‘Green’ practices pushed at meeting
Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008
ROGERS — A crowd of trucking industry representatives were told Thursday that the definition of sustainability did not include hugging trees or wearing tie-dye headbands and T-shirts and flashing the peace sign.
Instead, Dennis Beal, vice president of Memphis-based FedEx Freight’s physical asset department, said “going green” as a concept is about preserving resources to help meet the needs of future generations.
In a late afternoon panel discussion titled “Going Green Saves Green,” Beal shared a podium with Chris Sultemeier, vice president of transportation for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as part of the Arkansas Trucking Association’s annual membership meeting.
“Green” is a general term to describe efforts to reduce waste and clean up the earth.
Beal flashed the images of a hippie and a person hugging a tree as an introduction to the ways that his company saves fuel and reduces its energy consumption.
About 50 people listened as Beal noted that conservation efforts were now being talked about in boardrooms, among men wearing coats and ties.
The conservation message spreading through the trucking industry is coming at a time when diesel fuel prices are hitting record highs and freight demand continues at a modest pace.
And while it might make sense to embrace efforts to conserve fuel, many smaller carriers are in a different situation.
“Smaller carriers want to do the right thing, but with the economy and fuel prices, many may not have the resources available, ’’ Allen Berry, transportation director with Central States Manufacturing in Lowell, said after the presentation.
FedEx and Bentonville-based Wal-Mart both have modified their truck fleets to increase fuel efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
Wide-based tires and automatic air-inflating devices are two ways Beal listed as helping the less-than-truckload operator save fuel.
The company estimated that maintaining proper tire pressure could improve gas mileage by 1 percent.
The average fuel efficiency of a loaded tractor-trailer is about 6 miles per gallon. Afterward, Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, said Beal gave truckers some “ easy stuff” to implement, mentioning the quick return on investment for items such as auxiliary power units.
The units help conserve fuel and “with fuel being so high, your return on investment is going to happen a lot quicker, ’’ Kidd said. Sultemeier said the world’s largest retailer continues making progress on 2005 goals related to sustainability. But he said that with global operations, the business seeks efficiencies in more than miles per gallon.
Instead, Wal-Mart has enlisted its suppliers to help with transportation efficiencies.
The company said reducing the size of concentrated laundry detergent, for example, translated into a $ 20. 7 million saving in fuel expenses.
Also after the meeting, Don Holman, the corporate director of transportation safety at Tyson Foods Inc. in Springdale, said nobody has found the “ silver bullet” in terms of fuel savings.
But he praised recent efforts by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote fuel economy through its Smart Way program. Tyson, which operates a fleet of about 1, 000 trucks, and Wal-Mart, which operates about 7, 400 trucks, are members in the voluntary carbon dioxide emission reduction program. “ That’s one of the few government programs that is having a positive impact, ’’ Holman said. Sultemeier agreed. And the EPA is “ not trying to tell you how to manage your company, ’’ he said as he exited the building.
To contact this reporter: lwhalen@arkansasonline. com
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