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Trailer Bridge US EPA SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award

Published Jan 24, 2011 12:27 PM by The Maritime Executive

Award recipients “Reduce Emissions, Improve the Environment and Companies’ Bottom-Line.”


JACKSONVILLE, FL: Trailer Bridge, Inc. today announced that the Company has received an Environmental Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWaySM Transport Partnership for its leadership in conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from its transportation and freight activities.

Trailer Bridge was the first marine company to join the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary business/government collaboration focused on increasing efficiency and reducing emissions. Because all of its vessels use a cleaner distillate fuel all the time, Trailer Bridge’s entire fleet already meets all the fuel quality standards recently recommended by the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). The U.S. Senate passed a bill approving the IMO framework and on July 21, 2008, President Bush signed that bill into law.

"EPA is pleased to recognize these SmartWay Partners with a 2008 Excellence Award. I commend Trailer Bridge for its leadership in promoting sustainable transportation practices through the SmartWay Transport Partnership," said Margo T. Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, EPA. "Their commitment is helping lead us toward a cleaner environment and more secure energy supply."

Trailer Bridge was one of 27 companies and organizations, from among the Partnerships’ more than 1000 Partners, to receive this distinction. The awards were announced today at the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Denver, Colorado.

“Our partnership with SmartWay Transport underscores our belief that companies can lower their fuel use, save money and help the environment,” said John D. McCown, CEO of Trailer Bridge. “The partnership provides us with tools and information, and contributes on a daily basis to significant improvements in our efficiency and environmental performance. We urge all of our colleagues in the freight industry to consider joining SmartWay. Furthermore, Trailer Bridge’s existing environmental advantages offer customers and prospects a way to economically get in front of this issue.

Implementation of the new IMO standards will result in carriers that use residual fuel being forced to transition to the more expensive distillate fuel we already use, and our cost advantage will widen. Our definition of sustainability includes all economic and environmental concerns, and we continue to feel the fuel quality issue will be a win-win for Trailer Bridge and its customers in the coming months and years.”

Trailer Bridge provides integrated trucking and marine freight service to and from all points in the lower 48 states, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic bringing efficiency, service, security and environmental and safety benefits to these traffic lanes. This total transportation system utilizes its own trucks, drivers, trailers, containers and U.S. flag vessels to link the mainland with Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic via marine facilities in Jacksonville, San Juan and Puerto Plata. Additional information on Trailer Bridge is available at the www.trailerbridge.com website.