^SmartWay
Transport Partnership
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Tire Technology -
Wide-Base Tires
Company Profile
Headquarters Location
Joplin, Missouri
Contact:
Bruce Stockton
VP, Maintenance
SmartWay Transport
Partnership Representative
(417) 659-5085
bstockton@cfi-us.com
Number of Employees:
3,000
Strategy Category:
Tire Technology
Number of Trailers:
7,400
Number of Power Units:
2,095
ff P G T
Profile
Contract Freighters, Inc.
Contract Freighters, Inc. (CFI),founded in 1951,operates over 2,400 trac-
tors and over 7,000 trailers and transports a variety of goods throughout
the contiguous United States and Canada. CFI interlines with Mexican
carriers at various border crossings to provide through-trailer service to Mexico.
In addition to its Joplin headquarters, CFI operates four terminals and numerous
drop lots along the border and throughout the United States. CFI and its
subsidiaries, CFI Mex, CFI de Mexico, and CFI Logfstica, have 37 sales offices
throughout North America. The driver fleet is comprised of both company
drivers and independent contractors.
In late 2002, CFI began looking for ways to improve their fleet's fuel
economy. Recognizing that wide-base tires improve fuel economy because
they weigh less than conventional tires and have a lower rolling resistance,
CFI decided to purchase 750 tractors outfitted with wide-base tires from
their original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Each tractor cost only $40
more than it would have otherwise cost if it did not have wide-base tires.
With a fuel economy improvement of 2/10 to 3/10 of a mile per gallon, CFI
estimated that the $40 per truck was paid for within the first 2,500 miles
of driving.
In addition to purchasing tractors with wide-base tires, CFI outfitted 100
trailers with wide-base tires. In 2004, CFI estimated savings of approxi-
mately 805,000 gallons of fuel due to their wide-base tires.
CFI's drivers have said that they prefer wide-base tires for several reasons:
I) their brakes stay cooler and offer more stopping power because the
wide-base wheel exposes more of he break drum; and 2) it is easy to
determine if a tire's air pressure is low because there isn't another tire
beside it; and 3) the tires look attractive.
CFI expects to have 100% of its
tractor fleet converted by the end
of 2006. According to CFI, this
will translate into fuel savings
of approximately 2.3 million
gallons per year, which will
amount to cost savings of
approximately $4.6 million!
http://www.epa.gov/smartway
EPA420-F-06-OM
------- |