| Canadian Tire paving the way for new transportation options |
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Long Combination Vehicles (LCV’s) are made up of a tractor pulling two full length semi-trailers up to 40 meters in overall length. As there is a substantial environmental benefit in that the use of LCV’s is expected to reduce fuel consumption, as well as emission of greenhouse gases by approximately one-third when compared to utilizing two single tractors, the Ontario government decided to run a pilot project to determine the value of running LCV's in Ontario. The province predicts that wider adoption of LCV’s on Ontario highways could reduce fuel consumption by 70 million litres a year, and could reduce GHGs by 200,000 tonnes per year. In line with its wider sustainability goals, Canadian Tire is excited about being involved in this project. The company painstakingly planned the pilot operations for over a year, and carefully selected and trained drivers for the project. On August 5, 2009 the program launched, and to date, Canadian Tire is proud to report 113, 755 successful kilometres driven within the GTA. While the company recognizes that rail is still the most efficient method with which to move freight, and will continue to maximize utilization of this mode of transport, LCV will become an important part of its freight movements. Canadian Tire expects to move approximately 10 to 15 per cent of its over-the-road volume using LCV’s as they provide increased efficiencies over traditional transportation means. Canadian Tire strives to reduce their environmental impact in many spheres, and is taking the lead with innovative solutions such as this one.
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