Photo by Sander Yigin on Unsplash

Nearly every industry has made changes in the name of “going green,” and that includes the commercial trucking industry. Just like passenger vehicles, commercial trucks are getting a green makeover that includes vehicles that produce zero emissions.

Based on the trucking industry’s adoption of eco-friendly options, it’s easy to see a future of clean fleets for just about any business that utilizes commercial vehicles, including ride sharing companies, taxi services, food delivery, and furniture delivery companies.

There are several factors driving this green trucking revolution. While concern for the environment is obvious, the cost-saving opportunities have probably been the most influential in getting more companies to make the move.

Green commercial trucks cost less to maintain

When the industry goes green, trucking companies will save on gas, but that’s not all. They’ll also save on repairs, especially when they’re using software to manage their fleet maintenance responsibilities.

Green vehicles need less maintenance for certain parts. For instance, electric motors don’t need as much maintenance as a standard combustion engine because the mechanical operation is different.

The most common maintenance tasks required for standard vehicles don’t apply to electric vehicles. For example, electric vehicles don’t need oil changes, and they don’t require fuel filters, spark plugs, or drive belts.

Commercial trucks normally require a lot of maintenance. When these trucks are electric or hybrid in nature, less maintenance will mean fleets will have more vehicles available at all times. It also means truck drivers will have less maintenance to worry about, and they can spend more time making deliveries. In this manner, it won’t be such a big deal to get their brakes serviced, which is something that can take hours, if not a whole day.

Clean trucking fleets are coming

Some major trucking companies are in the process of overhauling their fleets in order to reduce emissions. UPS has already started using electric trucks to make deliveries. Although, not all companies are adopting green vehicles just yet. However, the companies that are transitioning to green vehicles will have a head start when everyone else finally comes around.

For the companies who haven’t moved to all green vehicle fleets, they’re using something called telematics. Telematics is the process of installing monitoring devices on vehicles in order to capture data about emissions. This data helps trucking companies lower emissions on a per-vehicle basis and can detect certain issues that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Telematics is great at picking up minor details, like how tire pressure can save on fuel costs. For example, when trucks maintain proper tire pressure at all times, the result is up to a 3.3% increase in fuel efficiency. When tire pressure starts to drop, telematics equipment communicates the status to the driver and tells them their tires need more air.

Other ways trucks are going green

There are several other ways commercial trucks are going green that aren’t related to electric vehicles. For instance, they’re optimizing routes, optimizing vehicle aerodynamics, and turning to alternative fuels.

·  Route optimization

Optimizing routes can lead to significant savings on fuel consumption. Route planning involves managing routes based on the weather, since bad weather can negatively impact fuel economy. When trucks get stuck in bad traffic from a storm or just a traffic jam, they have to drive in a lower gear and therefore use more fuel.

Trucking companies are using artificial intelligence (AI) to manage routes. The AI software can predict weather and traffic, which helps truckers predict potential road conditions and choose another route when appropriate.

·  Vehicle optimization

Aside from going all-electric, trucks with combustion engines can be made more sustainable. New trucks are being made to be more aerodynamic, which reduces the drag and increases fuel efficiency.

Manufacturers are redesigning their trucks, tractor-trailers, and semis to be more aerodynamic by reducing the gap between the truck and trailer, and re-shaping bumpers. As an added bonus, aerodynamic trucks are also faster, which means truckers can meet their delivery deadlines easier.

Improving aerodynamics is a very basic concept, but it makes a huge difference. For trucking companies that can’t go completely green, getting aerodynamic vehicles is an excellent step in the right direction.

·  Alternative fuels

Although a cleaner version of diesel fuel has become standardized in many places, there are greener options. Instead of using standard diesel, many trucking companies opt for biodiesel. Although there are still emissions, biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable. When there’s a spill, it won’t harm the environment like petroleum-based diesel fuel.

The biggest problem with biodiesel is that it isn’t always environmentally-friendly to produce it on a mass scale. The clearing and burning required to harvest the soybeans and palm trees used to make biodiesel has a negative environmental impact.

Electric commercial trucks are the optimal way forward

Although there are many ways trucking companies are going green, the ideal solution seems to be electric fleets. For now, electric trucks are financially out of reach for many businesses. Although, as electric trucks become more common, they will come down in price and we’ll see a wider adoption across many industries.