ARLINGTON, Va. — Hoping to quantify various industry approaches to carbon accounting, the American Transportation Research Institute released a new study on trucking’s carbon footprint.

A trucking company’s emissions trail goes beyond its on-road fleet to include other indirect emissions and the optional "life-cycle" emissions, according to the ATRI study, which analyzed greenhouse gas reporting tools and emissions models.

"ATRI’s study also highlights the need for industry involvement in standardizing approaches for carbon accounting," said Mike Naatz, president of the customer care division and chief customer officer for YRC Worldwide and a member of the ATRI Research Advisory Committee.

ATRI’s research identified both U.S. and international reporting tools and methodologies. Among the key findings were differences in the weighting of model inputs, which in turn impact the reported level of emissions.

The report pointed out that while many carriers rely on the U.S. EPA SmartWay to quantify greenhouse gas emissions, it does not take into account other classifications of emissions.

A fleet’s emissions come not only from the combustion of fuel, but also from the use of mobile equipment used at company facilities, such as yard tractors and forklifts; stationary equipment used at company facilities, such as furnaces, generators and other on-site fuel-burning equipment; and air conditioning and/or refrigeration systems.

ATRI said that while emission factors for these fuels and refrigerants are available, the accounting tools differ slightly. The report recommends changes to these methodologies to improve their applicability to trucking.

The SmartWay measurement system also doesn’t include the indirect emissions associated with electricity. The issue here is that the greenhouse gas emissions generated from electricity purchased in one part of the country can be twice as high as the same amount of electricity purchased in another part of the country.

The last classification of emissions includes those from business-related activities, such as business travel and employee commuting. Because this area is optional, there is little guidance and consensus on how to account for these emissions, ATRI said.

"The issue of carbon accounting is both technical and complex," the report said. "There are a number of areas where further guidance is needed to better quantify the greenhouse gas emissions generated by motor carriers.

However, it should be recognized that precision may be sacrificed when data reporting is done at the energy consumer level, e.g. a motor carrier, as opposed to the energy producer level."

— via Truckinginfo.com