Delivery companies doing their part

From Environmental News:

FedEx increased its North America hybrid truck fleet by 50 percent with today’s announcement of 92 additional retrofitted delivery trucks.

The shipping giant now boasts 264 hybrid trucks, which it says is the largest hybrid package delivery fleet in North America. The repurposed vehicles are 44 percent more fuel-efficient that standard FedEx delivery trucks and produce 96 percent fewer particulates and 75 percent fewer smog-causing emissions.

The company turned to Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. and Eaton Corp. for the delivery truck retrofits performed on 2000 and 2001 model year delivery trucks, which had been driven between 300,000 and 500,000 miles. The retrofitted trucks will be largely deployed in the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco metropolitan areas.

Not to be outdone, UPS has made similar strides (also from Environmental News):

Did you know that UPS trucks have a “No Left Turn”� policy on deliveries? The company has taken another step toward energy conservation by ordering 500 more hybrid and compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery vehicles.

UPS calls its trucks the Green Fleet, and is expanding from 50 hybrid electric trucks to 250 (the largest commercial order of such trucks by any company). The CNG-run fleet will increase from 800 to 1,100 as well.

The purchase means the largest private alternative fuel fleet in the U.S. will grow 30 percent more in 2009. This will save 176,000 gallons of fuel annually and 1,786 metric tons of carbon emissions each year—the equivalent of removing almost 100 conventional UPS trucks from the road for a year.

Many UPS stores also offer reuse/recycling for shipping products, including packing peanuts and cardboard boxes. Use Earth 911’s recycling locator to see if your local store participates.