Qualifying for Fleet Forward

To become a Fleet Forward member, you need to:

Operate commercial medium to heavy duty diesel vehicles or equipment primarily in Oregon, and do one of the following:

Burn less fuel, or
Burn cleaner fuels, or
Burn fuel cleaner

Sound simple? It is, and you are probably doing many of these things already. For more details, see the Recognition Level Page.

To qualify for the program, or to continually improve your fleet operations, we view it happening in three steps:

1. Set Goals

2. Select Clean Diesel Strategy

3. Share Progress

Roll mouse over a step to see explanation.

Step 1: Track Fuel Consumption and Set Goals

Tracking fuel consumption and vehicle utilization is critical for companies developing environmentally responsible initiatives.

You will need a roadmap to know where you’re going, so the first step we recommend is to track fuel consumption and vehicle utilization and to set goals.

We can provide assistance in the form of a Green Fleet Plan template that you can customize to fit your needs. We can point you to resources on how to improve fuel economy while lessening your impact, and will calculate emissions before and after strategies are implemented.

Step 2: Select Clean Diesel Strategy

Burn Less Fuel

The first recommended strategy is to burn less fuel. There are many ways to accomplish this:
- Driver training (Eliminate jack-rabbit starts, maintain speed limit, reduce unnecessary idling, route planning, etc.)
- Installing tire 'trackers' that monitor pressure and wheel temperature
- EPA SmartWay program: Proven technologies that save truckers fuel costs
- Fleet management programs
- Vehicle 'right-sizing'
- Employee incentive programs for selecting fuel efficient vehicles and driving efficiently
- Maintenance - Regular oil changes and proper tire inflation increase fuel efficiency and prolong vehicle life
Technological solutions abound, including routing software, GPS systems, fuel management software, electronic devices to manage and correct driver behavior while it is occurring.
Burn Cleaner Fuel
Another strategy is to burn cleaner fuels such as higher blends of biodiesel to compressed natural gas,liquefied natural gas and propane.
Burn Fuel Cleaner
One of the most important strategies to improve air quality is replacing old engines with cleaner, newer engines, or retrofitting an engine with advanced pollution control devices. Some studies have shown that the exhaust from an engine retrofit with a diesel particulate filter was cleaner than the surrounding Los Angeles air!
Retrofit
Many of the same clean diesel technologies developed for new engines can be applied to older vehicles. Add-on controls allow fleets to take advantage of all of the benefits of a diesel engine, with less impact. Controls are added either directly on the engine, or as part of the exhaust system. Add-on controls are either diesel “traps” with filters or catalytic systems.
- Particle Traps – physically remove diesel particulate matter as the exhaust gases pass through. Diesel particulate filters can reduce particulate emissions by 80-90 percent.
- Catalytic Converters - use a chemical reaction to convert emissions into less harmful exhaust.
Repower

For older diesel engines, there are new or remanufactured engines built to comply with more stringent emissions regulations. Repower solutions are available for dozens of applications across several product families. You can put new life into your machine and everyone will breathe easier.

Resources

Step 3: Share Progress

Share your leadership as a Fleet Forward member with employees, shareholders and the public. We’ll offer suggestions of how you can market your accomplishments, whether that is in your annual report or internal newsletter.