While motor vehicle fleets are an absolute necessity for many government agencies and private businesses, the accompanying expense and environmental harm are not. These can be diminished by adopting cleaner, or “green,” fleet practices.

The term “green fleet” describes a motor vehicle fleet that operates efficiently with as little environmental impact as possible. Green fleets offer numerous benefits – such as reduced expenditures through improved fuel economy and overall fleet efficiency, and less environmental impact through cleaner fuels and vehicles, along with changes in driving behavior.

There are four main ways to green a fleet:

1)  Purchase and use greener vehicles

2)  Use greener (i.e., cleaner burning) fuels

3)  Increase the efficiency of the fleet, regardless of the fuel used

4)  Reduce the vehicle miles traveled by the fleet

Implemented individually or collectively, these strategies can help local governments, as well as businesses large and small, meet the challenge of balancing fiscal responsibility with the need to adopt more sustainable practices.

In addition to environmental impacts, transportation accounts for a significant portion (approximately two-thirds) of the petroleum used in this country and approximately 60% of this petroleum is imported. Reducing our dependence on petroleum can increase our energy security and reduce funds sent to foreign countries. Greening a fleet can also mean shifting some of these funds to parts of the US economy and promote US and even regional businesses.

This section of the website provides a guide to help fleets become greener. In addition, you can download the entire guide by clicking this link.

9 Steps to a Greener Fleet: