TORONTO, Ont. — XTL Transport has scored the highest points possible as part of the US EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership program.

The truckload carrier, which operates about 400 tractors and 1,300 trailers throughout North America, has taken some major steps to reducing its fuel consumption and environmental footprint.

“While it’s nice to be recognized for our commitment to environmental sustainability, the fact is that we’ve implemented many of these initiatives some time ago as part of a corporate philosophy that espouses doing business in a socially-conscious way. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s good business,” said Luc Francoeur, XTL’s vice-president of sales and marketing.

“SmartWay Partnership is just one initiative making our industry aware of its vital role in long-term solutions to global warming. We are continually implementing initiatives that promote environmental responsibility while continuing to allow us to provide excellent service to our valuable business partners,” added vice-president of maintenance and human resources, Lorraine Gard.

XTL received the high score by: training drivers in fuel-efficient driving; limiting trucks to 105 km/h; supporting the mandatory use of speed limiters; spec’ing aerodynamic vehicles; spec’ing automated transmissions; integrating EPA04 and newer engines into the fleet; equipping tractors with auxiliary power units; maintaining equipment to run as efficiently as possible; and using advanced load planning, dispatch and satellite communication technologies.