For the third straight year, Ruan was honored with a SmartWay® Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for being an industry leader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency. Ruan is a longstanding partner of SmartWay, a collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.
“SmartWay carriers deserve our gratitude for a decade of progress in cutting carbon pollution, while saving their customer money in fuel costs," said Chris Grundler, director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. "They have reduced thousands of tons of dangerous pollutants and climate altering greenhouse gases, while raising the bar on a sustainable transportation future.”
Ruan utilizes a variety of environmentally friendly strategies, including idle reduction and auxiliary power unit (APU) usage, low viscosity lubricants, reduced highway speeds, lightweight equipment, paperless technologies and processes and successful driver training designed with an emphasis on maintenance and fuel consumption. Our team continually investigates new, sustainable fuel options like biodiesel and compressed natural gas (CNG). In fact, Ruan currently operates one of the largest heavy-duty CNG fleets in the country hauling dairy products in Indiana. The use of CNG at this operation eliminates as many as 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. Ruan has consistently increased our CNG usage and currently operate CNG fleets for several clients.
“Ruan has a long tradition of seeking and implementing strategic fuel conservation measures, which not only controls costs, but helps protect the environment,” said Ruan CEO Steve Chapman. “The SmartWay Excellence Award—our third—affirms our commitment to safe, efficient business practices that benefit our customers, team members and the global community.”
Ruan was one of 44 carriers to receive this distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay’s nearly 3,000 partners. The excellence awardees were honored at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) annual conference held in San Diego, CA, on October 7.