Beyond The Road (The Transportation Industry Podcast)

Ep. 20 | Sustainability in Your Supply Chain: a Conversation on SmartWay Certifications

October 04, 2022 Anderson Trucking Service (ATS) Season 1 Episode 20
Ep. 20 | Sustainability in Your Supply Chain: a Conversation on SmartWay Certifications
Beyond The Road (The Transportation Industry Podcast)
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Beyond The Road (The Transportation Industry Podcast)
Ep. 20 | Sustainability in Your Supply Chain: a Conversation on SmartWay Certifications
Oct 04, 2022 Season 1 Episode 20
Anderson Trucking Service (ATS)

As a company with sustainability goals, you're constantly searching for new ways to improve the carbon footprint of your supply chain.

SmartWay certifications are one of the ways freight carriers and transportation companies display their commitment to sustainable practices and doing better in the future.

Anderson Trucking Service is a full-service transportation company founded on the pillars of integrity and innovation. As such, ATS' four divisions constantly strive to sit among the best in the business and holding SmartWay certifications is just another way they get there.

In this episode of Beyond The Road, you will hear from a member of ATS Logistics' sales team who will discuss what sustainability means for transportation providers and what, if anything, you can do to improve your logistics decisions in this realm.

Topics Covered in This Episode:

  • What is Greenbuild and When is it?
  • What Does Sustainability Mean for Carriers?
  • What is SmartWay?
  • How Are SmartWay Certifications Earned?
  • To What Degree Do Shippers Care About SmartWay Certifications?
  • What Does Having a SmartWay Certification Say About a Carrier?
  • Which Carriers Have SmartWay Certifications?=
  • How Else Can Carriers Make a Commitment to Sustainability?

Read the Article on SmartWay Certifications

Visit the Learning Hub

Visit the SmartWay website

Connect with ATS on. . .
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram

Check out the. . .
Trucking Industry Channel (YouTube)
Truck Driving Channel (YouTube)
ATS Website
Drive4ATS Website

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

As a company with sustainability goals, you're constantly searching for new ways to improve the carbon footprint of your supply chain.

SmartWay certifications are one of the ways freight carriers and transportation companies display their commitment to sustainable practices and doing better in the future.

Anderson Trucking Service is a full-service transportation company founded on the pillars of integrity and innovation. As such, ATS' four divisions constantly strive to sit among the best in the business and holding SmartWay certifications is just another way they get there.

In this episode of Beyond The Road, you will hear from a member of ATS Logistics' sales team who will discuss what sustainability means for transportation providers and what, if anything, you can do to improve your logistics decisions in this realm.

Topics Covered in This Episode:

  • What is Greenbuild and When is it?
  • What Does Sustainability Mean for Carriers?
  • What is SmartWay?
  • How Are SmartWay Certifications Earned?
  • To What Degree Do Shippers Care About SmartWay Certifications?
  • What Does Having a SmartWay Certification Say About a Carrier?
  • Which Carriers Have SmartWay Certifications?=
  • How Else Can Carriers Make a Commitment to Sustainability?

Read the Article on SmartWay Certifications

Visit the Learning Hub

Visit the SmartWay website

Connect with ATS on. . .
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram

Check out the. . .
Trucking Industry Channel (YouTube)
Truck Driving Channel (YouTube)
ATS Website
Drive4ATS Website

Eli:

The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 to protect humans and the environment from significant health risks by creating systems that output cleaner air, better protected land and pure water. Today, the EPA is the driving force behind every US environmental regulation and policy. As global warming progresses, and reducing emissions becomes a focal point of climate policy. The EPA has taken an extra look at the transportation industry, and rightly so. According to the EPA, transportation is responsible for more than 50% of nitrogen oxide emissions and 20% of particulate matter emissions, which are two major contributors to poor air quality, established in 2004. SmartWay is the EPA response to the transportation sectors emissions output. Well, what is a smart way certification? And how can working with a smart way carrier help you reach your sustainability goals? In this episode of beyond the road, we'll sit down with Josh rivers, a transportation industry manager to over the SmartWay program and ATS his involvement with Greenbuild International Exposition in November, Stick around. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of beyond the road, the transportation industry podcast where we talk all things transportation and logistics. Joining me today is Josh rivers. Josh is a sales team manager with ATS logistics. Josh has been on the podcast a few times. And he is planning a trip he and his team members of his team are planning a trip to Greenbuild International Exposition and I believe it's called in where's that located?

