2018 SmartWay Rail Carrier 

Partner Tool: 

Quick Start Guide 

U. S. Version 2.0.17 (Data Year 2017) 
2018 SmartWay Rail Carrier 

Partner Tool: 

Quick Start Guide 

U. S. Version 2.0.17 (Data Year 2017)
 

Transportation and Climate Division 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

EPA-420-B-18-005 

February 2018 
 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents
 

INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................2
 

Basic Information about SmartWay ...........................................................................3
 

Joining the SmartWay Transport Partnership as a Rail Company...............................4
 

Reviewing the SmartWay Carrier Partnership Agreement..........................................5
 

Reviewing the Software and Hardware Requirements to Use the SmartWay
 

Rail Tool.....................................................................................................................6
 

Next Steps .................................................................................................................7
 

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INTRODUCTION
 

This guide is designed to help rail companies participate in the SmartWay Transport Partnership. 

In this guide you will learn about: 

1) Basic Information about SmartWay; 

2) Joining SmartWay Transport Partnership as a rail company; 

3) Understanding the details of the SmartWay Partnership Agreement; and 

4) Meeting software/hardware requirements for participating in the program. 

Please review this guide carefully BEFORE attempting to gather your fleet data or enter data into the Rail 

Partner Tool. Understanding the basics of the program, reviewing the Partnership Agreement and making 

sure your fleets fit the criteria for joining SmartWay as a rail partner will save a great deal of time and simplify 

your joining process. 

If you wish to explore the data requirements and complete the associated data entry worksheets for Rail 

Partners, please review the Rail Tool User Guide. 

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Basic Information about SmartWay 

Launched in 2004, SmartWay® is a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that 

reduces transportation-related emissions and costs by creating incentives to improve supply chain fuel 

efficiency. 

SmartWay is comprised of four components: 

•	 SmartWay Transport Partnership: A partnership in which freight companies join and commit to 

benchmark operations, track fuel consumption and improve performance annually. 

•	 SmartWay Technology Program: A testing, verification, and designation program to help freight 

companies identify equipment, technologies and strategies that save fuel and lower emissions. 

•	 SmartWay International Interests: Guidance and resources for countries seeking to develop freight 

sustainability programs modeled after SmartWay. 

•	 SmartWay Vehicles: A program that ranks light-duty cars and small trucks and identifies very high 

performers with the SmartWay Logo. 

About the Partnership 

The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a public/private collaboration between the EPA and the freight 

industry to improve fuel efficiency, increase environmental performance, and encourage supply chain 

sustainability. 

How the SmartWay Transport Partnership Works 

Six types of freight transport companies can join SmartWay: 

•	 Freight shippers 

•	 Logistics companies (including 3PLs/4PLs1

) 

•	 Truck carriers 

•	 Rail carriers 

•	 Air carriers 

•	 Multi-modal carriers 

Participating companies: 

•	 assess freight operations, 

•	 calculate fuel consumption and emission footprint, and 

•	 track fuel-efficiency and emission reductions annually. 

SmartWay ranks partners’ performance and recognizes superior performance through the SmartWay 

Excellence Awards.

2 

1 3PLs/4PLs Third party logistics/fourth party logistics companies.
 2 Rail partner performance is not ranked separately, but an industry-wide average performance level is assigned for all rail carriers.
 

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Joining the SmartWay Transport Partnership as a Rail Company 

Rail companies that join the SmartWay Transport Partnership are known as “SmartWay Rail Partners.” 

Participation in SmartWay helps SmartWay Rail Partners: 

• identify opportunities to improve efficiency; 

• demonstrate efficiency to potential customers; and 

• reduce emissions and fuel costs. 

All SmartWay Rail Partners agree to complete and submit the SmartWay Rail Tool to: 

• define fleet composition; 

• characterize fleet activity; 

• individually benchmark multiple fleets; and 

• track annual changes in performance. 

SmartWay Rail Partners also agree to follow the guidelines in the Carrier Partnership Agreement. A copy of 

the Agreement is included in this document on page 5 and is also included in the Rail Tool. 

Upon approval of a Rail Tool submission, rail companies will be identified as SmartWay Rail Partners on EPA’s 

website on the “SmartWay Partner List” and in a database used by freight shippers to identify companies that 

meet SmartWay’s annual requirements. 

