Embark Trucks prioritizes safety, sustainability as it commercializes autonomous trucks

Embark autonomous trucks

Embark Trucks Inc. announced the release of its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report 2021. The publication highlights ESG initiatives the company has undertaken in 2021, including a key focus area review that will serve as a baseline for future endeavors. The company issued this inaugural report less than six months after going public to highlight ESG as a key value within its business.

Environmental initiatives 

Embark is working with fleet partners to help them comply with emissions standards like those announced in the EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan. In one forward-leaning study within the autonomous trucking industry to reduce emissions, Embark is running an electric vehicle drayage pilot with HP Inc., which can reduce HP’s diesel emissions network-wide and create a more sustainable supply chain from end to end for shippers, the company says.

Social initiatives

A primary focus of the company’s ESG mission is to spearhead increased safety on public roads. Already, Embark-powered trucks have driven one million real world miles without a Department of Transportation (DoT) reportable safety incident. Embark’s collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation to improve highway work zone safety is targeted at reducing the 102,000 work zone related crashes reported in the U.S. in 2020, of which large trucks were responsible for 26 percent of fatal crashes.

Governance Initiatives

Embark has taken steps to create strong organizational accountability through the establishment of Independent Board Committees. The board is composed of highly experienced independent directors and has issued a robust Code of Business Ethics, amongst other initiatives. The company also re-emphasized its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), establishing a Company-level Objective & Key Result to prioritize DEI and promote diversity throughout the organization, the company says.

“The trucking industry is contending with a real need for change,” says Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues. “Safety challenges, diesel emissions and a persistent truck driver shortage caused by poor quality of life continue to add significant pressure to an already stressed industry. Making ESG a priority reinforces both Embark’s robust business strategy, and a more resilient trucking industry that is made safer, more sustainable and better for workers. We believe our focus on the sustainability benefits of autonomous trucks will appeal to the significant and growing interest in ESG amongst the investment community.”

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The 2021 ESG Report is Embark’s first published report of its kind and is designed to provide shareholders and stakeholders with a clear tool to track the company’s progress as it continues to achieve its ESG-related goals, the company says.

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