Roeth: Why trucking needs to stop 'greenhushing' its sustainability wins

I learned a new term the other day. When I was interviewing Chris Guerrero, VP of marketing at ENGIE Resources, he used the term "greenhushing." Make fun of me if you will, but I had never heard that term before. Of course, I was familiar with greenwashing, the practice of promoting a product or service as being more environmentally friendly than it actually is. But greenhushing was new to me.

It seems to be the opposite of greenwashing in that, with greenhushing, companies deliberately underreport or don’t share what they are doing in the area of sustainability and climate commitments. As much as I am a bit puzzled by that, I believe I may be experiencing it almost everywhere I go. Let me try to explain.

I know the current regulatory environment is rolling back some of the rules governing truck emissions. But I still think fleets are taking steps to reduce emissions or operate in a more fuel-efficient manner, and I believe they should be proud of what they are doing. For instance, manufacturers and suppliers are making trucks and products that help fleets move freight while burning less fuel, saving money and emissions.

I’ve been saying for a while that the trucking industry is too modest about its accomplishments, and I think greenhushing is just another example of that modesty.

Trucking is a vital part of the nation’s economy, and as a whole, the industry has done a great job of reducing its impact on the environment. Of course, some say that achievement was mandated, but nothing is forcing fleets like Albert Transport or Mesilla Valley Transportation to regularly see mpg in the double digits, as they demonstrated in Run on Less – Messy Middle.

And there are fleets like Wegmans that have committed to be 100% CNG or Nevoya, which is a fully electric truckload carrier, or JoyRide, the first U.S. regional trucking company to operate fully electric sleeper trucks.

In some cases, using less fuel or operating trucks on a fuel other than diesel is driven by customers who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint and want to partner with fleets that can help them in that effort. In other cases, the fleet believes it has a responsibility to do its part to make the air cleaner for future generations.

These are things we should be proud of, not things we are doing but keeping quiet about. Whether motivated by regulations, saving money, or a commitment to the environment, wanting to operate your fleet in a way that saves fuel and reduces emissions is not something to keep quiet about. As an industry, when we are doing the right thing, we should all shout it from the rooftops. Will you join me?