BOSTON - In a just-released whitepaper, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and fleet management company PHH Arval have identified and highlighted "effective and replicable strategies" to help medium-duty truck fleets reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and trim fuel costs, announced Jason Mathers, EDF project manager.

The whitepaper, Greenhouse Gas Management for Medium-Duty Truck Fleets, showcases 14 strategies and includes options for every duty cycle to improve efficiency and cut emissions.

EDF data indicates medium-duty trucks consume more than 8 billion gallons of fuel annually. In addition, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, medium-duty vehicles, Classes 3-6, account for nearly 10 percent of all U.S. motor vehicle GHG emissions, emitting an average of more than 13 metric tons of CO₂ per vehicle each year.

Highlights of the EDF/PHH Arval whitepaper, available at http://edf.org/greenfleet, include:

• How Frito-Lay saved 10 percent on fuel by downsizing its urban grocery store delivery truck model from a 24-foot Class 6 straight truck to a 20-foot Class 5.

• How by reducing speeding and after-hours use and deploying a telematics solution, LKQ decreased idling by 62 percent and saved 16 gallons of fuel per vehicle each month.

• How Staples modified the transmission control unit and installed speed governors to increase the fuel economy of its single-unit trucks by 12-16 percent.

• How PoolCorp improved fuel economy by 4 percent by making adjustments to the Engine Control Module (ECM) that limit speed and shorten engine idle intervals.

Another fleet resource - a Wikipedia site - launched by EDF encourages sharing of individual medium-duty truck fleet experiences in reducing fuel consumption and GHG emissions.

"In the long-term effort to reduce fleet greenhouse gas emissions, everyone benefits by sharing their knowledge about successful strategies," said Mathers. "We hope that this wiki can be one tool for sharing success stories and spreading knowledge that helps everyone to cut costs and carbon."

Any visitor can add or edit text on the open source Web site, http://work-truck-efficiency.wikidot.com.