Con-way Truckload, a full truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., announced that it has received the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award from The Eastern Shawnee Longhouse Management Authority. This award is presented annually by the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce to a business in the Four State Area (Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma) that has demonstrated outstanding efforts in environmental stewardship and conservation.
“Con-way Truckload’s companywide programs spur environmental awareness and action among employees, as well as the development and implementation of business practices designed to promote sustainability and minimize the company’s environmental impact,” says Rick Rogers, president of the board of directors of the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce. “This is an organization that puts words into action to achieve tangible results. They’re deserving of this honor, and we’re proud to recognize them in this way.”
Con-way Truckload launched its sustainability program in 2007, bringing together a multidepartment management team to review policies and practices from building upgrades to recycling programs to fuel efficiency efforts in an effort to build sustainable practices. Some of the key results from the initiative have included:
• Building upgrades: Con-way Truckload installed new, more efficient lighting throughout its campus in Joplin, Mo., resulting in a savings of $25,000 and a reduction of 20 tons of CO2 annually. Other initiatives included automated light shutdowns, automatic screensaver deployment and automated shift to power-saving mode for PCs after 30 minutes of inactivity;
• Recycling: Con-way Truckload now recycles about 8,000 pounds of paper and 6,400 pounds of cardboard per month. Other recycling efforts include unused pallets that are deployed to other company locations, recycling of PCs and monitors, and recycling of all cleaning/chemical containers on a weekly basis;
• Fuel efficiency: Con-way Truckload reduced the weight of its trucks by 670 pounds each, resulting in a fuel savings of 11,400 gallons per year, and switched to fuel-efficient single wide-base tires on all tractors for a 3.4 percent increase in fuel economy. The company also reduced the speed governors on company-operated tractors from 70 mph to 65 mph, which saves about 3 million gallons of diesel fuel per year. Also, by reducing and/or eliminating idling time, Con-way Truckload is reducing the amount of GHG released into the atmosphere; and
• Employee initiatives: Con-way Truckload launched a new program this year called “Sustainamania” that challenges employees to come up with ideas to reduce the company’s carbon footprint in four key areas: waste reduction, energy reduction, recycling and procurement. The top five ideas will be implemented companywide, with the employees who submitted the ideas being recognized during a special awards ceremony.
“We are honored to receive this award recognizing the effort of both our company and our employees to be good environmental stewards,” says Bruce Stockton, vice president of maintenance and asset management for Con-way Truckload. “Our results demonstrate that sustainability programs not only improve the environment, but can also positively impact a company’s bottom line.” Stockton also serves on the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, which works to develop efficiency-enhancing and environmentally beneficial technologies for the freight industry.
