Natural Resources Canada
97/19 (a)
March 24, 1997

BACKGROUNDER

With more than 13 million vehicles on the road in Canada, the transportation sector makes a significant contribution to urban pollution and global warming.

While vehicle emissions have dropped dramatically thanks to technological improvements, better emission-control devices and stricter standards, Canadian drivers still add more than 90 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere every year — that's 2.5 kilograms of CO2 for every litre of gasoline or diesel fuel burned. Improved energy efficiency, which reduces fuel consumption, is key to Canada's efforts to meet the challenge of reducing CO2 emissions.

FleetSmart provides information to help fleet operators assess the opportunities for improved energy efficiency and reduced fuel costs in their fleet operations. The program builds on NRCan's ten years of experience with the trucking industry through the Pro-Trucker program. Pro-Trucker provided over 30,000 professional drivers with seminars on fuel-efficient driving practices, through joint arrangements with the trucking industry and provincial governments.

FleetSmart encourages cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in all Canadian fleets, including those in the municipal, corporate and trucking sectors. Through strategic alliances with the fleet industry, the program will compile comprehensive information on fleet energy use, establish "best practices" and promote fuel efficiency in vehicle specifications, fleet maintenance, driving practices and management systems. Associations working with NRCan include the National Association of Fleet Administrators, COMCAR, the Private Motor Truck Council, the Canadian School Boards Association, the B.C. Trucking Association and the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario.

Fleet operators registering with the program benefit from access to information on energy-efficient specifications, maintenance and operating practices through workshops, demonstration projects and training. In addition, they receive information Tool Kits that contain print materials relevant to their type of fleet. A highlight of the Tool Kit is a series of FleetSmart Profiles which describes individual fleets' successful energy efficiency projects. The profiles outline the costs and implementation issues that are relevant to many fleet managers.

A series of regional workshops will be held to provide opportunities for fleet managers to discuss technical and operational issues on a variety of topics. Training modules focusing on fuel-efficient driving practices, modeled after the Pro-Trucker program, will be developed in consultation with fleets and the training community. The first such module, which will provide updated information on fuel efficient practices for truck drivers, will be available by the summer of 1997.