Why SmartWay™ Certified Is Important
News, Sentury | 06/01/2023
The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.
Why is SmartWay Certification Important?
SmartWay certification is a way for the US government to help offset the emissions from the ever-growing number of fleet vehicles on the road. As the US population continues to grow, so does the demand for goods to be shipped across the country. This is great for the economy, but not so great for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US transportation system moves a daily average of over 51 million tons of freight or about 57 tons of freight per capita; e-commerce sales have increased 20-fold between 2000 and 2019 and experts project that by 2050, global freight transport emissions will surpass those from passenger vehicles.
Having your tires certified by the EPA’s SmartWay certification program, or purchasing certified tires, ensures you will be using less fuel, reducing your overall costs and emissions.
Are SmartWay Tires more environmentally friendly?
The SmartWay Certification program evaluates the ability of LRRs to reduce resistance and improve fuel economy or emissions for class 8 tractor-trailers. Essentially, lower rolling resistance means commercial trucks need to use less energy to keep tires moving, using less fuel. Less friction also means that your tires will wear down more slowly and this extends the life of the tread. Additionally, the EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership helps companies and organizations achieve their freight supply chain sustainability goals by providing credible tools, data, and standards—at no cost—for measuring, benchmarking, and improving environmental performance.
Which Groundspeed tires are available with SmartWay Certification?
SmartWay Certification only applies to new tires for long-haul class 8 tractor-trailers. This makes sense since tractor trailers average 45,000 miles per year compared to roughly 14,000 miles per year for your average car! It’s therefore a worthy investment to purchase SmartWay certified tires as it’s a win-win for your pocket and the environment. The Groundspeed Tires that currently have Smart Way Certification are GSK02 and GSF01 and more will be added in the future. Be sure to look for the SmartWay Certification logo when purchasing your tires.
How much do SmartWay-Certified Tires save you in the long run?
As previously mentioned, the SmartWay program only certifies low rolling resistance tires (LRRs) which are already designed to lower fuel consumption; and converting to SmartWay certified ones should save you more. The savings vary dramatically from one fleet to another based on type of haul, air pressure maintenance, and overall fleet equipment maintenance; however, you could save up to 7% in fuel by converting an entire fleet to LRR tires. A SmartWay Vision report issued by the EPA in 2020 estimated that SmarWay partners have saved six 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 in 2004. Partnerships between the EPA’s Smartway program and freight industry participants has grown from fewer than 20 partners when it was first announced, to more than 3,000 today.
