How KeepTruckin is Gearing Up for a Greener Future
Since its creation in 1970, Earth Day has been a reminder of the importance of caring for our planet and being mindful of our impact. At KeepTruckin, we celebrated Earth Day with a panel conversation about the sustainability of our products. The transportation industry keeps us all moving; it also has many opportunities to improve its impact on the environment.
According to the EPA, in 2018, the largest portion (28%) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. came from the transportation sector. Of that portion, 23% can be credited to medium and heavy-duty trucks. Though we cannot instantly resolve the truck industry’s negative environmental effect, we can use the information and resources we have to improve our efficiency, and thus our world impact.
Small changes can make a great difference. For Earth Day this year, we highlight some of KeepTruckin’s innovative features that can help us make smarter choices and lessen our emissions. In addition to the solar-powered asset gateway device, our software also has some key features to help make drivers and fleets more efficient and more environmentally-conscious.
Fleet View
With KeepTruckin’s Fleet View, fleet managers have an enhanced view of their fleets — complete with live GPS tracking, vehicle status, real-time weather map filters, and more. Having all this information in one command center can improve operational performance.
Tracking
When they know vehicle locations and live weather, managers can enhance operational efficiency and simultaneously save resources. KeepTruckin’s Vehicle Gateway also detects idling and vehicle status, which can help fleet managers optimize their routes and operations. Not only is this idling behavior polluting, it’s one of the most preventable expenses for drivers.
Driver Behavior
In the KeepTruckin Dashboard, managers can monitor how many times a critical safety event (such as hard braking, hard cornering, and excessive acceleration) is recorded. They can use this information to identify mistakes, improve driving habits, and optimize fuel consumption. Our Fleet View software enables fleet managers to recognize these kinds of behaviors and use this information to optimize operations.
Vehicle Maintenance
Maintenance issues often cause inefficient performance by the vehicle, burning excess fuel and potentially leaving the driver stranded. According to the NHTSA*, for every 1 psi below the recommended tire pressure, you lose about .2 percent in fuel efficiency. They also found that vehicles with properly inflated tires were able to improve fuel efficiency by up to 3%. This small, essentially free change can save hundreds of dollars in fuel per vehicle a year. Our Vehicle Gateway decodes fault codes from the engine and sends automated alerts to the fleet manager so they can take action early. They can also create customizable Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) forms to maintain their consistency.
Smart Load Board (SLB)
Perfect utilization of a truck and trailer is universally pursued by carriers, but never achieved. Realities like traffic, detention time, trucks-ordered-not-used, and deadhead create non-revenue hours that waste labor, equipment, and fuel. Beyond eating into the profits of every trucking company, this systemic inefficiency harms the environment in profound ways. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the typical long-haul truck runs 10,000 empty miles each year, consuming over 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel and producing 12 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Drivers and dispatchers constantly face difficulty in finding attractive freight that meets their needs and preferences, leading to frequent deadheading to find the right load at the right time. KeepTruckin’s Smart Load Board provides carriers with tailored recommendations based on factors like a vehicle’s current location, historical driving patterns, and remaining Hours of Service, so drivers and dispatchers can more readily find attractive opportunities that can be picked up with fewer empty miles. The efficiency gained from this enhanced freight matching helps fleets improve their bottom line and simultaneously reduce their carbon footprint.
Fin
KeepTruckin’s products are mindfully geared toward sustainability with features that can enhance the reduction of carbon emissions. KeepTruckin continues to seek and develop more efficient solutions to help its customers make smarter, more intuitive decisions for optimal performance in their everyday operations.
A big thank you to the KeepTruckin team for their support and contributions to this article. Enjoying our blog? Follow us to keep up with our latest stories.
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