How To Make Trucking For Business Greener

Julie Starr • Jun 23, 2021

The environment has become a bigger priority for many businesses, and for very good reason. More consumers are looking for sustainable businesses and many business owners are making green practices a priority. Gas and fossil fuel emission are one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases. However, there are some ways to reduce the emissions that are released into the environment, and most of these ways start small. If you use trucks for your business, here’s how you can make them more eco-friendly.

Why Should I Make Trucking For My Business More Eco-Friendly?

There are several good reasons for doing this.

More eco-friendly trucking saves you money. One of the main benefits of more sustainable business transport is that it can keep some more money in your pocket, especially if you choose used trucks from somewhere like Piedmont Trucks .

It’s better for the planet. Truck drivers ought to try to go green because it’s better for the planet. Greenhouse gases are one of the main causes of global warming. If businesses that use trucks for delivery took a few more precautions to conserve energy and prevent waste, it would go a long way to making a difference.

It’s easy. It’s less effort than you might think to prioritize sustainable transportation for your business.

How Can I Make Truck Driving More Eco-Friendly?

If you have vehicles on the road all the time for deliveries, then you might be worried about your greenhouse emissions. With a few simple changes, you can reduce your emissions and make your business more sustainable.

Plan Your Routes

If you need to make a delivery, plan out how you’re going to get it there. Greener trucking can be easy if you make good use of GPS technology or take the time to work out the optimal route the day before. Getting lost on the way means that your trucks are using up unnecessary gas, which is damaging to the environment. Using more gas also means you have to fill up the tanks more often, which will hurt your transport budget too.

If you can, try to have your fleet on the road at times of day when there is less traffic. If you know your route, you can work out how much traffic there will be when, and take steps to avoid it. If your trucks are sitting in traffic with the engine running, they will burn through gas quickly. Instead, aim to have any truck you use at a rolling speed throughout the whole route. If you can leave earlier or later to avoid rush hour traffic, then you can drive more efficiently.

If you’re making a delivery to an area that you’re unfamiliar with, you can estimate the traffic using apps designed for truckers. These apps can be downloaded onto your smartphone, where they will predict traffic and hazards for you. Encourage your drivers to use these so they know where the traffic is and what the fastest route will be. Look for an app that does all this in real-time, so if something changes on a planned route, they’re not live idling and can keep going.

Drive Smarter

One of the simplest ways to make driving a truck more eco-friendly is to encourage more sustainable habits. If your trucks need gas, fill them up in the morning. Fuel expands in the heat, so if you fill up in the morning when the temperature is lower, you can get a little more gas in your tank per gallon than you would if you filled up later in the day when it’s warmer.

Make your fleet more sustainable by encouraging your drivers to maintain a normal driving speed while they’re on the highway. Stopping and starting makes the engine work harder, so the truck will need more fuel. Leaving the engine idling does the same thing, so if the engine can be turned off, it should be done.

Go Paperless

A lot of companies with a delivery fleet require their drivers to manually log their hours on paper. This uses up a lot of paper, but you can do it electronically instead. Not all drivers are big fans of these systems, so consider it carefully. Automatically tracking their hours electronically does save on paper though.

Even if you don’t log hours automatically, encourage your fleet drivers to log their hours on the phone instead of on paper. Saving money on paper products will help the environment too.

Recycle

If you’re trying to get your truck drivers to think green, recycling should be near the top of your list of priorities. If you can’t go paperless, recycle.

Fit all your trucks with somewhere to store waste paper and plastic products, even if this is only a clip to hang up a bag. A huge amount of the products that drivers use every day can be recycled instead of thrown away. A lot of truck stops and gas stations have places to drop off recycling too, so it’s easy to do.

Encourage your fleet of drivers to bring any snacks or food in reusable containers in order to cut down on products in paper or plastic they need to buy when they’re on the road. Put branded canvas bags in the trucks so your drivers don’t need to use plastic ones. Perhaps you could also provide them with branded reusable coffee cups so they don’t need to use a to-go cup that will just end up in a landfill.

If you have old tires or cartons at the depot, recycle them. Almost everything can be recycled into something else. Some places offer discounts or tax breaks for recycling products. Helping the planet can help your wallet too if you put in the effort.

