Transport Partnership U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Fuel Economy Company Profile Headquarters Location Hopedale, Massachusetts Contact: Cindy Normandin Vice President SmartWay Transport Partnership Representative (508) 473-8405 cnormandin@braunsexpress.com Number of Employees: Strategy Category: Fuel Economy Number of Trailers: 180 Number of Power Units: 92 p-,rtnpr 11 i c i Profile BRAUN'S EXPRESS Braun's Express Environmental conservation has always been a prominent issue for the family of David and Cindy Normandin, owners of Braun's Express. Braun's Express, a carrier that specializes in carpet and flooring, hauls products to terminals throughout the New England, New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. "We've always been an environmentally conscious family, which has helped us be conscious in the business and help us decrease our fuel consumption and emissions," explains Stephen Normandin, son of David and Cindy. To the Braun's Express family, joining SmartWay Transport Partnership in fall of 2003 seemed like the next logical step. Braun's Express utilizes electronically controlled shut-down devices in their short haul trucks, which turns off trucks after five minutes if idling. In addition, the company just switched to wide-based tires, resulting in increased fuel sav- ings. Through the use of wide-based tires, Braun's Express has experienced a 3% fuel savings, in addition to weight savings of 850 pounds. In order to increase aerodynamics and increase fuel efficiency, Braun's Express utilizes air foil tops and the road trucks are equipped with aerodynamic bumpers. Braun's Express has saved approximately $40,000 through the use of aerodynamics. Mileage is improved with speed management tools and automatic tire inflation devices. Through speed management strategies, Braun's has saved approximately $8,000 in fuel. In the future, the company hopes to implement side shields and, additionally, install APUs on 30 of their road trucks. In addition, Stephen Normandin states that Braun's Express is "trying to be as responsible as possible," while also trying to promote the program to others. Braun's Express cites bringing the environmental issues to the companies as one of SmartWay's strong points. According to Cindy Normandin, "SmartWay helps keep emissions reduction and increasing fuel efficiency on your mind." Through their partnership with SmartWay, Braun's Express has benefited from various marketing advantages and SmartWay provided information on technologies. http://www.epa.gov/smartway EPA420-F-07-003 ------- |