This week is Thanksgiving, a time of reflection for many people. Today, I too took some time to think about the things I am grateful and thankful for as executive director of NACFE.
To start with there is no way we could be doing the work we do and make the inroads toward raising the national mpg average alone. I am lucky to have a great board of directors that pushes my team and me to continue to question the things we are doing to make sure we stay relevant in light of the rapid pace of technological development in the trucking industry.
We see these industry leaders as one parent and the great people at Rocky Mountain Institute & Carbon War Room as our other parent. RMI celebrated its 35th anniversary this year as a leading business to business energy non-profit working to help solve the world’s energy challenges. Their expertise on this side of the NACFE coin, I am very grateful for.
Then there are all the companies that sponsor our work. For 2018 that includes: Eaton, Bergstrom, Dana, Lubrizol, Shell, Schneider, Michelin, Meritor, Navistar, Pepsico, Cummins, PSI, Werner, Aperia, Kenworth Sales Co., Great Dane, Geotab, Volvo, UPS, Freightliner, ACT Research, IMI, Flexx, Flow Below, Hylion, Idle Smart, Velociti, Stoughton, Allison Transmission, Eco Flaps, Hendrickson, Link, Wabash, Fontaine Modification and The Aluminum Association. And new supporters are joining for 2019.
A big part of our effectiveness is the result of fleet executives who are willing to share with us both their fuel economy successes and struggles. Fleets, from those that give us data for our Annual Fleet Fuel Study to those that let us interview them for our Confidence Reports and Guidance Reports, are the ones bringing us the real world data we need to assign confidence ratings to the various technologies on the market that help improve freight efficiency.
I would also be remiss if I did not thank industry suppliers and manufacturers for also being open with us and giving us an inside look at some of the technologies they are developing for the market.
And finally, I have to thank the media, including Fleet Owner, for helping us spread our message to the entire industry.
We’ve all heard that expression about it taking a village. When it comes to improving freight efficiency it takes every area of an industry. And I am grateful that I get to be part of moving the industry ever closer to that 10-MPG average for all fleets.
