The inaugural meeting of NACFE was hosted by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in Chicago on Nov. 3, 2009. About 75 attendees representing a wide variety of industry, government and nongovernmental organizations determined that an unbiased, comprehensive council would help the trucking industry navigate the large number of energy efficiency technologies and practices in the market.
“Ten years ago, the people who saw the need for NACFE, probably were not aware of the widespread impact the organization would have on the trucking industry. NACFE has brought awareness to the more than 85 technologies that help improve fuel efficiency and have allowed fleets to have confidence in the investments they make in these technologies,” says Rob Reich, senior vice president, Equipment, Maintenance & Driver Development, Schneider and current NACFE Board Chair.
“By working collaboratively with the industry, NACFE has accomplished more than we imagined we would when we launched it 10 years ago. I want to thank all the people who have supported our work and promise that we will continue to help push the industry toward doubling freight efficiency and keep sharing best practices when it comes to new and emerging technologies,” says Mike Roeth, NACFE executive director.
NACFE says here’s a look at some key milestones it has achieved in the past 10 years:
- Conducted seven Annual Fleet Fuel Studies. These deep-dive investigations focus on the adoption of various products and practices for improving freight efficiency in 20 major North American fleets.
- Created the Trucking Efficiency Program in partnership with the Carbon War Room, a nonprofit founded by Sir Richard Branson and others that merged with and now operates as part of RMI.
- Published 16 Confidence Reports on subjects ranging from trailer aerodynamics and 6×2 axles to electronically controlled transmissions and solar panels.
- Issued two Guidance Reports on future technologies, with three more in the works.
- Conducted more than 30 workshops in which fleets, dealers, truck makers, industry suppliers, government agencies and associations met about a wide range of efficiency-related topics. All told, NACFE has led discussions at over 250 events over the years.
- Completed Run on Less, a cross-country road show in which seven trucks achieved 10.1 mpg over the course of three weeks delivering real freight on real routes across the United States.
“NACFE has many great accomplishments to celebrate over the last 10 years, but one of the most exciting and important achievements has been the Run on Less event, which proved that 10 mpg is possible in real-world conditions,” says Jules Kortenhorst, CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute. “Bold demonstrations like this help to drive confidence in energy-efficient technologies, accelerating their adoption and driving the industry toward the ultimate goal of doubling freight efficiency.”
NACFE will be celebrating its 10th anniversary throughout the year and will be sharing information on where events will happen. NACFE also will be sharing details of its Run on Less Regional event, which will showcase 10 fleets operating in a variety of regional haul application in different geographic and climate areas, NACFE says.
