel use. Carriers should verify these data on a monthly 

basis to ensure that records of fuel expenses are accurate. This could 

save the company money as errors in reported fuel usage are reduced, 

if not eliminated.

AD Transport Best Practices Include 

Verifying Miles and Fuel Data

AD Transport Express, Inc., (AD Transport) based out of Canton, Michigan, has been a SmartWay Partner since 2006, 

and demonstrates a strong commitment to data quality. AD 

Transport regularly checks satellite-reported vehicle miles 

traveled (VMT) and fuel data against IFTA reports. It verifies 

satellite miles reported against truck odometer readings; in 

some situations, it also checks the satellite-recorded VMT 

against its own dynamic mileage software.

30 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Swift Transportation Uses Satellite 

Systems to Ensure Data Accuracy

Swift Transportation (Swift) is a SmartWay Charter Partner8

and has been a SmartWay Partner since 2004. Swift has 

also been a SmartWay Excellence Award winner every year 

since 2007. All of Swift’s trucks have satellite systems installed, and these systems continuously log all operational 

and trip-related information (e.g., Global Positioning System 

[GPS] position, empty and revenue miles traveled, and ECM 

parameters). This information is electronically transmitted 

daily to more than 1,500 staff for review. 

Drivers have goals and scorecards for miles per gallon (MPG) 

and idle time that are reviewed daily. Discrepancies in the 

data are rare, but when they occur, issues are identified and 

fixed quickly. For example, if the driver gets a low MPG daily 

score (e.g., 3.5 MPG recorded), the truck is brought into the 

shop for a diagnosis. The technicians are well trained to uncover problems from faulty sensors in the ECM that logged 

erroneous values.

8. SmartWay Charter Partners are a select group of 15 organizations that helped EPA develop and evaluate the 

core principles, tools, and design of the SmartWay program.

Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers 31
3.2 Use effective methods to ensure data integrity

SmartWay carriers using best practices in data quality assurance/quality 

control employ a number of strategies to ensure the integrity of their 

SmartWay data. They:

• Accurately record, track, and assess carrier fuel use

Some carriers provide their drivers with fuel cards that automatically 

track their fuel purchases. Larger carriers have their own fueling 

facilities and dispense fuel directly to the trucks, thereby keeping all 

fuel use data in-house. Others use card-less fueling systems that 

are electronically integrated with their transportation management 

systems (TMSs). All of these strategies help the companies save on 

fuel expenses, as they can better identify and use lower-cost fueling 

stations. They also use this information to identify those carriers that 

need education and training on adopting better fuel efficiency strategies 

such as reduced idling.

• Keep engine model year and truck model year information 

together for recordkeeping and SmartWay reporting purposes

A truck engine does not necessarily have the same model year as 

the truck in which it is installed. Keeping both pieces of information 

together ensures accurate reporting when the time comes to enter the 

data into the SmartWay reporting tool.

32 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
• Transmit data via satellite to software that organizes and 

stores ECM data (i.e., idle time, fuel use, miles driven, and 

other emissions-related data)

Data are transferred directly to the company’s TMS. This minimizes the 

possibility for human error in the transmission of the data. Although 

these data transmission errors may occur, companies validate and 

verify those processes regularly as well.

• Computerize shipment records to capture accurate shipment 

weight, dimensions, and volume

This enables these quality-minded carriers to quickly access shipment 

data without having to sift through paperwork. This saves them time 

and money and reduces billing errors due to misinterpreted handwritten 

shipment documents.

Tip: The engine model year is not typically found in the 

vehicle identification number (VIN). Instead, this information is 

on a permanent label affixed to a visible portion of the engine. 

This label will contain the phrase “Important Engine Information” (or something similar) and will clearly state the model 

year of the engine.

Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers 33
ABF Freight System Uses Forklift Truck Scales and 

Other Best Practices for Data Accuracy

ABF Freight System, Inc. (ABF), headquartered in Fort Smith, 

Arkansas, has been a SmartWay Partner since 2006.

An early adopter of conservation efforts, ABF is active in programs designed to reduce both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Since 1976, the company has been 

conserving fuel and reducing emissions by voluntarily limiting the maximum speed of its trucks. To promote efficiency, 

a strictly followed equipment maintenance/replacement program means the average age of ABF line-haul tractors is less 

than two years.

To ensure accuracy in data collection, shipment records are 

created automatically when the ABF billing department enters a bill of lading.9

 To further reduce the possibility of data 

submission errors, ABF forklifts are equipped with scales to 

weigh shipments and computers transmit the data instantly 

to the company’s central data system.

