U.S., Canada join together to conserve fuel
The United States and Canada signed an agreement Thursday to reduce pollution from trucks by working together to encourage cross-border motor carriers to reduce vehicle idling, deploy smog-reducing technologies and improve driver training.
Under the agreement, Canada will work to enroll Canadian truckers in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Smartway Transport initiative and U.S. officials will adopt aspects of Natural Resources Canada’s FleetSmart program. Smartway is a voluntary program that encourages carriers to adopt more efficient technologies and management practices to reduce diesel fuel emissions. FleetSmart specializes in driver training and education.
The two governments said they hope to save 440 million gallons of fuel and prevent release of an estimated 5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.