The dairy transportation industry is facing both economic and environmental challenges. Profit margins are being squeezed, while prices are rising on the diesel fuel used to transport fluid milk. Diesel fuel also contributes to the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, amounting to 2.7 million metric tons each year.

Opportunity: better fuel efficiency to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions

Adopting fuel-efficiency best practices can save trucking companies a substantial amount in fuel costs, while also reducing emissions. This is a win-win for the dairy industry and the environment.

Solution: leverage existing programs and monitoring tools 

The SmartWay™ program was launched by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2004 to help long-haul fleets and professional drivers reduce their fuel consumption through a range of advanced technologies, financing programs and driver best practices. Some of these technologies and practices include:

• Retrofitting trucks with trailer aerodynamics, idle-reduction systems and tire upgrades that can reduce fuel consumption by 8 percent 
• Driver training on simple techniques like coasting on hills and mapping more efficient routes can save 5 to 25 percent on fuel usage

To help monitor the fuel-efficiency behaviors of individual drivers, electronic on-board recorders  (EOBRs) can now be installed on each truck.  These recorders measure speed, total and moving miles per gallon, idle time, abrupt starts and stops, and more.  This data can be shared with drivers to help modify their driving habits to improve fuel efficiency.

The Dairy Fleet Smart program will help dairy industry CEOs and trucking companies adapt these types of practices and technologies to milk transport and distribution.

Collaborators

More than 16 academic institutions, government agencies and industry organizations are part of the Dairy Fleet Smart team, including the University of Arkansas,  the EPA, Darigold, Inc., Dairy Farmers of America, HP Hood, and Ruan Transport Company.

Project goals and milestones

The transportation and distribution segment of the U.S. dairy supply chain contributes 7.7 percent to the fluid milk carbon footprint. Dairy Fleet Smart will help achieve the Dairy 2020 goal to reduce this by 20 percent.

The goal of the Dairy Fleet Smart program is to drive fuel efficiencies in dairy transportation by encouraging milk processors and transportation companies to adopt the  EPA SmartWay best practices and EOBRs.

Phase 1: Industry Analysis of Fuel-savings Initiatives

Meet with processors and transportation companies to understand fuel savings achieved with their efficiency programs, as well as consider technologies and practices of the SmartWay Program and EOBRs. 2010

Phase 2: Apply SmartWay Initiatives to Dairy Trips
The Dairy Fleet Smart team will determine the most effective way to combine innovations from the SmartWay program and EOBRs with current dairy trucking industry fuel-efficiency practices. 2011

Phase 3: Create and Implement Dairy Industry Outreach Program
The team with develop and disseminate dairy-specific tools and guidelines to processors and transportation companies, including case studies on refrigeration technologies, driver best practices and aerodynamics.
2011 and beyond