Penske Repeats as U.S. EPA SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Award Winner

READING, Pa., April. 22, 2014 – Penske Truck Leasing has been named a back-to-back winner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Award. One of 10 companies to win in 2014, Penske was also named a top honoree, cited for its strong marketing efforts.

The SmartWay Affiliate Challenge is a national challenge developed by EPA to acknowledge organizations that participate in SmartWay and do an exceptional job supporting the partnership's freight sustainability goals.

SmartWay Affiliate Honorees have initiated and executed recruiting, promotional and marketing activities that raise awareness and encourage their members to address air pollution from freight activities.

Here are some of the ways that Penske promoted the SmartWay Transport Partnership:

  • Assisting customers with modeling and completion of the program's tools and helping them to establish fuel economy and emissions benchmarking that correlate with SmartWay Carrier Performance Rankings
  • Ongoing education and introduction of customers to join SmartWay
  • Hosting of educational events for customers via webinars, one-on-one education and strategy sessions
  • Attending and presenting at sustainability conferences, college symposiums and other transportation industry events

“We are truly honored to be a repeat winner of the SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Award,” stated Drew Cullen, Penske Vice President of Fuels and Environmental Affairs. “It is in our company DNA to not only be good environmental stewards ourselves, but to also aid our customers in identifying, quantifying and implementing sustainable transportation solutions.”

“I commend Penske for its level of commitment, enthusiasm, and creativity in promoting EPA's SmartWay program, and sustainable transportation,” said Chris Grundler, Director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “Penske's work in this arena brings us all closer to achieving the shared goals of clean freight and clean air.”

EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to help business improve the sustainability of their freight supply chains. Today the Partnership consists of nearly 3,000 Partners, representing a cross section of the freight supply chain industry. As of today, SmartWay Partners have saved 120.7 million barrels of oil. This is equivalent to taking over 10 million cars off the road for an entire year. SmartWay's clean air achievements (51.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxides so far) help protect the health and well-being of citizens while contributing to our nation's economic and energy security. More information on SmartWay in general: http://www.epa.gov/smartway/.

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pa., is a joint venture of Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and General Electric Capital Corporation. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, used truck sales, transportation and warehousing management and supply chain management solutions. To learn more about Penske's products and services please visit GoPenske.com. Penske Truck Leasing on social media: Move Ahead Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.