The federal government has made $220,000 available to help four Ontario transport companies lower their fuel costs, improve the energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from their heavy-duty vehicle fleets.
Minimax Express Ltd. and Arnold Bros Transport Ltd. received over $9,000 each to undertake a third-party fleet energy assessment to analyze their fleet’s performance and determine the fuel-saving retrofits options available to green their operations.
“The Green Freight Assessment Program process provided us with a list of solutions to improve fleet energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Yves Poirier, president of Minimax Express Inc.
“The data collected and solutions provided will improve our fuel consumption, reduce our fuel cost and help the environment. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Carmen Transportation received $109,530, and Sarjeant Co. Ltd received $92,930, which will take their fleet energy assessments a step further by purchasing fuel-reducing equipment and investing in essential training for their drivers.
Together, the companies have made energy efficiency retrofits to over 25 vehicles and provided fuel-efficient training for more than 180 drivers. These measures will help save an estimated 430 tonnes of GHG emissions annually while making the companies more competitive through fuel savings.
“Working with Natural Resources Canada has assisted us with investing in solutions that reduce our GHG emissions and carbon footprint by lowering our fuel consumption, increasing our competitiveness,” said Tony Costa, fleet manager, Carmen Transportation.
Green Freight Assessment
Federal funding for these projects is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Green Freight Assessment Program, which is investing $3.4 million to help companies make data-driven investment decisions to reduce their emissions and fuel costs. The program was launched in 2018 with a four-year mandate.
Companies can receive up to $10,000 for a third party fleet energy assessment that provides tailored recommendations. Implementation project under the GFAP are eligible for contributions up to $100,000.
To date completed assessment projects have contributed to the review and analysis of over 6,000 medium and heavy duty vehicles. The resulting implementation projects have funded over 2,700 retrofits.
These retrofits include the installation of fuel-reducing equipment such as:
- Auxiliary Power Units
- Auxiliary Bunk Heaters
- Side Skirts
- Boat Tails
- Aerodynamic Mud Flaps
- Low Rolling Resistant Tires
- Training for over 300 drivers to ensure new equipment is properly used and well maintained.
In addition to truck retrofits, GFAP has supported the purchase of 14 compressed natural gas heavy-duty vehicles, helping to reduce the investment risk for companies interested in new lower-carbon options.
Lowering the emissions from Canada’s transportation sector is a key part of the government’s efforts to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
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