9. A bill of lading is a legal document between the shipper of a particular good and the carrier. It details the type, 

quantity, and destination of the goods being shipped. It gives title to the goods, and directs the carrier to 

deliver the goods to the appropriate party. The bill of lading can be used as proof of shipment for customs and 

insurance purposes, and as proof of having completed a contractual obligation.

34 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Dedicated Fueling Cards Help Schneider National 

Accurately Track Fuel Purchases

Schneider National (Schneider) is a SmartWay Charter Partner in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Primarily a truck carrier, it also 

manages some intermodal shipping. Schneider tracks and 

manages fuel purchases for some 13,000 drivers. Twenty 

percent of the fuel is dispensed at Schneider’s terminal locations. The remaining 80 percent is purchased with dedicated fuel purchase cards at negotiated prices at truck stops. 

As a result, information for offsite fuel purchases, including 

amount of fuel, is captured electronically in a central location.

The EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership has helped 

ABF gauge our actions using EPA SmartWay emissions 

models and reinforces our decisions to update our equipment on a regular basis.

—Gary Hunt, ABF’s Vice President of 

Equipment and Maintenance

“

 ”

Best Practices for Truck and Multi-Modal Carriers 35
Best Practices for Logistics Companies
SECTION 4 Best Practices for Logistics Companies10

4.1 Incorporate quality control into data input 

processes

SmartWay logistics companies committed to data integrity employ a 

number of data quality checks and processes to ensure the validity of 

SmartWay data. They:

• Obtain Standard Carrier Alpha Codes (SCACs), Motor Carrier 

Numbers (MCNs), and U.S. Department of Transportation 

(DOT) numbers from their SmartWay carriers

These SmartWay logistics companies match the carrier SCACs, MCNs, 

and/or DOT numbers provided to them by their carrier fleets against the 

associated number in the SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings.11

This process is more effective and less time-consuming in ensuring that 

the correct carrier fleet has been selected for entry into the SmartWay 

reporting tool than if the logistics company tries to identify the carrier 

fleet by name only.

10. Logistics companies include both third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and consultants (4PLs). Logistics 

companies charge a fee for supply chain services, including but not limited to transportation, distribution, 

warehousing, and customs clearance services. 3PLs are non-asset-based logistics companies.

11. Other ways to find the SCACs, DOT numbers, and MCNs for carriers: The National Motor Freight Traffic 

Association, Inc., assigns SCAC codes and publishes a directory of SCACs. Visit them at http://www.nmfta.org. 

A carrier’s DOT number and MCN can be found by visiting DOT’s Safety and Fitness Electronics Records 

(SAFER) System at http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

Best Practices for Logistics Companies 37
• Use SmartWay data verification processes to check for 

accuracy

Systematic checks typically include the following:

➤ Comparing current year SmartWay tool data against data 

reported for prior years to identify discrepancies in year-to-year 

data reported. (This can indicate errors in data collection or data 

reporting.)

➤ Using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)12 system that 

compares shipment, payload, and paperwork to transportation 

management software data to ensure that the values match.

➤ Checking invoiced miles against company truck routing and mileage 

software.

➤ Checking invoiced payload against product weight recorded in 

the ERP.

➤ Comparing less-than-truckload actual data against the ERP standard 

route data to ensure accuracy.

➤ Performing regular accuracy checks on carrier identification in the 

SmartWay reporting tool.

➤ Enhancing ERP systems with more searchable fields, for ease of 

data validation and data checks.

12. ERP is business management software that enables a company to integrate all operational processes. 

Processes including manufacturing, distribution, sales, and marketing are shared to enable the smooth flow 

of data across all operations. Common ERP systems include Oracle, SAP, and QAD. These companies are 

mentioned for illustration only; this list does not constitute an EPA endorsement.

38 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Ardmore Power Logistics Ensures Data Accuracy 

Through Freight Bill Audit and Pay

Ardmore Power Logistics (Ardmore), based in Westlake, 

Ohio, has been a SmartWay logistics partner since 2009. 

Ardmore provides freight management services to the energy industry and creates logistics programs tailored to the 

unique requirements of the energy industry.

Ardmore uses a freight bill audit and pay system in which 

actual data from bills of lading are used to calculate payload 

information. This unique freight bill audit and pay system enables the company to compare contract data to the freight 

bill to ensure accuracy. The system is designed to check 

for errors and over-charges, and actual shipment data are 

based on what was ordered and billed. This helps ensure 

that the information entered into the SmartWay reporting 

tool is accurate.