Josh:

It's gonna be in San Francisco from November 1 to the third.

Eli:

Okay, and Josh will be there, along with other members of ATS logistics in full force to you know, to be present. Yes. And kind of represent ATS as a green sustainable transportation company. Yeah, so that'll be exciting.

Josh:

I'm looking forward to it. We are, we're going to be in in booth number 1356. So if you're hearing this and you want to you want to swing by and say hi, by all means, please do and we're looking to the main reason we're going is we're increasingly the the the public is being drawn to green energy and for good reason, right? It's, it's pivotable. It's Pivotal, especially as the effects of climate change become far more noticeable, and the impacts are becoming increasingly you can't get away from it. So we wanted to show that it is possible and and not a lot of people think of it when they look to their transportation sector. As shippers and receivers. If you have a green initiative with your company, your eye doesn't often go to your to your transportation side, because how can a fleet of diesel burnin semi trucks, you know, that are consuming the hundreds or 1000s of gallons of fuel in a week? How can you possibly make that greener? And there's ways to do it. And that's that's the biggest reason we want to go is because we were one of the leading marks in the industry when it comes to taking the initiative from the from the cleaner, greener front and involving ourselves in industries that benefit that as well. Yeah, that's the primary focus.

Eli:

Is that what drives you and your team towards green build as an conference?

Josh:

Yeah, it's something that's been important to me since since before I started at ATS. It's something that I've that I've paid attention to, and that I've, I've taken very seriously I've been I've been an advocate for cleaner resources and and just lowering the carbon footprint. I'm the guy that recycles, right? So like I'm the guy who's always separating things, and the bins for where I live and making sure that if it can be recycled, it does get recycled. It just I don't know, it matters to me because we're more one of millions or billions of things that live here, you know, we should do our part to, to clean up like at least pick up after ourselves. So like that's, that's what's drawn me towards the end. Greenville is a is a conglomerate of like minded companies that are taking the initiative on the green front, you know, reusability sustainability within their products and making it initiative to the point where they feel they can hold this conference and attend this conference. And I found it and very much wanted to be a part of it. Because people don't think like I said they don't think of green when they think of their trucking companies. And we wanted to be the one to break the mold and say yes, you can. You can absolutely ask those questions. When you're vetting carriers, you can absolutely make that a priority when you're looking for transportation options. And while there's not a ton of us out there, there's more than you think you lead the charge on that. So

Eli:

Yeah, it's actually really an interesting point that you make there is like people as we are. Okay, so climate change undeniably progressing? Sure. And we need to start hitting the brakes as a as a world. Yeah, right on our emissions. And a large part of that, especially in the United States is the the carbon emissions that are produced by transportation. Absolutely. transportation companies freight movement. Yeah. And we can't get away from it. Right. You're keeping the world running, you're keeping our nation's industries, you know, afloat. Yeah, on the backs of semi trucks, and drivers and diesel fuel. But we need to do better when we need to make commitments. And that is kind of what we're doing here. As you know, as a transportation company that's focusing on these things. It's a commitment to doing better in the future. You know, yeah, with the resources that we have.

Josh:

I think the biggest thing that we tried it, we we try to convey this to both sides, because we want to show shippers and receivers, that this isn't just some ploy like no, we can actually do this, we can actually as a, as a trucking company be a greener option for you. And we also want to show drivers like we're not saying we want to get rid of truck drivers, or over the road transportation, not at all, what we're saying we're saying that we want to encourage other companies in the transportation sector to take that onus on and be that driving force to take the initiative to fight to utilize renewable greener sources of fuel, to incorporate these techniques and methods that transportation companies have been using to, you know, cut down on emissions, to reduce fuel consumption, that all helps. And you can do that without passing the bill off to the drivers as well. So we're really in this to kind of benefit both sides here to let drivers know, nobody's looking to replace you, nobody's looking to get rid of you. Nobody's suggesting that you change what you're doing, there's just a couple of things that we can do from a company level, that are going to cut down your fuel emissions, and you're spending less money on gas. So that's gonna benefit you as well. So and to show the shippers and the receivers that in an area where you might not think to look, you can find a partner that's going to help you further your green objectives.

