The EPA recognizes Calhoun-based trucking company
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently honored 72 truck carriers, logistics providers and freight shippers as industry leaders in supply chain, environmental, and energy efficiency with its annual SmartWay Excellence Awards — including one local carrier.
This year’s Partner awards were announced at a virtual award ceremony hosted by EPA with its SmartWay Partners, affiliates, key stakeholders, and media in attendance.
EPA Region 4 is proud to highlight this achievement for Calhoun-based RRR Transportation Company, as well as The Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. based in Atlanta.
The awardees represent the top performing, environmentally responsible SmartWay Partners who move more goods, more miles, with lower emissions and less energy. Today’s awardees demonstrate how businesses in this crucial economic sector continue
to lead through challenging times, demonstrating superior freight performance by saving fuel, shrinking their greenhouse gas footprints, and contributing to cleaner air in the communities they serve.
“For 17 years, the SmartWay Transport Partnership has worked with stakeholders in the freight industry
to find innovative ways to reduce pollution from goods movement,” said Sarah Dunham, Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “We commend the innovation, drive, and collaborative spirit of our partners whose efforts are helping to meet the challenge of climate change and to create a healthier environment for us all.”
“The SmartWay Truck Award winners in Georgia have shown a commitment the community by moving more goods with less fuel,” said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator John Blevins. “These companies demonstrate that investments in innovative technologies and business practices can contribute to healthier air and also save fuel and money.”
Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting 143 million tons of CO2, 2.7 million tons of nitrogen oxides and 112,000 tons of particulate matter. Partners have also saved 335 million barrels of oil and over $44 billion in fuel costs – equivalent to eliminating annual energy use in over 21 million homes. These efforts are particularly important for disadvantaged communities near ports, borders and industrial areas, subjected to higher levels of pollution that contributes to smog.
SmartWay is also a key component of the growing suite of Climate Partnership
Programs at EPA, dedicated to helping solve the climate crisis while also creating jobs and strengthening our economy. This year, EPA is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the launch of the first of these voluntary programs which allow EPA to work hand-in-hand with the private sector.
This year’s SmartWay Excellence Awardee list is a diverse group with about one-third first-time awardees, about one-third which have received the award at least five times, and four awardees in multiple categories. This range of repeat and first-time awardees demonstrates the competitive nature of this recognition – any company is only as good as its last year’s environmental performance data. The awardees are geographically diverse with awardees from each of EPA’s ten Regions, and six from Canada.