Introduction

Increasing demand for transportation of goods nationally and worldwide has an impact on the environment and public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tackles this issue in part with the SmartWay Transport Partnership Program. This Fact File gives a detailed look at the three types of SmartWay Partners, including how to join the program and what information and responsibilities are expected.

Background

EPA’s SmartWay program helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and refining freight transportation efficiency. It's a voluntary public-private program that launched in 2004. SmartWay Partners can improve their transportation supply chains to move more freight with less emissions and energy and typically at a lower cost. 

SmartWay Partner types

Any company or organization that ships, manages, or hauls freight can become a SmartWay Partner. There are three types of SmartWay Partners:

• SmartWay Shippers ship or receive freight.
• SmartWay Carriers carry or move goods for shippers.
• SmartWay Logistics Companies hire freight carriers and manage freight shipments for shippers.

Whenever a company or organization joins the SmartWay program by submitting its specified online tool, it agrees to the partnership requirements. This includes a commitment to measure and report the emissions performance of the company annually and provide supporting documentation to SmartWay upon request.

SmartWay Shippers

Shipper companies join SmartWay by submitting a SmartWay Shipper tool. They need the following to complete the Online Shipper Tool (OST):

• The official company name to be used on the SmartWay website for public recognition of participation in SmartWay;
• Company contact information;
• Contact details for working contact, executive contact (executive contact cannot be the same as the working contact), and optional sustainability and/or other contact(s);
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for the company;
• A comprehensive list of all carriers (SmartWay and non-SmartWay) that the shipper used to haul freight during the reporting calendar year (including all truck, rail, multimodal, barge, air, and logistics companies hired by the shipper); and
• The activity level for each carrier for the reporting year (miles, ton-miles, and/or payload).

SmartWay Carriers

There are four types of SmartWay carriers: truck, rail, barge, and air.

Truck carriers join SmartWay by completing one of the SmartWay Truck Carrier Online Tools (the short form or the version for all carriers). The short form requires the following:

• Official company name exactly as it should appear on EPA's website and other agency communications;
• Company contact information;
• Quarterly International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) statements (for activity data) for the reporting year; and
• Fleet details:
  • The Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC), Motor Carrier Number (MCN), US DOT Number, and National Safety Code (NSC) for Canadian operations only;
  • Total inventory of vehicles in the fleet, sorted by engine model year, body type, and operational category for the reporting year;
  • Total miles traveled;
  • Total diesel and/or gasoline consumed;
  • Reefer fuel use (if relevant);
  • Average payload; and
  • Average idle hours per truck per year.

Rail carriers participate in SmartWay by completing the Rail Carrier Tool, which requires the following:

• Official company name exactly as it should appear on EPA's website and other agency communications;
• Company contact information;
• Contact details for your working contact;
• Contact details for an executive, sustainability, and/or other contact(s) (The executive contact cannot be the same as the working contact.); and
• Fleet details for all fleets you control:
  • Fleet name and fleet class (1, 2, or 3);
  • Geographic areas of operation;
  • Power unit information;
  • Data sources; and
  • SmartWay ID number (if this isn't your first tool submission).

Barge carriers participate in SmartWay by completing the Barge Carrier Tool, which requires the following:

• Official company name exactly as it should appear on EPA's website and other agency communications;
• Company contact information;
• Contact details for your working contact;
• Contact details for an executive, sustainability, and/or other contact(s) (The executive contact cannot be the same as the working contact.);
• Fleet details for all fleets you control (fleet type, number of barges and number of tugs, and amount of cargo shipped per year by commodity category);
• Geographic areas of operation;
• Tug/tow characteristics;
• Vessel operations (annual fuel usage and fuel type, towing capacity, annual hours of operation for propulsion engines, and auxiliary engine information);
• Barge operations (number of barges by barge type and size, average volume utilization, annual loaded and empty miles per barge, average loaded payload per barge, and total fleet activity);
• Data sources; and
• SmartWay ID number (if this isn't your first tool submission).

Air carriers participate in SmartWay by completing the Air Tool, which requires the following:

• Official company name exactly as it should appear on EPA's website and other agency communications;
• Company contact information;
• Contact details for your working contact;
• Contact details for an executive, sustainability, and/or other contact(s) (The executive contact cannot be the same as the working contact.);
• Percent split between US/Canada operations;
• A comprehensive list of fleets, including fleet details;
• Aircraft inventory information (aircraft and engine makes/models);
• Aircraft operations data (fuel type and consumption levels, miles and ton-miles traveled, and LTOs and hours of operation);
• Data source descriptions; and
• SmartWay ID number (if this isn't your first tool submission).

SmartWay logistics companies

Logistics companies join SmartWay by submitting a Logistics Tool, which requires the following:

• Official company name to be used on the SmartWay website for public recognition of participation in SmartWay;
• Company contact information;
• Contact details for working contact, executive contact (executive contact cannot be the same as the working contact), and optional sustainability and/or other contact(s);
• Business unit details (SCACs, MCNs, US DOT Number, and NSCs for Canadian operations only);
• Business unit type (for-hire, private, or dedicated);
• Business unit focus (percent) (logistics provider, freight forwarder, freight broker, truck carrier, and rail freight broker);
• A comprehensive list of all carriers (SmartWay and non-SmartWay) that the business units used to haul freight during the reporting year ( including all truck, rail, barge, air, and logistics companies hired by the business unit); and
• The activity level for each carrier for the reporting year (miles, ton-miles, and/or payload).

Applicable laws & regulations

None

Related definitions

National Safety Code (NSC) is a set of 16 standards developed by the member jurisdictions of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators in consultation with the motor carrier industry to ensure road safety and facilitate the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across Canada.

Reefer fuel means a type of diesel fuel specially formulated for use in refrigerated trucks.

Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) is a unique two-to-four-letter code used to identify transportation companies. They're obtained from the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.

Key to remember

EPA SmartWay Partners must measure and report the emissions performance of their company annually. If you want to be part of SmartWay but don't qualify for any of the partnerships, you may be eligible to participate as a SmartWay Affiliate. This option allows entities that don't ship goods directly to support freight supply chain sustainability.

Real-world example

Each year, EPA recognizes the top SmartWay Partners that have made major contributions to improving freight transportation impact on air quality with the SmartWay Excellence Award. The agency chooses industry leaders from the more than 4,000 entities that participate in the program. Many companies have received the award for multiple years.