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NACFE Newsletter
January 2014.

News from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency

January  2014

NACFE is looking forward to an exciting 2014 and many new efforts in the pursuit of improved freight efficiency.

MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIKE ROETH

 

Happy New Year from NACFE!  We enter 2014 with appreciation for the support we have received from all of you in the past, excited to release our second Confidence Report and “running on all cylinders” as we move forward.  With this newsletter we wish all of you great success in this new year.  I thought I would mention some key achievements from 2013 and our key milestone goals for 2014. 
 
This past year, we grew our membership to over 800, published data on our 2
nd annual fleet fuel benchmarking study, established a partnership with the Carbon War Room, called Trucking Efficiency (more to come soon), completed our first Confidence Report on Tire Pressure Systems, held our first ever Technologies Workshop (Chicago, Oct 7th), conducted tests and accumulated data on the opportunities for 6x2 axles, published a major paper on the “Barriers to Class 8 Tractor Trailer Technology Adoption” and engaged many new fleets, owner operators, manufacturers and others on our Board of Directors and operating Committees.
 
This significant momentum propels us into 2014, when we will publish four more Confidence Reports and conduct Workshops about once per quarter. The 3
rd Fleet Fuel study will, again, report the adoption percent of 65 technologies and share the fuel efficiency gains achieved by the partnering fleets on the study. It is our goal to deliver the reports at no charge through project and unrestricted sponsorships. A new Trucking Efficiency website is planned that will be a single resource for aggregated data on efficiency technologies to guide purchase decisions and to foster more collaboration with key partners. This tool will be valuable to those aggressively developing, promoting and purchasing efficiency technologies. We are thrilled to continue this important work and your help is critical to us continuing and expanding this work.  Many opportunities exist,  contact us to get involved.


Project Updates

  • The 6x2 Report is published!! The report package concludes that Fleets can enjoy an approximately 2.5% reduction in fuel use, and a payback on investment in about 20 months, by adopting currently available 6x2 axle technologies.  Also that 6x2 production is expected to double each year for the next three years.  You can download the full report, and the Executive Summary along with a video summary and a payback calculator here. We want your feedback on the report and invite you to join us in Long Beach in May for a deep dive discussion on 6x2s and other efficiency technologies.
  • The Anti-Idling Study is moving along aggressively, and our plan is to publish this Confidence Report in April.
  • Automated Transmissions -- NACFE is launching its next Confidence Report on automatic and automated manual transmissions for Class 8 tractors. 
  • Driver Coaching Aids -- NACFE is launching another Confidence Report on driver coaching aids for improved fuel economy operation of Class 8 tractors.  This will include such items as driver training and incentives, scorecards for coaching and devices available to support actions for improved efficiency.
 

NACFE News

Thanks to Jim Park for his column in the December, 2013 issue of Heavy Duty Trucking, "Why are adoption rates for proven fuel-saving technologies so low? It looks like a classic case of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime," in which he describes NACFE's report, "Barriers to the Increased Adoption of Fuel Efficiency Technologies in the North American On-Road Freight Sector."

 

From the column:

 

In July, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, in partnership with Cascade Sierra Solutions, released a report called Barriers to the Increased Adoption of Fuel Efficiency Technologies in the North American On-Road Freight Sector.

 

Using results from a hundreds-deep fleet survey and dozens of follow-up interviews, NACFE identified five key bottlenecks to nationwide implementation of available technologies that could deliver thousands of dollars in fuel savings.  The first report, focusing on tire pressure monitoring systems and automatic inflation systems, cites a lack of credible information on payback as the largest hurdle.  That was followed by a lack of access to capital, insufficient reliability, the high initial cost of trucks and unavailability of technology.

The Tire Pressure Systems Confidence Report, Executive Summary, video and payback calculator may be found here.

Call To Action


NACFE will join with the Carbon War Room to deliver the second Trucking Efficiency Summit in Long Beach on May 5 to share best practices on technology adoption and to collectively work with the industry. Our first Trucking Efficiency Summit was held in Chicago in October and was a big success; NACFE organized a panel discussion for the 50 attendees on 3 fuel efficiency technologies: 6x2s, anti-idling systems and tire pressure systems.  The meeting was kicked off by speakers: Scott Perry of Ryder Systems, Mike O'Connell of Frito Lay, Steve Phillips of Werner Enterprises, Bill Kozek of Navistar, John Nelligan of Meritor and Jeremy Kranowitz of Sustainable America. To learn more about the 2nd Trucking Efficiency Summit click here.

  • Trucking Efficiency Seminar & Workshop presented by NACFE and Carbon War Room - This half-day workshop will explore advanced technologies to improve fuel economy for Class-8 tractor trailers. 
  • Monday, May 5, 2014 12:00–5:00 p.m.
  • Long Beach Convention Center – Long Beach, CA
  • $75 per person for non-ACT Expo attendees (cost is free for ACT Expo attendees)

To learn more about ACT Expo 2014 or to register, visit www.actexpo.com. For any questions regarding registration or either event, please call 888.993.0302.

CALENDAR


Email Mike at mike.roeth@nacfe.org to set up an appointment to meet with NACFE! We will be attending:

 
  • Technology and Maintenance Council in Nashville the week of March 10th 
  • Mid American Truck Show in Louisville March 26th – 29th 
  • National Private Truck Council in Cincinnati the week of April 13th
  • Trucking Efficiency Summit – May 5, in conjunction with ACT EXPO 2014 in Long Beach. See details here.
 

Trucking Efficiency is a joint effort between NACFE and the Carbon War Room to double the freight efficiency of North American goods movement by 2016 through the elimination of market barriers to information, demand and supply.


 
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