Best Practices for Logistics Companies 39
4.2 Establish systems and practices to minimize 

errors in transportation supply chain data

Many SmartWay logistics companies use ERP systems with built-in data 

validity checks across all company operations. This is preferable to using 

multiple standalone systems covering independent operations. An ERP 

system enables users to better track orders, from acceptance to fulfillment. 

It also can match purchase orders, inventory receipts, and vendor 

invoices to reduce data errors. Using an ERP system will greatly improve 

efficiencies and reduce errors in data input into the SmartWay reporting 

tool. Additionally, a centralized database makes it easier to track and verify 

orders, from acceptance to fulfillment. Ideally, an ERP system would 

have multiple searchable fields in the database that link to the supporting 

documentation. This would allow for increased accessibility to conduct 

additional data validation and checks.

To calculate an accurate carbon and emissions footprint, these quality-driven 

logistics companies also report all carrier fleets in the SmartWay Logistics 

reporting tool, including private and non-SmartWay fleets.

Ardmore Power Logistics serves an industry which emphasizes measuring and reducing carbon emissions. The 

SmartWay Data Quality best practices project has been 

an opportunity to participate in an initiative firmly aligned 

with client priorities.

—Dave Cottenden, Ardmore General Manager

“

 ”

40 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
4.3 Work closely with carriers and customers to 

ensure that carrier transportation supply chain 

data are accurate and consistent

Quality-driven logistics companies work closely with their carriers 

and customers and employ strategies and practices to ensure that 

transportation data are accurate and complete. They:

• Encourage, incentivize, or require their carriers to participate 

in SmartWay

This helps in several ways. First, SmartWay carriers are more likely 

to keep accurate records on SmartWay-related data because of the 

partnership’s standardized reporting requirements. Accurate carrier data 

ensure that the SmartWay logistics composite score will be accurate. 

They are also a strong indication that the carrier has internal controls 

in place relating to its business practices and corporate transparency. 

Such controls can increase a logistics company’s confidence in that 

carrier’s corporate governance and commitment to sustainability.

Finally, these logistics companies record actual weight, dimensions, and 

volume for all products shipped (including the packaging). They also record 

actual payload (i.e., gross weight, including product, package, and pallet 

weight), not an estimate. This enables them to submit comprehensive 

actual data in the SmartWay reporting tool rather than estimated data. 

They choose the ton-mile option in the tool to calculate the percentage 

of SmartWay carriers rather than the mile option. This enables them to 

accurately assess their carbon footprint.

Best Practices for Logistics Companies 41
Encouraging, incentivizing, or requiring carriers to register with 

SmartWay also tends to help logistics firms submit their reporting 

tool on time, since carrier reporting due dates occur before logistics 

tools are due. This enables logistics firms to easily obtain SmartWayrelated data on their carriers by finding them in the SmartWay Carrier 

Performance Rankings file.

• Work with SmartWay carrier partners to complete and submit 

their SmartWay reports

This practice enables SmartWay logistics companies to locate their 

carrier partners in the SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings. 

Logistics companies that do not work with their carriers to get 

their data submitted on time may have difficulty in getting their 

own reporting tools completed because some carriers may delay 

submitting their information. Once the deadline has passed for the 

carrier to submit its tool, the carrier is dropped from the SmartWay 

Carrier Performance Rankings and is no longer in good standing with 

SmartWay. If that occurs, logistics companies may not count those 

carriers as SmartWay carriers.

• Reward carrier partners for best practices in data quality

Another strategy used by some SmartWay logistics companies is a 

carrier scorecard. These SmartWay Partners reward carriers that score 

high in error-free invoicing and error-free payload submissions.

• Encourage shipper customers to join SmartWay

This ensures that shipper-contracted carriers managed by the logistics 

company are also encouraged to join SmartWay. Once a company is 

registered, it will be more likely to keep accurate records.

42 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Best Practices for Logistics Companies 43
Best Practices for Shippers
SECTION 5 Best Practices for Shippers

5.1 Quality-check SmartWay data inputs

Shippers committed to data integrity employ a variety of practices to ensure 

that their freight transportation data are accurate and complete. They:

• Obtain Standard Carrier Alpha Codes (SCACs), Motor Carrier 

Number (MCNs), and U.S. Department of Transportation 

(DOT) numbers from their carriers

These shippers match the carrier SCACs, MCNs, and/or DOT numbers 

provided to them by their carrier against the associated code or number 

in the SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings for their companynamed fleets.13 This process is more effective and less time-consuming 

in ensuring that the correct carrier fleet has been selected for entry 

into the SmartWay reporting tool than if the shipper tries to identify the 

carrier fleet by name only.

