Environmental Stewardship

As the nation’s fourth largest LTL shipper, Estes is committed to providing top-of-the-line transportation solutions while still remaining a good steward of the Earth. That’s why we:

  • Committed to becoming the first LTL carrier to participate in the 2022 inaugural year of Remora’s carbon capture pilot program
  • Were one of the first trucking companies to join the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership in 2004
  • Continue to expand our fleet of alternative fuel vehicles and electric forklifts
  • Implement strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle in our day-to-day logistics
  • Invest in solar energy as a nonpolluting, renewable resource
  • Reduce emissions by using newer equipment and route optimization technology

At Estes, we’ve got our eyes on the road and the environment. Explore the following tabs to discover the many ways we’re investing in tomorrow through our commitment to eco-sustainability.

remora-offload-tank_144x108At Estes, we’re committed to doing right by our customers, and the planet. That’s why we’re excited to be the first LTL carrier to participate in the inaugural pilot of Remora, a new carbon capture technology that vastly reduces the amount of CO2 a semi-truck releases into the earth’s atmosphere.

Remora was developed out of research funded by the EPA to:

  • Build carbon capture devices that can be retrofitted to the tailpipe of virtually any kind of semi-truck
  • Capture up to 80% of the truck’s CO2 emissions
  • Permanently sequester the captured carbon by selling it to end-users like concrete producers, who use CO2 in the concrete curing process

Estes is one of only six companies to participate in the inaugural year of Remora pilots and will be retrofitting ten vehicles with this groundbreaking new carbon capture technology.

In addition to carbon capture, Estes also employs these carbon-reducing practices:

  • Replacing older, less-efficient tractors with EPA-certified models: At the end of 2018, 70% of our tractors were four years old or newer
  • Investing in route optimization software: We use route optimization software to organize all our scheduled delivery stops into the shortest, most efficient trip possible. We also work to maximize every load to ensure that we’re minimizing empty miles
  • Improving engine efficiency: When a machine needs less engine power to perform its function, it burns less fuel, emits less CO2, and eats up less fuel-production energy. We have developed a deliberate equipment-investment strategy that allows us to keep our equipment in top condition and our engine efficiency at an optimal level
  • Managing driver performance: We’ve installed PeopleNet Fleet Manager software in our tractors to monitor driver performance and ensure the best fuel economy. Studies show the most efficient drivers get about 30% better fuel economy than the least efficient drivers
  • Conducting pre-trip inspections and training: We offer resources to address industry best practices for increasing driver efficiency, such as proper tire inflation, optimal shifting, speed management, and idling-shutdown tools
  • Calculating our carbon footprint: We base our carbon footprint calculations on fuel consumption and miles per gallon. Over the years, we’ve managed to keep our carbon footprint relatively flat, despite the growth in our fleet

Better driver efficiency and newer, more efficient equipment mean less greenhouse gas emissions and millions of dollars in fuel cost savings.

SmartWay Transport Partnership

In 2004, Estes demonstrated our commitment to eco-sustainability by becoming one of the first trucking companies to join the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership.

This innovative collaboration between the freight industry and government improves energy efficiency and security while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. SmartWay gives carriers the tools to verify the benefits of fuel-saving vehicles and equipment, and at Estes, we use SmartWay-approved vendors for purchases of new tractors, trailers, and tires.

Since its inception, SmartWay has helped its partners avoid emitting 150 million tons of air pollution into the environment.

RecyclingWhether in our shops, terminals, or in our trucks, we conserve natural resources through:

  • Recycling metal: We send all of our scrap metal to recyclers, keeping tons of waste out of landfills nationwide.
  • Recycling water: We protect groundwater by having a licensed disposal company collect and recycle our used antifreeze, oil and oil filters in an environmentally responsible manner.
  • Improved shop cloths: We conserve water and electricity—and help keep detergents and other chemicals out of the environment—by replacing washable cloth shop rags with biodegradable, paper-based clean-up sheets.
  • Paper conservation: We have reduced our company-wide paper consumption by countless millions of sheets by providing customers with paperless e-commerce solutions (online shipping forms and EDI and Web Services).
  • Refurbished parts and components: We use rebuilt/remanufactured components when repairing units, including starters, alternators, brake shoes, transmissions, differentials and other parts.
  • LED lighting: All equipment purchases use LED lighting. This long-life lighting technology has significantly reduced the number of light bulbs we discard every year.
  • Repurposed materials: Our nationwide network of more than 200 terminals reuses cardboard and pallets as dunnage to help secure customer freight during transit.
  • Recapped tires: We have extended tread life and reduced waste by recapping more than 780,000 tires since 2008.

Cleaner ProcessesWe follow environmentally responsible procedures to keep harmful pollutants out of the air and groundwater in the communities we serve.

