Covenant Transport was among seven entities in the southeast and 37 in the nation to be recognized an Environmental Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay Transport Partnership for its leadership in conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from its transportation and freight activities. The awards were announced October 6, 2009 at the American Trucking Association's Annual Management Conference & Exhibit in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is Covenant's second consecutive SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award.
Operating out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Covenant Transport, Inc. provides truckload for-hire and dedicated contract transportation. All of Covenant's tractors are equipped with aerodynamic packages including integrated cab roof fairings, cab side fairings, and aerodynamic mirrors. These packages contributed to CO2 savings of 69,568 tons in 2008. All Covenant tractors use low friction engine and drive train lubricant, saving an additional 15,565 tons of CO2 and nearly 1.5 million gallons of fuel.
As its fleet turned over in 2008, Covenant began investing in SmartWay-certified tractors and trailers, installing long term idle reductions technologies and specifying fuel efficient tires, saving an estimated 2 million gallons of fuel. In addition to utilizing 804 trucks with team drivers, PrePass and truck stop electrification, this equipment helped the company save over 45,000 tons of CO2 and 21,900 tons of PM in 2008. In total, Covenant saved nearly 28 million gallons of fuel and 307,368 tons of CO2.
Joey Hogan, President of Covenant Transport, stated, "Covenant is fully committed to the SmartWay program, and we believe it is incumbent on our company to lead by example the charge in our industry to become better environmental stewards. Participation in the program is very valuable and rewarding to our associates and drivers. Through the fleet model spreadsheets, they can see the direct impact (in gallons and CO2 reduction) that technology and procedures they have implemented have had in reducing overall fuel consumption and emissions. It takes a coordinated effort from both our internal support staff and our drivers to produce such an accomplishment. I want to thank all of the associates at Covenant, as it is their diligent planning and effort that has produced the company's second consecutive SmartWay Excellence Award.
EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to help improve the freight industry's environmental performance. Today more than 2,000 organizations participate, ranging from large multi-national trucking fleets, several rail companies, many well-known retail and commercial shippers, as well as small "mom and pop" trucking companies. Through their SmartWay participation, these companies both calculate and adopt strategies for lowering their transportation energy use and CO2 emissions. EPA provides technical support, including tools to evaluate options for lowering fuel use and emissions, and help in locating financing for the purchase of environmental and fuel saving technology. In 2009, the Partnership projects that it will eliminate six million tons of CO2 and conserve more than 540 million gallons of diesel fuel, a savings of at least $1.3 billion a year in fuel costs.