13. Other ways to find the SCACs, DOT numbers, and MCNs for carriers: The National Motor Freight Traffic 

Association, Inc., assigns SCAC codes and publishes a directory of SCACs. Visit them at http://www.nmfta.org. 

A carrier’s DOT number and MCN can be found by visiting DOT’s Safety and Fitness Electronics Records 

(SAFER) System at http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

Best Practices for Shippers 45
• Use SmartWay data verification processes to check for 

accuracy

Best practices in systematic checks typically include the following:

➤ Comparing current year SmartWay tool data reported against 

SmartWay data reported for prior years to identify discrepancies 

in year-to-year data reported. (This can indicate errors in data 

collection or data reporting.)

➤ Using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)14 system that 

compares shipment, payload, and paperwork to transportation 

management software data to ensure that the values match.

➤ Checking invoiced miles against company truck routing and mileage 

software.

➤ Checking invoiced payload against product weight recorded in 

the ERP.

➤ Comparing less-than-truckload actual data against the ERP standard 

route data to ensure accuracy.

➤ Performing regular accuracy checks on carrier identification in the 

SmartWay reporting tool.

14. ERP is business management software that enables a company to integrate all operational processes. 

Processes including manufacturing, distribution, sales, and marketing are shared to enable the smooth flow 

of data across all operations. Common ERP systems include Oracle, SAP, and QAD. These companies are 

mentioned for illustration only; this list does not constitute an EPA endorsement.

46 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
5.2 Use tools to minimize errors in transportation 

supply chain data

Many shippers that employ data quality best practices use ERP systems 

with built-in data validity checks across all company operations. This 

software tool enables users to better track orders, from acceptance to 

fulfillment. It also can match purchase orders, inventory receipts, and 

vendor invoices to reduce data errors. Having an ERP system in place will 

greatly enhance data quality and will reduce SmartWay reporting tool data 

input errors.

Submitting actual data is also the only way shippers can assess their 

transportation carbon footprint accurately. Quality-driven shippers maintain 

records of actual weight, dimensions, and volume for all the products they 

ship (including the packaging). These shippers also record actual payload 

(i.e., gross weight, including product, package, and pallet weight), not an 

estimate. This enables them to submit comprehensive actual data in the 

SmartWay reporting tool rather than estimates. They also calculate their 

percentage of SmartWay carriers using miles or ton-miles, rather than on 

dollars spent on SmartWay carriers or based on the percentage of weight 

allocated to SmartWay carriers.

Best Practices for Shippers 47
Sharp Electronics Uses ERP System to Ensure Data 

Validity and Effective Business Processes

Sharp Electronics Corporation (Sharp), based in Mahwah, 

New Jersey, has been a SmartWay Partner since 2004. Sharp 

has a strong environmental focus, is ISO 14001 certified, and 

requires all of its carriers to participate in SmartWay.

Sharp uses a comprehensive ERP system to store all of its 

business process data. Customers’ orders are submitted directly into this system, processed, and transmitted directly to the transportation management system (TMS) where 

the order is optimized, routed, and assigned to a carrier. The 

shipment information is then electronically submitted to the 

warehouse management system for shipment and returns 

shipment-specific information back to the ERP system.

48 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Sharp Electronics Uses ERP System to Ensure Data 

Validity and Effective Business Processes (cont.)

To ensure that the data are accurate, the ERP system checks 

the returned shipment data against the original order data 

and creates an exception report within the ERP system 

when there are discrepancies. These errors are investigated 

to determine the nature of the problem, root-cause analysis, and implementation of countermeasures to ensure data 

integrity.

Sharp employees also perform manual verification checks 

on the data throughout the year, which further ensures that 

SmartWay-related data are accurate. As a result of these 

many controls, Sharp is able to confidently and efficiently 

analyze these data and identify, plan, and execute strategies that reduce greenhouse gases and strengthen its 

bottom line.

Best Practices for Shippers 49
5.3 Work closely with carriers to ensure the 

validity of carrier freight transportation supply 

chain data

Quality-driven SmartWay shippers work closely with their carriers and 

logistics companies and employ strategies and practices to ensure that 

transportation data are accurate and complete. They:

• Encourage, incentivize, or require their carriers to participate 

in SmartWay

This helps in several ways. First, SmartWay carriers and logistics 

companies are more likely to keep accurate records on SmartWayrelated data because of the SmartWay reporting requirement. Accurate 

carrier and logistics company data ensure that the SmartWay shipper 

composite score will be accurate. It is also an indication that the 

carrier or logistics company has internal controls in place relating to 

its business practices and corporate transparency. Such controls may 

increase a shipper’s confidence in that carrier’s corporate governance 

and commitment to sustainability.

