Most trucking companies use Transport Management Software (TMS) for visibility, automation, reducing labor costs, and fleet management. Many might not know this, but a good TMS has the potential to reduce your carbon footprint. As the consumer market is becoming increasingly conscious of the impact, their practices have on the environment. Sustainability efforts are becoming critical for the growth of companies.
So here is how a TMS can help make your trucking business greener:
When using a TMS, your routes are already pre-planned based on data. A TMS tries its best to improve a company's overall profit so that it will match loads based on the route taken. You can also easily look for multiple pickups and drop-off options based on the nearest available trucks, thanks to GPS tracking. This means most vehicles will travel fewer miles so that they will produce fewer carbon emissions.
GPS tracking also helps you change routes in real time if required. More than often, an unexpected problem like an accident or change in weather can cause traffic jams. A TMS usually comes with a driver app, where your dispatchers and drivers are in constant communication. So the dispatcher can promptly let drivers know about these issues and provide alternative routes.
When you use a TMS, all your data is securely stored on the cloud, and many manual processes are also automated. This includes your invoices, insurance information, delivery details, and such. So your filing system becomes cloud-based rather than paper-based. This makes your data more secure, allows you more space in the office, and reduces your carbon footprint.
Driving habits have a massive impact on carbon emissions. Bad driving habits are not only harmful to your vehicle and driver but also to the environment. Overspeeding, harsh braking, aggressive acceleration, and constant lane changing lead to increased consumption of fuel. Idling is also a practice that leads to wasting fuel. A heavy-load semi-truck consumes 0.8 gallons of fuel per hour when idling.
When using a TMS with ELD integrations, you can easily track the behavior of your drivers in real time. You can then communicate with your driver to fix the problem.
A TMS helps you keep track of your fuel consumption. It is important that a person keeps track of this to see abnormalities in the data. More than often, the weight of the load within the truck is not distributed evenly, resulting in increased fuel consumption. Sometimes this can happen because your semi-truck requires maintenance. Whatever the reason may be, a TMS will help you monitor your fuel consumption. The data can then be used to make better decisions.
A semi-truck that is regularly maintained will produce fewer carbon emissions than a semi-truck that is not. A modern TMS will come with integrations that will allow you to track your semi truck's health. You can have a real-time view of tire pressure, MPG, engine health, and more. To save fuel and reduce carbon emissions, it is important to keep your fleet maintained. Make sure that your tires have optimal air pressure, the engine health is 100%, and that there are no faults within the semi-truck. A TMS will schedule these maintenance activities for you and will ensure proper implementation.
A trucking carbon footprint calculator can be used to find how much percentage of carbon emissions are produced by semi-trucks in comparison to other vehicles. Data from 1990 to 2021 suggests that trucks produce 29.4% of the USA's carbon emissions against all other modes of transportation.
According to a truck CO2 emissions per kilometer calculator, an average truck that travels 120,000 miles a year releases 223 tonnes of CO2. This is based on a formula that assumes a daily average of 400 miles over six days per week and a total of 50 weeks per year. The average is computed from 6.5 miles (10.46km) per gallon of fuel (diesel).
There are many external factors that can contribute to lower and higher carbon emissions. Semi-Trucks making long hauls maintain a constant speed and produce fewer emissions per Km. While Semi Trucks used within the city have to regularly brake and accelerate at different speeds, which requires more power which means that the engine burns more fuel producing more CO2 emissions per Km.
Mubasshir Ijaz started his career as a creative writer and digital marketer back in 2016. He has worked under multiple niches and aims to provide readers with a free-flowing, easy-to-understand copy that will provide them with value for their time. He aspires to be a problem solver, and through his extensive writing experience, he aims to provide trucking business owners and employees with informative technological solutions.
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