NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa, Oct. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartland Express, Inc. (www.heartlandexpress.com) (HTLD) was honored with a SmartWay® Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a true industry leader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency.
Heartland Express has a historical commitment of continued investment in its fleet of tractors. Operating a tractor fleet of late model directly contributes to the Company’s commitment to clean air and carbon footprint. Heartland’s tractor fleet is equipped with aerodynamic technologies along with idle management controls. Route engineering and speed regulations, paired with maintenance efficiency practices add to the sustainability of Heartland’s carbon footprint.
“Heartland Express has a continuous focus on providing a quality experience for our customers, community and professional drivers. This commitment drives our pledge to help protect the environment, by leveraging the latest environmentally friendly technologies”, noted Mike Gerdin, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are delighted to be recognized with a SmartWay Excellent Award four times, and five times in the last seven years, including acquired companies, as an indication of our commitment to environmental efficiencies.”
Heartland was one of 55 truck and multimodal carriers to receive this distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay’s 3700 Partners. The Excellence Awardees were honored at the 2019 American Trucking Association’s Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, California on October 7th, 2019.
“This year, the U.S. EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is recognizing 50 truck carriers and five multimodal carriers as recipients of the 2019 SmartWay Excellence Award,” said EPA’s Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Sarah Dunham. “These awardees are the top two percent of environmental performers among all of our SmartWay Partners. They are redefining best practices for freight transport by reducing fuel costs and improving the public health of the communities they serve.
About Heartland Express
Heartland Express is an irregular route truckload carrier based in North Liberty, Iowa serving customers with shipping lanes throughout the United States. Heartland focuses on medium to short haul regional freight, offering shippers industry leading on-time service so they can achieve their strategic goals for their customers. More information about Heartland Express can be found on the company website at www.heartlandexpress.com.
About SmartWay
EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest, most energy-efficient way possible, while protecting public health and reducing air pollution. Demonstrating a commitment to corporate sustainability and social responsibility through SmartWay provides for a more competitive business environment, while enabling partners to make freight decisions that have a positive impact on efficiency and the environment. Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting more than 134 million tons of air pollutants (NOx, PM, and CO2) contributing to cleaner air and healthier citizens, while saving 280 million barrels of oil and $37 billion in fuel costs – equivalent to eliminating the annual energy use of over 18 million homes.
For more information on SmartWay, please visit: www.epa.gov/smartway/
For more information about the SmartWay Excellence Awards, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/smartway/smartway-excellence-awardees
Contact:
Heartland Express, Inc.
Michael Gerdin, Chief Executive Officer
319-626-3600
or
Chris Strain, Chief Financial Officer
319-626-3600