Eli:

And I think a lot of companies that are conscious of their emissions and their carbon footprint are probably familiar with SmartWay. But can you talk to me a little bit about what smart way is what that program means?

Josh:

So smart way, this is actually super interesting. So the EPA monitors, factories, companies to make sure that they fall within emission standards, right. The one area that they didn't really follow because nobody was quite sure how to was transportation. How do you monitor the emissions of of a diesel burning semi truck? Well, it's not good. Like that's a new, everybody just kind of assumed like it's a semi truck, it's burning diesel fuel, there's no way for us to follow this. Right? Well, in 2004, their, their response to that was to develop SmartWay. And so what SmartWay is, is it's a certification that was built by the EPA, to they have parameters that carriers have to meet to get a certification for it. Basically, you have to you have to meet the requirements of a SmartWay certification, it comes down to emissions idle times, there's a million different things that go into it. And if you if you head over to the EPA website and take a look at their their SmartWay section, it gives you a massive breakdown of it. But there's there's a laundry list of requirements that carriers have to meet and it is not easy in order to qualify for SmartWay certification. So as of right now, there's about 3000 carriers that are SmartWay certified today, a majority of them are being asset carriers, and at ATS is a conglomerate of companies, right? So we have ATS Inc, which is our Vans division, SmartWay, certified ATS Specialized, which is our flatbeds, heavy haul, open-deck division is SmartWay certified, and then the surprising portion is ATS Logistics, the branch that I work with, which is our brokerage arm, we as well are also SmartWay certified, which, which is incredibly impressive from a brokerage standpoint, because that's us saying that not only are we monitoring the units in our fleet, which which is the easy way to go, you can there the trucks in your fleet, you should be able to monitor them, they're right there. We as a brokerage, monitor our partner carriers, and make sure that we meet these requirements as a broker to get a SmartWay certification as well. And that's hard. That's extremely difficult, because I mean, we have I believe last time I checked over 65,000 carriers within our network that have hauled freight for us, and we're taking the time to monitor them and to figure out if they meet these guidelines, and it is part of the criteria of when we onboard carriers. So yeah, you got to have good insurance, you got to have a good track record. You got to be an active carrier for X amount of time, but you also got to be like minded. Yeah, like us and take that initiative. And that's not a lot of people. Not a lot of brokers take the time to do that. It's a lot of work. I won't lie. It's a lot of work. It's a pain in the behind for the people who monitor that and track those numbers. But we want to be a driving force on that.

Eli:

As a program, so SmartWay is broken down, I think there are three or four different tiers of certifications, you can get regular SmartWay for logistics, logistics companies like ATS Logistics, there's SmartWay for carriers. And we talked about how there's like a little bit more than 3,000 total carriers in the United States are SmartWay certified, out of when you think about it, like for hire authorized for hire carriers, there's like 1.07 million for-hire carriers in the United States. So the percentage is like, it's not even statistically significant, right? It's like 0.2% of all carriers are SmartWay certified. So as a broker, and you're looking at which carriers are going to be using, I mean, that's got to be a difference?

Josh:

It narrows the pool for sure. No doubt about it. So we Michael Berg, we were making a video on this as well. And I'm sure we'll we'll we'll have that out to everybody who's who's hearing this podcast. If, if you want to see it, I'm sure you could find it. Well, we'll have a link to it here somewhere. But we did the math on it, and we broke it down two out of every single. So there's 3000 carriers, each carrier has X amount of trucks under their authority, right? And we broke it down and it is of the of every single semi truck in North America is less than half our SmartWay certified. Yeah. And that's been incredible. I mean, like you said, for the carrier's from the carrier, from the authority perspective, the microscopic percentage that you're dealing with, is, yeah, it's difficult, especially as a broker, because if you want to find people who think like you, and operate like you, and you're already waiting through a million carriers that want to sign up with you, or want to work with you, or for whatever reason, outside of the laundry list of other reasons to exclude them, because we do hold our carriers to a very high standard, this is another check in the box that they may not meet. And we have to say no to certain carriers because of it. Right. So yeah, it's difficult. But typically, the things that are worth doing are so I mean, if it was easy to do, everybody would have a smart way certification because it you know, looks good on air quotes resume, so to speak. Yeah, but it's not. So not everybody does.