Finally, encouraging, incentivizing, or requiring their carriers and 

logistics company partners to participate tends to help shippers submit 

their SmartWay reporting tool on time; carriers and logistics companies 

must submit their data to SmartWay before shippers submit their data 

to SmartWay. This enables shippers to easily obtain SmartWay-related 

data on their SmartWay carriers and logistics company partners by 

finding them in the SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings.

50 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
• Work with SmartWay carrier and logistics company partners 

to complete and submit their SmartWay reports

These SmartWay shippers also work closely with their SmartWay 

carrier and logistics company partners to get their SmartWay reporting 

data submitted. Shippers that do not work with their SmartWay 

carriers and logistics companies to get their data submitted on time 

could have more difficulty getting their own tools completed. This is 

because some carriers and logistics companies may delay submitting 

their information. Once the deadline has passed for the carrier or 

logistics company to submit its tool, the company is dropped from 

the SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings and is no longer in good 

standing with SmartWay. If that occurs, shippers may not count those 

carriers or logistics companies as SmartWay Partners in their SmartWay 

reporting tool.

• Reward carrier and logistics company partners for best 

practices in data quality

Another common best practice is the use of a carrier scorecard. Some 

SmartWay shippers reward those who score high in, for example, errorfree invoicing and error-free payload submissions.

Best Practices for Shippers 51
IKEA Incorporates SmartWay 

Carrier Review in Bi-Annual Audits

IKEA Distribution Services, Inc. (IKEA), Westampton, New 

Jersey, was designated a SmartWay Champion in 2011. IKEA 

also won a SmartWay Excellence Award in 2012.

In 2000, IKEA developed its IWAY program: a code of conduct covering areas such as environment, health and safety, and wages and working conditions. All carriers that work 

with IKEA agree to comply with IWAY and take part in onsite 

IWAY audits every 24 months. Additionally, any carrier that 

wishes to do business with IKEA in the United States or 

Canada must participate in SmartWay. As part of the IWAY 

audits, IKEA carriers must confirm that they are up to date on 

their SmartWay reporting tool submissions, and they must 

also walk IKEA staff through their SmartWay reporting tool.

52 SmartWay® Transport Partnership: Driving Data Integrity in Transportation Supply Chains
Best Practices for Shippers 53
Additional Resources
APPENDIX A Additional Resources

For basic information about the SmartWay Transport Partnership, call the 

SmartWay hotline at (734) 214-4767 or email smartway_transport@epa.gov.

For information on leading freight movement industry indicators and quick 

facts about current SmartWay Partner performance metrics, visit the 

SmartWay TIPS Web page at www.epa.gov/smartway/tips/index.htm.

For the latest SmartWay Partners fleet ranking categories and emissions 

rates, visit www.epa.gov/smartway/partnership/performance.htm.

User and technical guidance documents are available for shippers, truck 

carriers, rail carriers, and logistics companies at www.epa.gov/smartway/

partner-resources/index.htm.

EPA is committed to protecting human health and the environment. The 

SmartWay Transport Partnership was developed with this goal in mind. 

EPA collaborated with the community to ensure that SmartWay achieves 

environmental, economic, and energy security benefits. EPA invites 

interested companies to join this voluntary partnership. Please visit 

www.epa.gov/smartway for information on how to register as a SmartWay 

Partner.

Any way you ship it, move it the SmartWay.

Additional Resources 55
List of Abbreviations
APPENDIX B List of Abbreviations

APU auxiliary power unit

CCAC Climate and Clean Air Coalition

CO2 carbon dioxide

DOT U.S. Department of Transportation

ECM Electronic Control Module

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency

4PL fourth-party logistics provider

GPS Global Positioning System

IFTA International Fuel Tax Association

ISO International Organization for 

Standardization

MCN Motor Carrier Number

MOC management of change

MPG miles per gallon

QA quality assurance

QC quality control

SCAC Standard Carrier Alpha Code

SOP standard operating procedure

SWI standard work instructions

3PL third-party logistics provider

TIPS Trends, Indicators and Partner 

Statistics

TMS transportation management system

VIN vehicle identification number

VMT vehicle miles traveled

List of Abbreviations 57


EPA-420-B-13-005

September 2013

www.epa.gov

United States

Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20460