Maintain Your Truck

Taking care of your truck can help you care for the planet. Keeping your fleet running well can make it more sustainable. Regular maintenance on a semi-truck reduces the amount of carbon monoxide emissions that it produces. Keeping the engine air filter clean can improve fuel efficiency by up to 10 per cent.

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Keep Your Business Comfortable And Yet Sustainable

By Julie Starr • 11 May, 2024

Keeping your business comfortable and yet sustainable is a great idea. By keeping your business sustainable, you are doing your part for the planet, ensuring that you are doing something to take care of it. A lot of businesses don’t bother with this, but that’s the problem. You need to be different, and work out how you’re going to keep your business comfortable and sustainable at the same time. That’s what we’re going to be working on today, so keep reading if you’re interested in learning more. How Are You Powering Your Locations? The first thing that we’re going to say is that you need to think about how you are powering your locations. Whether it’s a business office, a warehouse, or any other large space, you need to think about the way that you are powering it. If you are using traditional electricity then you’re going to be contributing to part of the problem. We only have so much fossil fuel available, and it’s killing the planet to use. It’s a better idea to use a renewable form of power such as solar or wind, depending on where you live and the weather conditions. Look into this as an option if you can. We’re not saying that you have to completely rely on one or the other, you could use a combination as well as traditional power. Any power that’s coming from somewhere else is a bonus! Keep The Spaces Comfortable For Employees Employees work in a variety of places for your business. Again, perhaps some work in an office, some work in a warehouse, and some work in other locations, but they all need to be kept comfortable. For example, if we take the warehouse and you think about it, it’s not that comfortable, right? You’re not going to have couches and plush chairs all over the place, but you can still make it as comfortable as possible. You could use an industrial drum fan or something similar to keep the space cool, ensuring that your employees are content working there. Ensure Recycling Is A Top Priority The final important point that we want to make is that you should ensure that recycling is a top priority . It has been pushed on people for a long time now, and it’s essential that you are doing this to the best of your ability. Reusing materials wherever possible gives your company a more sustainable approach to business, setting the example for others. Recycling is the very least that you can do, it’s not hard, but it makes a world of difference to the planet. We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing to ensure that your business is comfortable and sustainable. We do understand that for some companies this is going to be a little more difficult than others, but there are always ways if you are dedicated enough. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage going forward.

Is Your Small Business an Appealing Place to Work?

By Julie Starr • 07 May, 2024

Bringing passionate, enthusiastic and talented people into your business is obviously a top priority when you’re growing a company. However, the only way to onboard the brightest talent is by ensuring that your brand is an appealing place to work. Driven employees have certain expectations when it comes to choosing their ideal workplace, so you need to show them what you have to offer. Whether you’re looking into your business ethos , or reassessing certain compensation plans, you can do so much to ensure you’re attracting the best possible employees. Consider some of the following methods and your small business will soon be the go-to place for skilled, driven and talented individuals to work. Pay and Benefits Should Be Competitive When you’re running a small business, the idea of paying regular salaries to your employees will always be on your mind. Keeping up with bills and ever rising costs will never be easy, but you have to offer a competitive salary in order to attract the right type of people to your business. You should also consider all elements of a compensation plan so that your employees always feel valued for their contributions at your workplace. It may be worth talking to your current staff members to see what would be most important to them so you can assess it in the near future. Create a Career Development Plan Working towards the next goal is certainly something that most career driven individuals are keen to do. Staying stagnant in the same role for a prolonged period of time can reduce motivation and cause issues with staff retention. Making sure that there are clear progression opportunities will help to bring in the most talented and focused employees who are willing to put in the work and climb the ladder within your business. Adopt an Eco-Conscious Approach More and more employees are looking for workplaces that put the environment at the forefront and actively choose sustainable processes. Taking care of the planet and going green with your business may help you to align with the right talent for your company. Although this might not be the priority of everyone, it’s certainly a very popular value that a number of people carry in the modern day. Working in an environment where sustainability is a priority is extremely appealing and these people will help you to work alongside like minded colleagues within your business. Your small business goes above and beyond you as an individual; it’s also about the people who work for you and the potential employees you could be onboarding very soon. You can be sure that you’re reaching out to the right type of people and attracting the best possible talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits and working in a sustainable way that always keeps the environment in mind too. Hopefully, these ideas will give you a huge advantage when it comes to bringing in new people who would be an asset to your business.