Eli:

Looking at those things that SmartWay requires, it's actually, it's really robust. Like to get a SmartWay certification, you need to really commit yourself, you need to have the resources in place, you need to have personnel in order to monitor all these especially, especially from the carriers perspective, if they've got, you know, 7000 trucks or something, right, you need to be monitoring. Okay, how many loaded miles did those trucks have? What engines did they have? What kind of fuel that they use in this state? Well, exactly what percentage of those miles was were revenue? Producing miles? You know, all those kinds of things for every single load carriers need to be looking at? And then obviously, you take that information into account when working with with customers.

Josh:

And yeah, it's hard to because like you said, everything is taken into account. I mean, things that seem miniscule, or something you wouldn't think about right? Empty miles to the next load, deadhead miles. Well, that factors into SmartWay, sort of your idle times that factors into SmartWay certification. I mean, there's, there's a million different things, like you said, and it's, it is very robust, it does take a lot of time, and they don't just hand them out. That's, that's, that's the cold, hard truth of it. It's not just something that's handed out. And if you're working with a small recertify carrier, that's, that's very much something as a carrier that you should be proud of. And I wouldn't say brag about you shouldn't brag about anything, but I mean, you should be proud of it, it is something that is hard to get, and it's hard to maintain. And I absolutely would, would wave that flag when given the chance.

Eli:

So to what extent are the customers that you've worked with, or people that you've spoken to, on that side care about the the sustainability of the carriers you're using?

Josh:

So in this is kind of why, like I said, this is one of the big reasons we're going to green belt. So from that perspective, I have never seen a customer, nor hurt a customer asked if we're SmartWay certified. And maybe I wasn't reaching out to the right customers, maybe I maybe there's others on the sales floor who have bumped into it. Personally, I have not. And that's kind of why I wanted to go to Greenville, because I I just started thinking about I was like, I wonder if they know, I wonder if these companies that have these green initiatives that want to take point on this up, do they know is that it's an option, that you can use this as a criteria to vet carriers in your network. You know, if you're a company that you genuinely want to take the point on a green initiative, or you want to be the frontman, on on, cleaner, you know, lower idle times, cleaner burning fuels, and you want to know if there's a way that you can vet carriers for that you 100% can and that's part of the reason that we're going is because like I said, I don't I don't know how many people know about it.

Eli:

So a carrier that's that's taking into account these kinds of things. Like what are the what are the characteristics? What does that say about that carrier, you know, as a company as a partner into the future, what I mean, what do you what are we thinking about as, you know, as we're working with carriers that hold SmartWay certifications,

Josh:

it shows their commitment to To the initiative, it shows their commitment to a greener initiative. And because they're not easy to hold, and they're difficult to maintain, it shows that if there's going to be an initiative in the future, if there's if there's something new that comes out in the future, a cleaner burning diesel devices that'll scrub the emissions from the exhaust, you can trust that SmartWay certified carriers are probably going to be a little bit more keen to, to jump on that bandwagon to take that initiative, and see if it's, if it's if it's viable, if it's beneficial to them. So I think that's the biggest thing that you're getting from SmartWay certified carriers I in it, also it speaks to your carrier from a general standpoint, I mean, getting away from the green topic just a little bit. What it says about your carrier is that they have commitment, they're willing to take the time to commit to this, to stand by this to dedicate the man hours to make sure that they're up to date on this. And if they're willing to do that, just to show that there are a greener alternative. What do you think they're going to do when it comes to your freight? People who tend to do things, the more difficult way, but the right way? tend to be people you want to work with? Yeah. And that goes for every industry. That's not just transportation. I mean, if it's if something's done the right way, but the hard way, you typically want to work with a person. I mean, think about it when I mean, somebody's building your house, for example, right? Would you rather have the guy who's going to cut the corners, get it done real fast? And would you rather have the guy who's going to do it the hard way? Right, it's gonna take a little bit longer, and it's going to take a little bit more time, but it's gonna be done correctly.

