The world economy will continue to suffer in 2010 and this will affect all of us involved in global trade — ocean carriers, railroads, trucking companies and shippers as well.
Compounding this difficult situation is the ongoing plan to force company trucks and company drivers to serve major West Coast ports, which the Teamsters and environmental groups want to expand to the east coast. This threatens to eliminate independent contractors and increase the price of many facets of trade. These intrusive measures need to be put to an end and the solution lies with shippers.
Shippers can help truckers reduce emissions by matching loads —coordinating imports and exports for the same truck in the same trip using SmartWay carriers. Shippers will save money by reducing empty miles, and in turn will clean the air we breathe.
For example, Phillips-Van Heusen recently implemented ECO-Match to match import and export loads — there were 467 loads inbound from the Port Elizabeth, N.J., to headquarters in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. By matching 43 percent, or 201 loads, with export freight from the headquarters the shipper saved approximately 10,050 gallons of diesel fuel. By not burning that diesel fuel, the company saved 223,100 pounds of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.
There is already a successful, clean owner/operator model serving the East Coast ports with retrofitted equipment. It’s a success at the Ports of Virginia and it will be success at the Port of Charleston.
In consort with the Environmental Protection Agency, federal grants and company support, retrofitting and equipment upgrading is a viable option. Congress authorized the EPA to spend up to $200 million annually to fund diesel engine retrofits through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, and the drayage container industry needs to take advantage of this program.
The ocean carriers are on board with load matching. The trucking companies are ready. It’s time for shippers to take an active role before it’s too late.