At Pride Transport, we’re proud to be at the forefront of change in the trucking industry. We adapt to new technology, stay current on safety systems and regulations, and offer several training programs to help our drivers perform at the highest level.

In recent years, we’ve learned more about the industry’s environmental impact and believe it’s time for another change that will have a positive impact for years to come. We’re committing to reducing our environmental impact and creating more sustainable practices by seeking ISO 14001 certification. The following article is to help you understand the significance of this certification and its impact on our future! 

Understanding ISO 14001 Certification

Before getting into the benefits, it’s important to understand what, exactly, ISO 14001 certification is. Essentially, this is an environmental management system that provides a framework for reducing and regulating environmental impact. Every industry impacts the environment in one way or another, and it’s important for the trucking industry to regulate its impact on the world we live in.

This consideration is imperative because the world can’t operate without transportation. Moving goods from one place to another literally keeps our economies running. Although trucking is essential, it also has an outsized impact on the environment. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for 5% of all vehicles on the road, yet they generate 21% of transportation emissions.

Obtaining ISO 14001 certification signals to the rest of the industry that we’re committed to enhancing environmental performance and sustainability, and we care about meeting these standards the right way. When one trucking operation accepts the responsibility of contributing to the greater good, others are more likely to follow in their footsteps, creating an even greater impact.

What Certification Means for Pride Transport

Pride Transport specifically benefits from ISO 14001 certification in a number of ways:

Reducing environmental impact. Over-the-road truck drivers cover tens and even hundreds of thousands of miles each year—and it takes a lot of diesel to fuel those miles! While change won’t necessarily happen overnight, we can take steps now to reduce our environmental impact through the use of fuel efficient vehicles and more strategic route planning.

Reducing resource consumption. Reducing our reliance on certain resources and implementing more efficient practices will streamline our operations and, eventually, we’ll be able to pass those savings along to our team and clients in meaningful ways. Using fewer resources also results in less waste generation, further reducing our impact on the environment.

Regulatory compliance. By committing to better environmental practices now, we’re making it even easier for our team to continue to meet regulatory requirements in the future.

While obtaining the ISO 14001 certification, we’ve developed new practices that have made us more effective overall. We’re implementing more sustainable practices that can offer our customers reassurance that we take environmental concerns seriously. People want to do business with organizations that share their values, and we’re proud to embrace this value!

How Does ISO 14001 Impact Drivers and Employees?

Before moving forward with any major initiatives, we consider the impact it will have on our team members. In the case of ISO 14001, we believe that this certification will benefit all of our employees. When we make conscientious decisions to work toward a better future together, we succeed as a team and reap the same rewards.

To move toward more environmentally sustainable operations, Pride Transport drivers and employees can refer to the Environmental Management System (EMS) guide. The EMS will be our go-to resource for ongoing environmental practices. We say “ongoing” because our goal is to continually adapt the system to meet new standards for every environmental issue that impacts our industry, including air pollution, waste management, and climate change adaptation, to name a few.

Additionally, every employee will have the opportunity to participate in Environmental Awareness Training to learn more about the risks, impacts, and obligations that inform our environmental policy objectives. Creating standard processes and training across the organization helps to ensure we’re all on the same page, which boosts workplace efficiency.

The Importance of Protecting the Environment Through Sustainable Practices

Environmental responsibility and occupational health are among our top priorities at Pride Transport. In this way, the standards we meet to obtain ISO 14001 certification help us continue our tradition of providing safe working conditions for our employees.

For example, consider our trucks: The average age of our fleet vehicles is 23 months, which means our drivers are equipped with the safest and most technologically advanced trucks on the road. Specifically, the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution meets the industry benchmark for high levels of fuel efficiency.

Fuel efficient vehicles help us conserve resources (and save on fuel costs) and reduce pollution by releasing fewer greenhouse gasses back into the air. ISO 14001 certification means that we’ll regularly evaluate and evolve our practices as fuel regulations change, cleaner alternatives become available, and fuel efficient vehicles are more widely accessible.

ISO 14001 Certification: The Future of Transport

There’s no denying that the transportation industry not only consumes many resources, it also generates its share of pollutants and waste. Freight has to be moved, and the services that our industry provides are critically essential. But if there are better, more sustainable ways to do our job, we need to consider how we can move the industry forward in ways that benefit everyone.

As an industry, we’ve made strides in the right direction. According to American Trucking Associations, “Over the last three decades, emissions from new trucks have been reduced by more than 98%.” We’re learning how electric vehicles will fit into the industry at scale, and FedEx even set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2040. Working toward ISO 14001 certification is one way (of many!) that we can contribute to protecting the environment on a global scale.

ISO certification is internationally recognized. Setting global standards for environmental protection helps everyone work toward the same goal of safeguarding nature’s future. Just as our training program will create more efficient standards and communications for our own team, international standards help everyone, everywhere, reach the same goal.

Obtaining ISO 14001 certification is a lengthy process, but it’s one we at Pride Transport are committed to fulfilling. We’re excited to be a part of the movement toward sustainable and environmentally friendly operations and are looking forward to experiencing its positive impact on the trucking industry!

To learn more about Pride’s sustainability and efficiency goals, click here.