Eli:

Yeah, I don't think that can be overstated. Just the investment it takes to hold a smartwatch application. Like, of those 3000 carriers. I think we did the math, it was like 700,000 Total trucks, right. Yeah, those SmartWay certifications, which is like a large portion of the overall trucks in the United States, 40% or something. So obviously, those carriers that are holding SmartWay certifications are those with good financial standing, right, and your ability to make these investments. It's it maybe it's a bit harder for smaller, you know, one wor two truck operations.

Josh:

Yeah. And that's a good topic. That's actually a really good point is that, you know, if it does take time, it does take manpower, which ultimately is going to affect your bottom line. And if your carrier's willing to make that investment, that's going to affect their bottom line. It's mid shows, again, a commitment to the cause. Right there. They're spending money to get this done. So yeah, I think it's it's probably the biggest thing that we can, as carriers do to show our commitment to a greener future brighter future cleaner future is a smart way certification as it stands, and there's, there's technologies that are coming down the line, I mean, it at some point in the future, we are going to be talking about probably electric semi trucks. I don't know when I don't know how viable the technology is. The beauty of it is though, working at ATS, the the Andersons are very quick to get in front of technology and innovations in the industry when it becomes viable. Yeah. So I'm looking forward to that. I don't know how long it's gonna take. I mean, it's the the reality is, is electronic vehicles are very much still in their infancy. Oh, yeah. And it's it's going to be a while before. I mean, I would I think the the goal is to first get the the general population to see the upside of EVs before we start looking at the transportation industry, because that's, that's affecting the supply chain of America, and you want to make dang sure that it's squared away and sound before you start without, you know, putting the the livelihood of our supply chain on the line there. So, right. But as it stands right now, this is one of the top things you can do and are the ways that you can otherwise the carriers, and I'll say ATS does this quite well. Ways that you can show your commitment to a green initiative is to support those sectors. And ATS as a top player in solar and wind energies from a company standpoint, from the asset side of it, we have a division that's dedicated entirely to win. And just a snapshot, roughly all of roughly 30% of all wind energy shipments in the United States, you know, hubs, tower sections, motors blades, that's all by ETS. So if you drive past a wind farm in the United States, I mean, there's a very strong chance that we had a hand in making that happen. Yeah. And that's, that's quite a commitment there. I mean, we committed God knows how much money to an investment in trailer types, to haul wind blades to haul tower sections to training drivers. It's incredible. And we've made that commitment. And we handle the lion's share of it. So to me that speaks volumes.

Eli:

So beyond that, beyond the SmartWay certification beyond the supporting clean energies, the solar sector, you know, we talked about wind. What other things can we be, are can carriers doing? Does ATS do?

Josh:

Yeah, so a lot of things that carriers can do we already do. And I think I brought a little bit of a list here of the cars there. a lot. So I had to, I had to get it all on a couple sheets here.

Eli:

Yeah, it'd be good to kind of just open the listeners eyes to things that actually can be done, you know.

Josh:

