<p>During an important national announcement, President Barack Obama recognized Safeway for its commitment to operating fuel-efficient distribution. Safeway welcomed President Obama to the Upper Marlboro, MD distribution center, where he called for new fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><iframe width="460" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vxaP4-JPiBQ?start=14" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Safeway is a longtime participant in the EPA SmartWay Transportation Program, as both a carrier and shipper, according to a press release. Last year, 99.9% of truckloads which moved through Safeway's distribution centers were shipped by SmartWay Transport carriers who have implemented technologies which improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ton miles per gallon fuel efficiency has improved by nearly 28% since 2006.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In addition to these fuel efficiency standards, Safeway has implemented several other optimizations. Load planning maximizes the amount of product a single truck can deliver to a store. Safeway also collects used cooking oil from stores in California and the Pacific Northwest to create biodiesel fuel for its fleet. In the last year, more than 427,750 gallons of used cooking oil were collected to produce over 348,656 gallons of biodiesel.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In a partnership with Volvo Trucks and Oberon Fuels, Safeway powered two heavy-duty commercial trucks with dimethyl ether (DME) bio-fuel produced from biomass. Utilizing another fuel alternative, the company is also testing five trucks that are powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Speaking in the Washington, DC suburb with the words "Opportunity For All" emblazoned on a banner in the background, Obama announced that the Department of Transportation and the EPA would draft new fuel economy standards for trucks by March 2015, according to the New York Times.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">How will the Presidents new standards affect conventional trucking operations? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow, as we continue to follow this story as it develops.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Home" target="_new"> Safeway </a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/us/politics/obama-to-request-new-rules-for-cutting-truck-pollution.html?_r=0" target="_new"> New York Times </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