SmartWay Rail Partners in good standing are allowed to use the SmartWay Partner logo on marketing and 

promotional material. 

Before you can join SmartWay as a SmartWay Rail Partner, you will need to: 

1. Review the SmartWay Carrier Partnership Agreement; and 

2. Review the software and hardware requirements to use the SmartWay Rail Tool. 

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Reviewing the SmartWay Carrier Partnership Agreement 

To join the SmartWay Transport Partnership as a rail company, you must agree to the language on the 

“Partnership Agreement for Carriers.” When you begin working within the Tool, you will be asked to check a 

box stating that you agree to the terms of the Partnership Agreement. This agreement must be renewed 

annually. 

Please review this language with the appropriate personnel within your organization before completing or 

submitting a Carrier Tool to EPA. 

Partnership Agreement for Carriers 

With this agreement, your company joins EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership and 

commits to: 

1.	 Measure and report to EPA on an annual basis the environmental performance of your fleet(s) 

using EPA's SmartWay Tool. (Existing fleets/divisions must report the 12 months of data for the 

prior year ending December 31. Newly formed companies require a minimum of 3 months of 

operational data.) 

2.	 Have performance results and Tool submittal status posted on the EPA SmartWay
 

website/database.
 

3.	 Agree to submit supporting documentation to EPA for any data used to complete this Tool and 

agree to EPA audit of this data upon request by EPA. 

In return, EPA commits to: 

1.	 Promote company participation in the Partnership by posting Partner names on the EPA 

SmartWay Website and in related educational, promotional, and media materials. EPA will 

obtain express written consent from the Partner before using the Partner’s name other than in 

the context of increasing public awareness of its participation as described here. 

2.	 Provide companies with industry-wide performance benchmark data as this data becomes
 

available to EPA.
 

3.	 Assist Partners in achieving emission and fuel usage reduction goals (subject to Federal 

Government Appropriations).
 

4.	 Treat individual corporate data as sensitive business information. 

General Terms 

1.	 If the Partner or EPA defaults upon this agreement at any point, the agreement shall be 

considered null and void.
 

2.	 Either party can terminate the agreement at any time without prior notification or penalties or 

any further obligation. 

3.	 EPA agrees not to comment publicly regarding the withdrawal of specific partners. 

4.	 EPA reserves the right to suspend or revoke Partner status for any Partner that fails to 

accomplish the specific actions to which it committed in the SmartWay Transport Partnership 

Agreement and subsequent agreements. 

5.	 The Partner agrees that it will not claim or imply that its participation in the SmartWay Transport 

Partnership constitutes EPA approval or endorsement of anything other than the Partner’s 

commitment to the program. The Partner will not make statements or imply that EPA endorses 

the purchase or sale of the Partner’s products and services or the views of the Partner. 

6.	 Submittal of this SmartWay Tool constitutes agreement to all terms in this Partnership
 

Agreement. No separate agreement need be submitted.
 

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Reviewing the Software and Hardware Requirements to Use the 

SmartWay Rail Tool 

The SmartWay Rail Tool is designed in Microsoft Excel Forms and requires the following software and 

hardware: 

•	 A 2003 or later version of Microsoft Excel 

•	 Excel security level set at Medium or lower 

•	 A PC running Windows XP or newer operating system, or a Mac that is running the Windows XP 

operating system. The tool does not currently work using the Mac operating system 

•	 A minimum of 10 megabytes of free disk space. More disk space may be required based on the 

number of business units you define in your tool 

•	 Adequate memory (RAM) to run Microsoft Office 

•	 A monitor resolution of at least 1,024 x 768 

NOTE: The Excel web application in MS Office 365 (the cloud-based version of the Office operating system) 

does not currently support the macros used in the SmartWay tools. Therefore, SmartWay tools do not 

function properly in Office 365 at this time. 

Please check the user’s guides for your computer, online support, or your company’s IT department to make 

sure your system is set up to use the Rail Tool. 

We encourage you to make sure that your virus software is up to date and scan your PC before putting data in 

the Rail Tool. 

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Next Steps 

Now that you understand the basics of the SmartWay program and the SmartWay Rail Partner’s role in the 

program, and understand the software and hardware required to participate, it’s time to start gathering data 

about each of your fleets. Please visit https://www.epa.gov/smartway/smartway-rail-carrier-tools-andresources to download Part 2- Rail Carrier Data Collection Overview and Workbook. 

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