Slow Ride May 8, 2008
Posted by Meg Suggs in News.Tags: logistics, supply chain, green initiative, Con-Way Truckload, reduce carbon emissions
trackback
Image Source: http://www.artistdirect.com
I was finishing up my daily reading for the day, and came across this interesting post on Supply Chain Digest. It seems that as a green initiative, Con-Way Truckload is lowering the maximum speed from 70 to 65 for its fleet of 2700 tractors as a means to save fuel. The carrier is hoping to save 2.8 million gallons of diesel fuel annually and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 62 million pounds per year through this plan.
While this initiative sounds like an excellent play, it is not completely beneficial to all participants. The 7% speed decrease will result in longer travel times for shipments which will impact driver productivity (hours of service) and labor cost.
So, what do you think? Smart move or nice effort that might not be as beneficial as it seems?
Smart move.
It is not a 7% overall speed decrease, as trucks are not always running at 70mph. I am sure that Con-Way has evaluated the possible impact of the slower speeds and felt that they could still keep their commitments.
That’s a great point, Bob! I’m glad to see companies making an effort in terms of their environmental impact.