The Legal Side of Eco-Friendly Trucking: Compliance and Best Practices

Trucking remains one of the most consistent transportation practices for getting goods from one location to another. However, trucking also comes with lots of gas emissions and affects the environment in ways that aren’t always positive. For this reason, many states are incorporating more eco-friendly practices into trucking laws, and many trucking companies are taking more environmentally sound approaches to make their transportation efforts more environmentally sound.

As a trucker or truck company owner, it’s your responsibility to understand the legal side of eco-friendly trucking. Doing so helps you better health of the environment andof the people on earth, which is important. This helps you stay compliant in your business while still allowing you to operate your trucking business smoothly. Learn more about what eco-friendly trucking is, its legalities, and best practices for keeping your trucking endeavors compliant with applicable laws and regulations.

What Is Eco-Friendly Trucking?

Eco-friendly trucking is the practice of using as little energy as possible to transport goods from one location to the next. It’s also the practice of utilizing as many renewable sources as possible for transportation and wasting as little as possible.

The purpose and goal of eco-friendly trucking are to reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere as well as the number of trips a trucking company makes. All this is done while also attempting to lessen environmental waste. An eco-friendly trucking company can make a major positive impact on the environment overall.

What Are Some Legalities Regarding Eco-Friendly Trucking?

There are some legalities that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put in place to encourage more ecnomically sound trucking activities. One of the most impactful legalities is an emissions standards testing that must be done on trucks in certain areas in order to make them road-worthy. These emissions standards are often more strict in larger cities or more congested areas that encounter more smog.

Other legalities include the following considerations that you can keep in mind as you make your own trucking practice more environmentally-friendly.

Safety Training And Checkpoints

Safety training and checkpoints are other ways that eco-friendly trucking standards can be better monitored. It’s wise to encourage safe operation practices with all your trucking employees so they know how to best pack and transport goods in a way that reduces fuel consumption and maximizes inventory space to keep transportation at its best efficiency.

Safety training also includes preventing accidents on major roadways, especially when hauling heavy and maximum weights. This includes training to allow for better transportation and handling on the winding roads in Springfield, Tennessee. Common injuries in Springfield truck crash accidents include broken bones and whiplash from truck rollovers due to being overweight or by trucking employees being under-trained. These accidents cost a lot of money in repairs and medical costs, not to mention impact the environment in spills and excess emissions being put in the air.

Hazardous Materials Requirements

Hazardous, toxic, flammable, and other related materials will often require additional training and transportation skills. These materials include gasoline and other flammable liquids, fireworks, ammunition, medications, and toxic materials. If you’re transporting goods from state-to-state or even from one country to another (such as Mexico into the US) you’ll need to adhere to hazardous materials requirements for both countries or various states you pass through.

Best Practices in Eco-Friendly Trucking To Stay Compliant

Luckily there are several ways you can make your trucking company more eco-friendly so you can stay compliant with the laws in your state and beyond. The first practice you can consider is to be compliant with load weights and obtain heavy load permits as needed to reduce the amount of trucking trips your employees take (which reduces carbon emissions and saves on energy costs). Other best practices to consider may come at an investment, but the government may assist in helping make these investments more cost-effective for your business.

Invest In Hybrid Or Alternative Fuel Vehicles

You can have your diesel vehicles retrofitted to allow for alternative fuel substitutions that are more environmentally friendly and cost-effective to operate. Some government programs can help fund the process of making your diesel or older vehicles more eco-friendly. Similarly, you can upgrade your trucking fleet to more modern and environmentally sound options.

Some states even offer reduced fees and checkpoint requirements for trucking companies that use more emissions-friendly vehicles. Keep thai in mind as you explore your compliance needs to make your trucking company more economically sound.

Invest In Route And Packing Technologies

Technology can be used in several ways to make the earth a better place. Similarly to how you’d use modern advancements to focus on your health and well-being, you can use technology to make the best use of truck routes (to reduce travel times and distances, and therefore, energy) and to learn the most efficient ways to maximize packing allowances in your trucks. This reduces the number of trips your trucks have to take and saves your company money in the long  run — all while making your company more legally compliant when it comes to eco-friendly trucking.

Wrapping Up

Operating a more eco-friendly trucking business not only makes your company more compliant with state and national laws, it helps you make the world a better place as well. Explore your options in eco-friendly trucking practices so you do your part to make the world more environmentally sound.