Last week, I attended the PepsiCo Fleet Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, and had the opportunity to talk with Mike O’Connell, Frito-Lay's National Director of Fleet Capability (pictured below with a Sprinter truck). I wanted to find out how the new fuel-efficient Sprinter route trucks I blogged about last year were performing for Frito-Lay and to learn more about the fleet team’s environmental sustainability efforts going forward.
"2009 was an outstanding year for fleet sustainability because we reduced total fuel consumption compared to last year,” Mike told me, as we walked around the convention floor. “This is a big accomplishment since we have one of the largest private truck fleets in the country. Achieving a five percent reduction really required a concerted effort across our entire fleet operation.”
Mike told me that the fleet team started by embracing new technologies -- adding 1,200 Sprinter route trucks to the fleet system and implementing advanced diesel technology to realize further fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. In 2010, the Frito-Lay fleet team will continue investing in new fleet technologies with plans to buy an additional 860 Sprinter trucks and to begin testing Smith Electric Vehicles (pictured below) in some of the metropolitan areas we service.
Mike also explained that Frito-Lay has programs in place to help reduce emissions from the existing route trucks used to bring our products to stores across the country. "We train and certify our salespeople who drive the route trucks on how to conserve fuel while the truck is running -- idling properly, being conscious of acceleration and other techniques," Mike said. "We're also constantly reevaluating truck routing to minimize miles driven, and there is an enhanced maintenance program in place at all sites to ensure tires are properly inflated and engines are running smoothly at all times."
Lastly, Mike told me the aerodynamics of Frito-Lay’s more than 1,200 “over-the-road” tractor trailers (big rigs) have been redesigned to improve fuel efficiency, and the teams have improved the routing of these trucks as well to reduce miles driven.
One of the most exciting parts of attending the PepsiCo Fleet Convention was watching the enthusiasm of the more than 400 vendors and employees from around the country when talking about the next generation of ideas and technologies to improve sustainability and reduce costs with our fleet operations.
With that kind of energy and commitment, I feel confident Mike and the Frito-Lay Fleet Capability team will continue to make progress with their environmental sustainability programs this year and beyond.
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