J.B. Hunt Transport Services Honored as a 2011 SmartWay Champion by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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LOWELL, AR--October 20, 2011: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. announced today that the Company has been honored as a 2011 SmartWay Champion by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA recognized SmartWay Champion honorees at a ceremony during the Council of Supply Chain Management Professional's (CSCMP) Annual Global Conference in Philadelphia on October 4, 2011.
“The EPA SmartWay program is a vital link between shipper and carrier efforts to improve supply chain transportation energy efficiencies”
"The EPA SmartWay program is a vital link between shipper and carrier efforts to improve supply chain transportation energy efficiencies," said Gary Whicker, Senior Vice President of Engineering Services at J.B. Hunt. "We are honored to be recognized as a 2011 SmartWay Champion, and thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with the EPA SmartWay staff and other Champions to further enhance SmartWay tools and processes."
The EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership, originally launched in 2004, seeks to reduce transportation-related emissions by improving supply chain fuel efficiency. The program has evolved to become a significant collaborative effort between industry and government, and as of 2010 has resulted in the savings of 50 million barrels of oil, $6.1 billion in fuel costs and 16.5 million metric tons of CO2 --equivalent to taking three million cars off the road. As a SmartWay Partner, J.B. Hunt is among the group of carriers and shippers that collaborate with the EPA to benchmark freight operations, measure fuel consumption and carbon footprint, and commit to annual improvements.
In recent months, the EPA has made substantial improvements to the tools and approaches utilized as part of the SmartWay Transport Partnership. For 2011, in lieu of hosting the SmartWay Excellence Awards, the EPA elected to identify individuals and teams from SmartWay partner companies who have made lasting contributions to the program, and to recognize them as SmartWay Champions. J.B. Hunt's team was among the six teams and six individuals recognized.
The EPA cited several factors as contributing to J.B. Hunt's selection as a SmartWay Champion. Among the factors was the investment of over 500 clean, fuel-saving SmartWay designated trucks, the use of logistics solutions including advanced routing and multimodal options within the organization, and the sharing of information and data with the EPA to assist SmartWay in the research of multimodal freight operations. J.B. Hunt's team was further recognized for publicly advocating the benefits of sustainability as a core business strategy.
In the EPA's letter to J.B. Hunt, Cheryl L. Binum, Group Manager of the SmartWay Transport Partnership with the EPA, wrote: "I want to express our appreciation for all that you are doing to support SmartWay's mission and its aims --increasing national energy security through bottom-line improvements that contribute to a healthy economy and jobs, while keeping our air clean. Your leadership is a model for others, and is helping to shape a healthy and sustainable future for the transportation industry."
The 2011 SmartWay Champion honorees were recognized at two additional industry conferences, including the Retail Industry Leaders Association Sustainability Conference, which took place October 12 --14, 2011, and the American Trucking Association's Management Conference and Exhibition, which took place October 15 --18, 2011.
About J.B. Hunt
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. focuses on providing safe and reliable transportation services to a diverse group of customers throughout the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. Utilizing an integrated, multimodal approach, J.B. Hunt provides capacity-oriented solutions centered on delivering customer value and industry-leading service.