So there's a lot that can be done. And one of the big things that people focus on is you want to reduce the main engine idle, because that's burning diesel. Yeah. And that's obviously causing emissions. So what some carriers do what we do is we add auxilary bunk heaters to sleeper berth. So you don't have to idle or running Jenny to, to, to heat the D the truck when you're sleeping somewhere cold. That's huge. For deliveries up in the Midwest in well, starting right about now we're being here comes Yeah, exactly. I'm a big fan of fall. So it's my girlfriend, not overly fan of what follows it, it's too long. And that's the thing, fall is too short. And winter always hits like a freight train. Right after that. It's almost no warning. But like I said, auxilary bunk here. So the sleeper berth activating minute main engine idle shutdown timer. So if the engines at idle for X amount of time it shuts off automatically, and temps sensors to halt idling during non extreme weather. So if you're idling to stay warm during an extreme cold snap, but it warms up, there's temp sensors that will read that and go, Okay, it's warm enough, we don't need to do it anymore. shuts off the idling, reducing fuel consumption. That's the that's the goal, right? Because that's, that's going to not only does that cut down on emissions that's cut down on cost. And that's affecting a trucking company's bottom line, you can do that with a reduction of overall truck speed. So all of our trucks are governed to believe 60 miles an hour, 65 five miles an hour, I believe, which means ATS trucks cannot go above 65 miles an hour. And some drivers hear that and they're like, Oh, that is a nightmare. And the reality is, is going much faster than that doesn't really impact your your end time of arrival. Anyways, yeah. So if you're if you're planning properly, and planning appropriately, that should not be an issue at all. And we do thankfully, as a company plan appropriately and make sure that we're on time where we need to be even with a 65 mile an hour limitation. And it cuts down our fuel consumption, which cuts down on cost to drivers, which cuts down on cost of the company cuts down on emissions, it's a net positive for everybody. promoting the use of cruise control, the less you're on and off the gas, less fuel you're gonna burn. That's just the way it is. So if you get into a nice, like, if you're one of the fortunate souls who finds themselves driving through Nebraska, which is, I swear, it's like driving over just a blanket of just nothingness, you can set that cruise and it'll save you a ton in emissions and gas because you're just not on and off the throttle the entire time now states like Washington, Oregon and the West Coast in general, it's a little bit more difficult and which understandable the climate out there and the terrain changes, you know, every three feet it seems like no, you can only do so much. You can also promote higher gear ratios, the higher gear you're in the less taxing it is on the engine and that's that's beneficial for multiple standpoints not only from a green standpoint, because you're not burning as much gas but it's less wear and tear on the equipment as well. And there's a million different things we can go through here. trailer applications lighter trailers, aluminum trailers versus steel trailers, you know, it's going to be easier pool because it's going to weigh less less fuel. And there's there's a million different things you can do and I can I think we have an article that's going to list a large portion of these. So I would I would direct listeners to that as well. I mean, if we went stopped on went through every single bullet point we'd be here for a hot second so but um, it's there's a lot you that can be done. And I think shippers and receivers need to know that they can ask these questions to carriers and ensure that they are doing these things and following their mindset when it comes to being green.

Eli:

And I will say that ATS as a company has, you know, multiple individuals who are always thinking about these things all the time. Okay, how can we increase efficiency? What technologies can we put into our trucks? You know, how can we take things that we're learning from the open deck side and translate that onto our indoor vans? Fleet? Yes, Versa, right, because obviously, becoming fuel efficient with a Van Fleet is is a little bit easier than with your specialized open. Equipment. Everything heavier? Yeah, heavier equipment. Less you know aerodynamicist, whatever.

Josh:

But yeah, and to me, that speaks volumes. And that's I mean, that's the whole reason we're going right and it's it's in my understanding, we're one of the few if not the only transportation provider that's going to this conference. The main reason being is because we we want to be the pioneers in the sector. We want to be the go twos, we want to be the the ones that are putting this in front of customers that are that are leading the charge on these new technologies that are coming out. And if it's viable, we will absolutely go for it. So I wouldn't be surprised if it 1520 years from now we saw ATS being the pioneers when it comes to electric trucks. I really would. It depends on the viability of the technology. It depends on you know, the cost effectiveness of the technology. Does it fit our fleet does it fit the routes that we currently have in the customers that we currently utilize? And if it does, I 100% see no reason why we wouldn't lead the charge on that?

Eli:

Yeah, no. I would say that ATS would be an early adopter of any viable. Yeah, affordable, energy saving, efficient technology. Obviously, there's a long way to go infrastructure wise and technology wise, but those are the kinds of carriers you want to work with.

Josh:

Yeah, 100%, because it speaks volumes about the carrier, it shows that they're financially sound if they're willing to make that kind of investment. And you don't want a carrier that's going to go under two weeks later. And just no response at all, no return emails, no return calls. Well, it's never fun for anybody.

Eli:

So if I'm a shipper, and I'm going to be at Greenbuild, and I'm interested in learning more about ATS logistics, what can I expect when I stopped by that booth?

