Con-Way Freight Dials Back Speed To Save Fuel

March 11, 2008

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Less-than-truckload freight transportation company Con-way Freight has turned back the speed governors on its 8,400-tractor fleet in a move to improve fuel conservation and reduce carbon emissions. The company has adjusted the governors on its truck engines to run at a maximum of 62 miles per hour, down three miles per hour from previous settings.

The move is expected to reduce consumption of diesel fuel from its over-the-road tractor fleet by nearly 3.2 million gallons annually while eliminating approximately 72 million pounds of carbon emissions from the environment. The carbon gas reduction is equivalent to removing nearly 7,300 automobiles from America’s highways.

“Freight transportation, by its nature, is a significant consumer of carbon-based energy resources,” said John Labrie, Con-way Freight president. “Yet it also is one where if we look creatively at how we operate the business, we can find and adopt practices that reduce our carbon footprint and help the bottom line. Fuel conservation and cost savings aside, this speed reduction initiative will have the single largest impact on carbon footprint reduction of any operational or business practice change available to us.”

Con-way Freight annually consumes some 100 million gallons of diesel fuel in its trucking operations.

Labrie emphasized that the move does not reduce Con-way’s service standards in any way.

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