Green Trucking Research Paper

Case Background: - In transportation industry, one of the biggest challenge is how to deal with carbon dioxide emissions and how to reduce the energy. According to the Natural Resources Canada, one third of the greenhouse emission is because of transportation industry.

Three quarters of emissions in 2004 were coming from road traffic (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). Emissions used from transportation are forecasted to increase from the year 2007-2030 by about 80% according to studies done by James Woodcock who is currently studying climate change and health from car fuels (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). This is due to the fact that the emissions from vehicles are increasing significantly and are higher than any other energy fragment (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). The only way to lower this percentage is to decrease the number of individual automobiles on the road and increase the number of public transit systems, starting long distance walking to work or school, carpooling or even biking to destinations. These principles would

The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, is now being offered with a diesel engine. This is the Duramax four cylinder, 2.8 liter. Chevrolet insists that this is the cleanest car they have ever produced. They have gone the extra mile to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions as well. GM has stepped up their game, not just with this truck, but with the GMC Canyon, that is almost exactly like the Colorado. The Canyon and Colorado have pumped life into a dormant market (mid sized truck). So much so, that truck buyers are buying this, rather than a bigger, full size truck they normally would have bought.

There are more than 253 Million cars and trucks in the U.S at this moment. That sounds like a lot but really it isn’t that many. For every 1.3 cars or trucks there is only one person in the United States. With this many cars and trucks in the U.S. there is bound to be some controversy about which one is better. Many people may prefer trucks over cars and in vice versa. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. While trucks are better at hauling or towing things, cars have better gas mileage and can hold more people.

The second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States is related to transportation, the burning of oil to produce energy in a combustion motor. The combustion process inside of engines is what produces the carbon matter that is emitted into the air through the exhaust system on gas-powered vehicles. Gas-powered transportation is accountable for 24 percent of the global carbon emissions; this should not come as much of a surprise given the amount of urban sprawl that is being seen in the United States and across the globe. In the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States government, and major car manufacturers have been working in conjunction to find ways to provide a “greener” form of transportation (EPA, 2011). This has included testing the use of hydropower, ethanol, natural gas, biodiesel, and electricity as a means of powering vehicles, which has led to the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles run on electricity and gasoline, the byproduct of oil that is generally used in the engine combustion process of vehicles (U.S. Department of

When it comes to small freight – aka less than truckload shipping – the first name that comes to mind is YRC freight. An amalgamation of Yellow and Roadway Transportations, YRC freight has become the largest branch of the Kansas-based YRC Worldwide Inc.

A simple, but thorough, physical exam is required of truck drivers to ensure that they are healthy enough to perform their job. DOT trucker physicals are the key in getting a DOT medical card, which is required of all truckers.

Pursuant to energy efficiency policies, controversy swirls as climate changes are experienced in the U.S. and around the globe. When energy efficiency steps are put into place, economic outlooks turn positive. Obama’s policymaking in this arena makes “critical investments in advanced vehicle and fuel technologies, public transit, and high speed rail” (United Press International). With new fuel efficiency standards that will improve fuel economy by 2025, and other initiatives that he enacted, “12 billion barrels of oil will be saved and American consumers will save $1.7 trillion at the pump, and greenhouse gas emission standards for commercial trucks, vans, and buses for are projected to save over 500 million barrels of oil and save vehicle owners and operators an estimated $50 billion in fuel costs” (United Press

The company that we will be covering is J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. JB Hunt is a transportation company, primarily trucking, that is based in Lowell, Arkansas and was founded in 1961. The company has 16,000 employees, with 12,000 trucks, and 47,000 trailers in operation; they offer their transportation services to Canada, Mexico, and the continental United States. We chose J.B. Hunt because they are leading innovators in green transportation by using environmentally friendly fuel, reducing empty miles, training drivers to drive in a fuel-efficient manner, and a myriad of other green innovations (J.B. Hunt, 2015). J.B. Hunt’s innovations have made them one of the most competitive transportation companies in the nation (J.B. Hunt, 2015). Compared to their competitors, they have the same amount of drivers, but bring in double the profit margins. Among their extensive list of awards and honorable recognitions are included the Most Innovative Third Party Service Provider from Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions, one of America’s Most Admired Companies from Fortune Magazine, Top 500 Greenest Big Companies in America from Newsweek Magazine, and Top 100 Companies for Employee Training from Training Magazine. They have been leaders in developing environmentally friendly forms of product transportation and many companies have adopted their progressive methods (J.B. Hunt, 2015).

Climate change and transportation play a big role and it is important to be concerned for our future generations. The use of gasoline cars is a major producer in carbon dioxide emissions, although they are not entirely responsible for it—they play a role in it. Other form of transportations like buses and taxis also contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. The total amount of carbon dioxide emissions from an average car is seventy six percent which comes from usage of a vehicle containing gasoline. Efficiency has increased by twenty percent in regards to electric motors, especially when it comes to their wheels using no power when the car is at rest. Car ownership will increase and with this, improvements in technology could be a vital

My ecological footprint is smaller compared to the average American footprint. I have seen that mobility is one of the factors that contribute most to my ecological footprint. For this reason, I have to find ways to transport using ecofriendly options. Also, I can buy goods that produce less Co2

Kroger has reduced energy consumption by over 30% since 2000. Their stores and manufacturing plants use low energy light bulbs wherever practical and they have increased the inventory and sales of compact fluorescent light bulbs by 25%. Kroger owns most of their commercial truck fleet (one of the largest privately owned fleets in the world) and drives over 100 million miles a year. They have managed to reduce their mileage by over 2%, thus reducing emissions;

Transportation is the number one thing we consumers do that harms the environment. Transportation causes the highest amount of environmental damage overall - nearly half of the toxic air pollution and more than a quarter of the greenhouse gases traceable to household consumption. Over time, however, sales of trucks, vans and SUV's went from 16% market share to over 50%. One big auto manufacturer even shelved their work of the last three years, spent updating their most popular selling economy car, so they could spend the money getting SUVs to market faster.

Although delivering the products to the customer creates emissions from the delivery trucks, the amount of emissions could potentially be decreased by less people taking their own vehicles to pick up products from the store.

Truck transportation has been the backbone of freight movements in the United States and across the globe for decades. While utilizing trucks is an economical way to move freight for short hauls of less than a 1,000 miles, there are high environmental and infrastructure costs for utilizing this mode of transportation. According to Lowe, road transportation’s use of energy resources rose 103 per cent in the period since 1970 (2005). Additionally, Lowe points out that road transportation’s emission of green house gasses, “increased by 76% between 1971 and 1989” (Lowe, 2005, p. 112). Furthermore, road transportation is the largest polluter in the industry. It utilizes “over 80% of the total energy used in the transport sector and contributes over 75% of its total CO2 output (Lowe, 2005, p. 113). Finally, freight transportation by heavy vehicles causes pavement damage at significantly higher rates than passenger traffic (SSTI, 2011).