Meijer trucking fleet honored for sustainability

Meijer has once again been honored for improving freight efficiency and contributing to cleaner air within their supply chains.

For the third consecutive year, the retailer was honored a SmartWay Excellence Award winner as a mixed carrier by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Meijer is the only four-time recipient of the honor nationwide in the mixed carrier category.)

The SmartWay award, the EPA's highest recognition, recognizes the top retail and manufacturing carriers and shippers that demonstrate how their logistical operations make a measurable difference in reducing carbon emissions, while also effectively managing fuel costs as they move goods around the country.  

Meijer operates one of the largest standalone fleets in Michigan, with 250 semi-trucks and nearly 400 drivers. Overall, the retailer has a network of 750 trucks that cover more than 1.3 million miles per week.

The company has made significant improvements in reducing the fleet's carbon emissions, including the installation of telematics to maintain quality and temperature control in the trucks' refrigeration systems. The trucks all have alarm and communications systems that alert the drivers to temperature changes. The retailer also leads the industry for backhauling products to its distribution facilities to reduce empty miles on the road.

Additionally, the Meijer fleet is committed to safety and is focused on implementing safety technology into its semi-trucks with the addition of side radar. The collision mitigation system is standard in the Meijer fleet that gives visibility in the semi-trucks' blind spots. 

"We are honored to, once again, receive such a distinguished award that recognizes our logistics team as an industry leader for sustainability," said Tom McCall, VP of logistics for Meijer, which operated 256 stores throughout the Midwest. "It's important to Meijer that we do the right thing, which is why our fleet is committed to reducing our carbon footprint, sharing the road with other drivers, and delivering products to our stores 26 times a week."