LAS VEGAS - The Environmental Protection Agency handed out its first SmartWay Excellence Awards since it significantly revamped how it grades carriers in its program.

Companies receiving SmartWay Excellence Awards at this year's ATA Management Conference & Exhibition were:
* C.R. England Inc.
* J.B. Hunt Transport Inc.
* Schneider National Inc.
* White Arrow LLC
* Air Ground Express Inc.
* Celadon Trucking Services Inc.
* Dart Transit Co.
* Doug Andrus Distributing LLC
* Duncan and Son Lines Inc.
* Dupre Logistics LLC
* FedEx Ground Package System Inc.
* Frito-Lay, Heartland Express Inc.
* JBS Carriers Inc.
* Jules Savard Inc.
* Knight Transportation Inc.
* Lake Enterprises Ltd.
* Lone Star Transportation LLC
* May Trucking Co.
* Mesilla Valley Transportation
* New Century Transportation Inc.
* Orlicks Inc.
* Pacific 9 Transportation Inc.
* Palletized Trucking Inc.
* Poland Spring Bottling
* Polaris Transport Carriers Inc.
* Prime Inc.
* Ruan Transportation Management Systems
* Southern Refrigerated Transport Inc.
* Swift Transportation
* Walgreen OshKosh Inc.

"These companies know that the benefits of SmartWay are not just a sticker on the cab or a slogan on the letterhead, but they include real, bottom-line savings. I know this for a fact because C.R. England is one of these companies and I've seen the benefits firsthand," said outgoing ATA Chairman Dan England, chairman of C.R. England, Salt Lake City, Utah. "They've earned these awards, but more importantly, they've shown us what our industry can do to improve our environment."

Last year, the EPA rolled out a new version of its SmartWay evaluation tool. Unofficially known as SmartWay 2.0, the SmartWay Fleet Logistics Efficiency & Emissions Tracking system, or FLEET, focuses more on total operations and less on specific equipment choices than the previous system.

The original SmartWay model looked at various technologies used by the fleet partners, such as aerodynamic packages, low rolling resistance tires, idle reduction technology and the like.

During the transition, SmartWay suspended the Excellence Awards, which disappointed some regular winners. SmartWay instead honored a number of individuals as SmartWay Champions for their contributions to reducing the economic, environmental and energy footprint of goods movement.

Related Stories:

2/15/2012 EPA's SmartWay Looks for a Smarter Way

10/20/2011 EPA Honors SmartWay Champions

6/20/2011 Inside SmartWay 2.0