Ryder System Inc., a global leader in supply chain and transportation management solutions, has launched a marketing campaign related to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) mandate requiring new heavy-duty diesel engines meet the new emissions standards
effective Oct.1, 2002.
According to Tracy Leinbach, Ryder's executive vice president of Fleet Management Solutions, "The new emissions mandate can add significant business management challenges to an already tough business environment. Our intention in utilizing these ads is to further educate our customers and businesses about transportation alternatives available to them that will not only help mitigate risk associated with private fleet ownership, but give them a partner who has been doing this now for close to 70 years.
"Although there is uncertainty regarding the cost, service and reliability of these engines to the industry -- Ryder is ready to help tailor the right solution to meet each individual customer's needs," Leinbach said.
The new campaign, "Given the Current Climate -- We'd Like to Make Sure You Don't Get Burned," includes a series of print advertisements and direct mailings that address the difficult transportation-related decisions businesses are now facing, such as the purchase and ongoing maintenance requirements of new engine technologies.
To comply with the EPA's implementation date, moved from January 2004 to October 2002, various new engine technologies are being introduced on an accelerated basis to comply with lower emissions standards. The fast-track implementation schedule of these standards has limited the time for the testing of the new engine technologies and their ongoing maintenance requirements, and has compressed the decision-making process for businesses considering their options.
For some, Ryder says, this may include options ranging from augmenting their fleets with the purchase of used trucks with established reliability and maintenance records, to purchasing new truck technologies while contracting with Ryder for their ongoing care and maintenance, to completely outsourcing their transportation needs to a provider, such as Ryder, that can mitigate the risks and costs associated with the new engines.
The ad campaign, scheduled to run into next year, references Ryder's 70 years in the industry, its 850 service locations, and its qualified technicians, who have worked closely with major engine manufacturers including Cummins, Mack and CAT over many years to manage technological change.
The ads will begin appearing in early November in the industry's transportation trade publications that continue to educate the industry about the new mandate. "Like the new emissions mandate," said Leinbach, "regulatory issues and improvements to the way we operate our businesses are ongoing and continue to have a positive impact on our environment and world. Ryder continues to work with the OEMs in the testing and re-testing and has contributed to the findings, refinement and improvement of the new engines."
Although Ryder is operating under a confidentiality agreement with the engine manufacturers and cannot publish its findings, it has worked closely with manufacturers to help identify areas for improvement and to remedy potential trouble spots.