  • Nonhazardous cleaning solutions: Our shop facilities use a nonhazardous solution for parts cleaning to minimize waste disposal. And to help protect groundwater from contaminants, no chlorinated solvents are used in our shops.
  • Smarter wash systems: Many of our wash systems feature oil-water separators, plus closed-loop applications that minimize discharge to sewer systems. For facilities without wash systems, outside contractors reclaim all wash water. We’ve also eliminated the use of acids in our trailer-washing process to help prevent metals from seeping into the groundwater.
  • Refrigerant capture: When servicing air conditioning units, we always capture Freon and other harmful refrigerants to ensure their disposal in an environmentally friendly manner.
  • Better tank systems: Most of our in-house fueling facilities use above-ground tank systems, which meet or exceed all federal, state and local regulations. Many are equipped with canopies to help prevent storm-water runoff, as well as card readers that limit potential spillage.
  • Maintenance: We follow more efficient schedules for routine vehicle maintenance, which reduces the amount of waste oil to recycle.
  • Mosquito prevention: Our mounted wheel program helps prevent the buildup of standing water in tires, which eliminates breeding sites for mosquitoes that carry disease-causing viruses.
  • Wheel refurbishing: We’ve reduced the use of aerosols in our shops by sending our wheels to responsible outside contractors for restoration.
  • Earth-friendly parts washing: Shops feature self-contained sinks for washing vehicle parts, which help prevent oil and chemicals from entering the environment.
  • Rack-stored batteries: We store our vehicle batteries in special racks that collect acids and other hazardous chemicals.

Renewable EnergySolar is a nonpolluting, renewable resource that delivers reliable power year-round. We currently have solar-powered systems installed in four of our terminals, Baltimore, MD; Elkton, MD; Greensboro, NC; and West Middlesex, PA. And we have plans to begin installation on four more solar-powered systems in 2022. 

  • Greensboro’s system includes 2,760 solar panels that generate about 1,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year.
  • Baltimore’s system generates about 320 megawatt-hours from its 1,100 rooftop panels. Elkton’s 1,232 panels and the West Middlesex installation of 2,150 panels generate more than 777 megawatt-hours annually.
  • Approximately 93% of the Elkton terminal’s annual energy needs are met though its solar power system, which accounts for an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of about 280 tons. Baltimore’s system covers the reduction of about another 250 tons each year.
  • Greensboro’s system is designed to produce enough clean electricity to power all of the buildings on site. It accounts for the annual reduction in CO2 emissions of about 775 tons. And the West Middlesex system produces enough power to cover 90% of the facility’s energy consumption.
  • The following comparable equivalents illustrate the magnitude of our solar power systems’ combined environmental impact through reduced annual CO2 emissions:
    • 732 passenger vehicles driven for one year
    • One year’s energy use by 663 homes
    • The annual consumption of 407,598 gallons of diesel fuel or 356,189 gallons of gasoline

Fuel EfficiencyWe make responsible decisions about fuel usage. From route-planning technology to ensuring we carry freight as efficiently as possible, we work hard to minimize our trucks’ fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

  • Better fuels
    • Renewable natural gas: More than 70 of our trucks run on RNG derived from biogenic methane, produced by organic waste from dairies, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants; this fuel reduces climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70%
    • ULSD fuel: Our standard trucks use only ULSD (Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel) fuel, which reduces the emission of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides
    • Bio-diesel: We use B5 blend bio-diesel in some states
    • Conversion to propane: Our forklifts have been converted from gasoline/diesel to propane
    • Conversion to electric: We’re expanding our use of electric forklifts, which emit no harmful fumes and release no greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere; most electric forklift batteries can be recycled, which further helps the planet
  • Optimizing fuel efficiency
    • PrePass and EZ Pass: Our drivers utilize PrePass and EZ Pass to bypass weigh stations and toll plazas, meaning trucks spend less time idling
    • Efficient Driving: Every tractor is equipped with computerized PeopleNet® hardware that records driver inefficiencies that can waste fuel, such as long idle, excess speed and over-RPM metrics
    • Fuel economy monitors: Trucks are equipped with technology for tracking and measuring fuel economy; we can then address any issues that might lead to wasted fuel
    • Improved aerodynamics: We have installed aerodynamic skirts on long-haul trailers to cut fuel consumption up to 5%; our equipment also features air fairings and side fairings, which further improves vehicle aerodynamics
    • Reduced oil consumption: We use synthetic lubricants for all drivetrains (transmissions and rears) to reduce friction and improve fuel mileage
    • Low-profile tires: We have converted our entire fleet to low-profile tires to reduce rolling resistance and lower fuel consumption
    • Speed management: We’ve reduced power-unit speed from 68 to 66 mph to increase vehicle fuel mileage
    • Weight reduction: By using aluminum rather than steel fuel tanks, we reduce power unit weight by 65 pounds, which improves fuel economy
    • Card-locked fuel systems: We use card-locked systems for our vehicles to foil wasteful, unauthorized access to fuel; our systems also employ breakaway hoses to help prevent potential soil and water pollution from fuel spills

  • Smarter Route Planning
    • Innovative route-planning software: We use sophisticated route-planning software to ensure that we’re carrying freight as efficiently as possible, thereby limiting greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary fuel consumption
    • Fewer empty loads: Through engineering and technology, we have reduced the percentage of empty miles since the mid-2000s by more than 35%; that both decreases our emissions footprint and keeps costs down for our customers
    • Intermodal transport: In 2018, we reduced our carbon footprint by 714.8 million metric tons by utilizing rail when appropriate