There has been increased pressure on the freight industry to reduce their carbon footprint while states and countries establish lofty carbon emission goals every year. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), 72% of freight in the United States is moved via truck. Keeping store shelves full and restaurants stocked with supplies only scratches the surface of how important the trucking industry is to our country. There are nearly 40 million trucks registered and used in the commercial space and nearly 100 million jobs exist as a result. The importance of the trucking industry is no secret, as there is plenty of data to support that fact; however, most are hyper-focused on one statistic in particular – the trucking industry accounts for 24% of the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.
As a result, there is growing pressure to electrify the trucking industry and chase down the elusive “net zero carbon emission” status. How can we get there? If the idea of simply swapping out all medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDV) for electric vehicles seems unrealistic, that’s because it is. Statista predicts there will be about 325,000 electric commercial vehicles on the road globally. While that may seem like a lot, when you compare it to the 22 million diesel-powered MHDV vehicles sold yearly, it’s not quite as impressive. Additional obstacles include the time required to charge a commercial truck battery as well as the limited availability of charging stations. There are over 145,000 gas stations in the United States, but various companies are currently working toward installing a couple thousand commercial charging stations by 2030. It can take up to two hours to fully charge a commercial truck battery. Going with the age-old saying, “time is money,” the industry simply cannot afford that at this time.
You might be asking yourself if there are any alternatives. At Guttman Renewables, there is. For a fraction of the cost of purchasing an electric MHDV, we provide a program to neutralize the carbon emissions of your fleet one gallon at a time. By enrolling in the Carbon Offsets program, we give you peace of mind knowing you can operate a carbon neutral fleet. With options currently limited to achieve this goal, there are a few viable and inexpensive options such as the Carbon Offsets program at Guttman Renewables. For more information, check out our website at www.guttmanenergy.com/renewables. There is even a carbon emissions calculator for helping identify your footprint and ways you can achieve carbon neutral status with the program.
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