SmartWay Transport Partnership

Lakeside joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership in 2007. We are aggressively targeting our carrier partners to make the same commitment. Today, 35 of our carriers are SmartWay partners hauling 15% of our miles. Our 3-year goal is to double that to 30% of our miles. This in turn supports our customers’ initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint by offering the option of using SmartWay carriers for some or all of their transportation needs.

By establishing metrics for customers and quantifying their supply chain emissions, Lakeside can track improvements in each customer’s impact on the environment. 

To highlight our SmartWay Carriers, we give them a high profile within our organization, specifically in the operations department. Each SmartWay carrier is featured on our website to let our customers and prospects track the progress that Lakeside is making in this area.

SmartWay Transport is a voluntary, innovative partnership between various freight industry sectors and the EPA that establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emission reductions.  By 2012, this initiative aims to reduce between 33 – 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions per year.  At the same time, the initiative will result in fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually.  There are three primary components of the program:  creating partnerships, reducing all unnecessary engine idling and increasing the efficiency and use of rail and intermodal operations. 

Organizations and companies commit to measure and improve the efficiency of their freight operations, using EPA-developed tools that quantify the benefits of a number of fuel saving strategies.

Establishing the National Transportation Idle-Free Corridors, SmartWay is targeting the reduction of idling to improve air quality. This, in turn, saves fuel and saves companies money. 

The third component of the SmartWay Transport partnership is to maximize efficiency and intermodal operations. Rail, where available, is a very efficient mode of transportation.