Last year, the White House announced a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. With the transportation sector responsible for nearly a third of all emissions, this announcement effectively put the industry on notice, and corporations responded. Amazon ordered 100,000 electric vehicles, and UPS announced their plans to run ground operations on at least 40% alternative fuels by 2025.
When you’re a multinational corporation, making that kind of capital investment in your fleet makes sense. But where does that leave smaller fleet operators, who can’t afford this large investment but also don’t want to be left behind as we start on the road to a more sustainable future?
Fortunately, there are many ways businesses all over America can dive into sustainability. Here are some ways you can make your fleet business more sustainable with little to no investment.
Simple things to start today
Check your tire pressure
Improperly inflated tires cause vehicles to burn more fuel, costing you up to an additional 11¢ per gallon and increasing CO2 emissions by as much as 1 metric ton per year. Tires can lose up to 1 psi per month, so it’s recommended you check pressure at least monthly.
Fuel up properly
Train employees to avoid topping off. It’s bad for the environment and your bank balance! Gasoline needs room to expand, and too much pressure in your tank causes your vehicle to run poorly and emit more greenhouse gasses.
Reduce vehicle miles traveled
It might seem like you can’t reduce mileage without compromising your business goals, but you almost certainly can. Work with your team to plan ahead to take more direct routes. As an example, taking off-route gas station trips cost fleet companies in labor time, vehicle maintenance, tire wear, and extra carbon emissions.
Switch to mobile fueling
Better still, cut out the gas station altogether. Each trip you avoid saves additional vehicle miles traveled and CO2 emissions. Mobile energy delivery companies can fuel your vehicles during off-hours so that drivers arrive to work with full tanks. This gives them 20 more minutes to service your customers instead of spending unproductive time at the gas station.
At Booster, we’ve helped our customers prevent more than 8 million vehicle miles traveled and 7.4 million lbs of CO2 emissions. This is not only a win for the environment, customers like Stanley Steemer save thousands of dollars monthly.
Invest in Projects
Carbon offsetting
Partnering with a company to offset the carbon that your fleet produces is a helpful tool in any company’s overall sustainability plan. When choosing a company, be sure to partner with one that offers offsetting projects registered, verified, and/or certified by non-profit organizations like the Climate Action Reserve, Voluntary Carbon Standard, and the American Carbon Registry as there are scams out there.
At Booster, our carbon offset partner is certified B corporation 3Degrees. We work with them to offset emissions for our own vehicles as well as customer vehicles by funding projects that capture and destroy methane generated by landfills.
Adopt a highway
When you “adopt” a stretch of highway, you are committing to clearing litter from it four or more times a year. That would make your company directly responsible for reducing pollution and saving wildlife. Clean-up days aren’t only good community service and a fun team-building activity, they can be great photo ops!
Switch to renewable energy
Think about your offices
Renewable energy isn’t just for vehicles. On average, after tax incentives, you could have solar panels installed for about $12,000. Not only is this investment good for the environment, it can even save you money by reducing or eliminating your energy bills and earning you tax credits or rebates.
Switch to renewable fuels
Renewable diesel is a direct swap for conventional diesel in both cost and functionality, making the switch to renewables probably much easier than you think. This means that if your fleet runs on diesel, you can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% overnight with no extra costs, upgrades, or vehicle modifications.
Additionally, many of these renewable fuels can be even better for your engines. These products can be easier starting, smoother running, and more reliable long-term. Renewable Energy Group’s Ultra Clean®, for example, is one of the highest-performing and lowest-carbon liquid fuels on the market.
Because of supply chain issues, few gas stations carry renewable fuels. Fortunately, Booster does! Thanks to our mobile model, we’ve increased access to renewables for cities across America. Switching to renewable diesel with Booster gives you all the benefits of renewable fuels, like fewer emissions, and all the benefits of mobile fueling, like unlocked productivity. It’s like an easy button for running your fleet.