Josh:

You can expect myself, my sales rep Erin winter and Tony block and Justin Hopkins, it's gonna be the four of us, and we're going to be a booth 1356. So what you can expect from us there is going to be a conversation in regards to what we just talked about, right? And we can get more in depth there. We can also have conversations about what your needs are as a shipper, to see if we can meet them. You know, we're, we're about putting faces to names, and we're about introducing ourselves to people. And if people want to come up to us and have a serious conversation about how are you greener, why are you here? Which is a question that I expect to hear a ton, because it's going to be a lot of very green driven companies, you know, with a very powerful, objective and mindset when it comes to greener, cleaner initiatives. And they're gonna see a trucking company there. And that's probably going to set some people off. And I'm fully prepared to explain why we're there. What the what the goal is, for us being there, what the objective is. And to show how this isn't just some parade, we're not just there because shippers are there is because you can make these choices, you can be picky when it comes to your carriers when it comes to being green. And we want to show people that. And if they've ever wanted to have a conversation about that I'm down to have that conversation. We're free pretty much the whole time we're there. And I'm just I'm looking forward to getting this information out to shippers, that's the biggest thing. So you can expect the four of us there with a lot of information on how you can choose greener partnered options when it comes to your transportation network. You can hold carrier even if it's not us, even if it is not ATS. If you're like I've worked with ATS in the past, I never want to work with them. Again, if you still want to choose greener carriers, we will provide that option for you, we will provide that information that you can vet carriers with. And like I said, this isn't just to be the benefit of ATS. It's to be the benefit of the shipper and the receiver. That's what you can expect. I'm looking forward to saying hi to a lot of people we're getting, we're getting pretty stoked for it. We're getting all of our, our gear together. And it's going to be a good time. I'm very much looking forward to it and looking forward to shaking hands and saying hi to people.

Eli:

You'll be in the room with people that care about this kind of thing. And there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to work together.

Josh:

So 100 percent, I think people view trucking and transportation as kind of a, I don't know, a player against what what their green initiatives are and what their their cleaner goals are, and really doesn't have to be that way we can absolutely be partners in this.

Eli:

Although ATS might be the only transportation company there this year, I would guess into the future, projecting ahead, you won't be the last.

Josh:

Yeah, we won't. I think we might be the first we definitely won't be the last. As companies get wind and become more reliable from the from a greener perspective, I think that they'll start utilizing it a bit more. So we just want to lead the charge. And when those other companies do show up, we want to make sure customers are equipped to know what to ask and know what to look for when it comes to greener carriers.

Eli:

All right. Thanks, Josh.

Josh:

Thank you.

Eli:

You've been listening to Beyond The Road, the transportation industry podcast produced by Anderson Trucking Service. If you liked what you heard here today, make sure to follow along wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don't miss our next episode, which we produce every single week. For more transportation industry related content and information head over to the ATS Inc Learning Hub ta atsinc.com/learning-hub. I have linked that in the show notes below. On the Learning Hub, you will find a comprehensive library of answers to transportations most common questions in the form of articles, videos, podcasts like this one, case studies infographics, downloadable tools, and more. All created to help you become the supplier that always delivers for its customers. For more information on SmartWay is the certification program and what it could mean for your supply chain efficiency and sustainability. I have LinkedIn article written by one of our experts in the show notes below. Check that out. I think it's got a lot of good high level information on smart way for you. Finally, thank you for sticking around and we hope to see you at Greenbuild in November. It'll be a good time of year to be in San Francisco. For all of us here at ATS, I am Eli Simonson and we'll speak to you again soon on another episode of Beyond The Road: The Transportation Industry Podcast.

Topic Intro
What is Greenbuild and When is it?
What Does Sustainability Mean for Carriers?
What is SmartWay?
How Are SmartWay Certifications Earned?
To What Degree Do Shippers Care About SmartWay Certifications?
What Does Having a SmartWay Certification Say About a Carrier?
Which Carriers Have SmartWay Certifications?
How Else Can Carriers Make a Commitment to Sustainability?
Wrap-Up and Offers