Con-way announced that its three primary operating companies, Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistics, received the highest fuel efficiency and environmental performance score for 2007 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership.


The companies each received a Shipper Index Factor of 1.25, the highest possible score awarded under the EPA program. The rating signifies that the companies are utilizing the largest number of commercially available fuel savings strategies, while continuing to actively evaluate and consider promising new savings methods and emerging technologies. Higher scores make carriers and logistics companies more attractive to freight shippers and support their carbon emission reduction strategies. Companies achieving the highest score are also granted exclusive rights to use the trademarked SmartWay logo.

"Our collaboration with the EPA's SmartWay Transport program is well-aligned with our overall corporate sustainability mission," said Douglas W. Stotlar, Con-way's president and CEO. "The SmartWay performance model is a sophisticated, proven best practice. Utilizing this program helps us refine our operations and adopt practices that reduce our carbon footprint in measurable, lasting ways. In a carbon intensive business like ours, conserving fuel and other forms of energy delivers not only sustainability benefits but bottom-line results as well. It makes us a more competitive, attractive business partner for shippers who are pursuing parallel efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains."

Through EPA's program, 800 SmartWay trucking and logistics companies commit to measuring and improving the efficiency of their freight operations using the EPA-developed F.L.E.E.T. (Fleet Logistics Energy and Environmental Tracking) Performance Model. Carriers and logistics companies must agree to improve their performance within three years and must also sign the SmartWay Transport Partnership Agreement.

In 2007, Con-way Freight's SmartWay initiatives - speed management, idling and aerodynamic control strategies, and engine and equipment upgrades - yielded diesel fuel savings of 3,594,377 gallons or 3.8 percent savings of total fuel used. This savings equates to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 601,928 tons. A member of the EPA's SmartWay Transport Program since 2006, Con-way Freight's 8,400-tractor fleet logged nearly 600 million miles on America's highways in 2007.

Con-way Truckload, which operates a fleet of 2,700 heavy-duty diesel tractors, joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership in 2005 and in 2007 received its second consecutive SmartWay Excellence Award for its innovative work toward reducing emissions and fuel consumption. To date, Con-way Truckload is also tracking well toward meeting its three-year improvement commitment. With single wide-base tires, no-idling strategies, aerodynamic equipment and speed management initiatives, among others, the company in 2007 reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 295,712 tons, which equates to diesel fuel savings of 2,575,475 gallons. Last year, the company ran more than 322 million miles in North America and consumed more than 54 million gallons of diesel fuel.

As a SmartWay Transport Partner for less than one year, Menlo Worldwide Logistics has already seen significant results from educating and promoting green initiatives among its contract carriers. Menlo emphasizes SmartWay compliance as a preferred factor when considering new carriers, and during its annual review process with existing carriers, encourages its trucking service providers to join SmartWay and actively adopt its performance model. The company is also implementing a no-idling policy at its distribution centers. Today, approximately 85 percent of its total network miles are operated with SmartWay-approved carriers.

More info: www.con-way.com