5 Ways the Transportation Industry Can Be More Sustainable

Going green is no longer just a nice idea, it is a fast-growing trend that businesses must consider to remain competitive, relevant, and responsible. Polls have shown that 88% of customers prefer working with ethical and eco-friendly businesses.

Both activists and consumers are starting to demand that companies place a high priority on making products and services environmentally conscious. Companies can no longer afford to ignore these demands, industries, like transportation and logistics, face an especially uphill battle since their business and services place a significant strain on the planet.

Luckily, as with almost any other trend that arises, accessibility to participate in this one is high. Although transportation companies are facing an uphill battle, the good news is that they have a plethora of resources available to assist them in this endeavor. Changes to both operations and materials can both be helpful and, in some cases, minor tweaks that will have a long-lasting impact on the overall carbon footprint as well as their reputation with consumers.

Fleet Tracking

Being able to locate each vehicle in your fleet, follow its route, and analyze patterns comes with many benefits, including environmental efficiency. Not only is GPS fleet tracking essential for business operations it will also help cut down on gas usage, and overall emissions.  Optimizing routes is an obvious and simple solution, and this is a benefit that will come with implementing fleet tracking software into your business model. Fleet tracking can also help reduce vehicle idling which is a big culprit in unnecessary emissions. By taking advantage of real-time tracking, you can aide in avoiding traffic patterns that require excessive idling and create future routes that are more efficient. 

Regular Maintenance

The health of your fleet is related to the stress that its usage will have on the environment. Not only is this also safer and more efficient, it will save money long-term. Minor maintenance issues that are ignored can lead to reduced performance and productivity. Environmentally speaking, vehicles that are running with undetected maintenance issues are going to be less sustainable and could potentially harm the environment by emitting poorly filtered gases and oils into the environment.

Modern Technology

Technology can be intimidating for business owners because there are a lot of unknowns with modernizing, and often the ‘if it is not broke do not fix it’ mentality takes over. Allowing fear of new technology to dictate your operations can be a true roadblock to growth and can also halt your efforts to move towards greener practices.

Investing in hybrid or electric vehicles is a huge effort in the quest to go green. Hybrid and electric vehicles improve efficiency and reduce emissions making them an obvious, but expensive, solution. There is considerably more to consider with this option, however. Understanding what would, and would not, make electric cars ready for mass adoption, and the pros and cons of doing so is an important consideration before you transform your entire fleet.

Office Adjustments

Focusing on equipment on the road is an important, and significant, piece of the puzzle, but think about ways that your transportation company can prioritize the environment from inside the office as well. Reducing product waste like paper and implementing a recycling program for your in-office staff is going to create a company culture that includes caring for the planet and creates habits within your employees that are transferrable to their life outside of work as well.

Switching to a fully remote, or hybrid, office structure is going to massively cut back on your company’s energy usage. By reducing the in-person hours that your staff works you are creating a domino effect of environmental benefits. Starting with the emissions saved by eliminating their commute. Add that to a reduction of heating and cooling the office, and a reduction in electricity used, even a one day a week reduction of in-person working can be impactful.

Sustainable Packaging

Depending on the exact service your transportation company provides, consider sustainable packing to boost your environmental IQ. This trend has been on the rise everywhere and both employees and customers are at a tipping point where the expectation is quickly moving towards packaging goods in a way that places the planet first. Eliminating single use plastics is now so common that continuing to use them in your product packaging is not only giving off an impression of oblivion, but also dating your business as well.