WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Excellence Awards have recognized 43 truck carriers and one barge carrier as industry leaders in supply chain environmental and energy efficiency. EPA announced the awardees today at the 2016 American Trucking Association’s Annual Management Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Awardees represent the top one to two percent of environmentally-responsible SmartWay carriers that conduct freight operations with lower emissions and less energy. Today’s awardees demonstrate how businesses in their industries can save on fuel costs, shrink their carbon footprints and contribute to healthier air in the communities they serve.

“As the SmartWay program completes its 12th year, EPA recognizes its top carrier partners for their commitment to an efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation supply chain,” said Christopher Grundler, Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation & Air Quality, “These award-winning SmartWay carriers demonstrate companies can compete and thrive while lowering fuel costs and shrinking their carbon footprint.

EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest, most energy-efficient way possible to protect public health and reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting more than 72 million metric tons of carbon pollution, while saving more than 170 million barrels of oil and $24.9 billion in fuel costs – equivalent to eliminating annual energy use in over six million homes. SmartWay also contributes to cleaner air and healthier citizens by cutting emissions that help produce smog, including fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

The 2016 SmartWay Freight Carrier Excellence Award recipients are: