Fleets Aim to Repair Our Air

HAMILTON, Ont. — Canadian Tire Transportation and the City of Hamilton have issued a challenge to all fleets, public and private, across Canada: let’s reduce fleet idling by 20 percent by the end of November, 2005.

Hamilton Councillor, David Mitchell, and Neil McKenna, director of Canadian Tire Transportation, issued the challenge in September. So far, 28 corporations have risen to the challenge.

Fleets challenged to reduce idling and spread best practices

The 2005 Repair Our Air Fleet Challenge engages fleets across Canada to reduce fuel consumption through the adoption of best practices in idling. Research shows that many fleets idle 20 to 60 percent of their operating time, while the most efficient fleets sustain idling at 5 to 10 percent.

“Reducing the environmental impact of our operations continues to be a priority for Canadian Tire,” says McKenna. “We are thrilled to be part of The Repair Our Air Fleet Challenge and look forward to sharing best practices to reduce idling times across our fleet of almost 5,000 trailers and the carrier companies we work with.”

Molson Breweries, for example, saves over $250,000 annually by maintaining idling at less than four percent. Previous participants of the Repair Our Air-Fleet Challenge have achieved similar levels within weeks of launching an awareness and measurement program within their fleets.

Among the for-hire fleets participating in the program are: Canadian Tire, HBC Distribution, Canada Cartage, OK Transportation, RST Industries, Muirs Cartage, and Purolator. For more information on the Repair Our Air Fleet Challenge, go to www.repairourair.org, or contact Darlene Varaleau at 416-538-6127 or varaleau@power-projects.com.