SmartWay Shipper Partner Tools and Resources
This page has everything you need to get the most out of being a registered SmartWay Shipper.
Bookmark this page for your convenience.
Measure Your Performance
SmartWay Shippers measure, benchmark, and improve their performance on an annual basis. You must submit a completed and accurate SmartWay Shipper Tool to EPA by the due date listed on this page to be a SmartWay Shipper in good standing and to be eligible for partner recognition.
Online Shipper Tool
The tool contains screen demos and guidance on each page to help you complete and submit your tool. This section also contains additional guidance and worksheets to help you collect your data for tool submission.
- If you are an existing partner, access your Online Shipper Tool in your SmartWay Partner Portal
- If you are not a Partner, you will need to first become a SmartWay Applicant.
Shipper Tool Guidance Documents
This page includes all documents supporting the use of the SmartWay Shipper tool, and an Example Shipper Tool.
Use these guides to understand the tool data entry and submission process. Note that the data worksheets are available in the appendices of the User Guide.
- 2024 SmartWay Online Shipper Tool User Guide U.S. Version 1.0 (Data Year 2023) (pdf) This document gives you a more detailed overview of the tool and what you will need to complete it. Be sure to review the handy worksheets for collecting the necessary information for your company's tool submission in the appendices before downloading and using the tool.
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2024 SmartWay Online Shipper Tool: Technical Documentation U.S. Version 1.0 (Data Year 2023) (pdf)
This document discusses tool data sources, calculations, and issues considered in determining methods employed in the tool. - Example SmartWay Shipper Tool
View Shipper Performance Report
SmartWay Shippers providing activity level data (miles and/or tons) are now able to compare their performance against others in their industry. The new Shipper Performance Report helps the shipper company better understand:
- How their performance has changed over time
- How their company compares to its peers
- How their company can continue to improve performance
View a sample performance report: Example SmartWay Shipper Performance Report (PDF)(4 pp, 354 K, June, 2018)
In 2021, Partner Account Managers (PAMS) emailed reports to eligible shippers. Please contact the helpline at smartway_transport@epa.gov if you have questions.
View Carrier Performance Rankings
SmartWay Shippers improve their overall performance by using more and better SmartWay Carriers to move their freight. All SmartWay Carrier Partners are ranked by their performance levels. EPA provides a table with all carriers' relative performance rankings to help SmartWay Shippers and Logistics Company Partners quickly assess the performance of prospective and current carriers in various categories.
- Learn more about SmartWay Carrier Ranking Data
- The performance ranking files are refreshed every Monday afternoon. (For reference purposes only.)
- Understanding SmartWay Data: A Primer for Shippers (PDF) (3 pp, 390K, June 2012, EPA-420-F-12-018)
You can also view detailed reports and other information about partner performance via the SmartWay Portal.
Watch Training Webinars
EPA provides webinars and other training opportunities to help carriers learn how to get more value from the SmartWay Program.
EPA regularly schedules webinars on using the SmartWay tools, unlocking the value of the data, and learning how to improve your fleet’s performance.
Resources to Introduce Your Carriers to SmartWay
EPA has created several tools to help you share the benefits of SmartWay with your carriers.
- Carrier education templates: This page includes several documents and templates to help you introduce your carriers to the benefits of registering with the SmartWay program.
- Web graphics to link to SmartWay's website: Place one or more of these four Web graphics on your website to draw your audience's attention to key SmartWay resources. You can also develop your own graphics to highlight specific SmartWay Web content.
- Download the images: SmartWay ads (zip) To add these images to your website, work with your webmaster and have them link the images to the following urls:
Improve Your Performance
By collaborating with their carriers, suppliers, logistics providers and other partners, shippers often find that they can move and deliver their goods more efficiently and quickly. Other important benefits include gains in overall supply chain performance, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. The resources below identify a range of strategies that SmartWay shippers can use to achieve these benefits.
How to Improve Freight Performance in the Supply Chain
This comprehensive guide provides shippers with guidance on the steps a shipper can take to improve freight efficiency and integrate its transportation and logistics operations into its sustainability goals and plans, including a template for building a freight action plan aimed at improving supply chain performance.
Improving Supply Chain Freight Performance
A Goal Setting Guide for SmartWay Shippers (pdf) (
Fact Sheets and Technical Bulletins
- Fact Sheet - SmartWay Shipper Strategies (PDF) (2 pp, 165K, April 2019, EPA-420-F-19-011)
- Idle Reduction for Shippers and Truck Carriers
- Intermodal for Shippers (PDF) (2 pp, 221K, April 2019, EPA-420-F-19-013)
- Load Optimization for Shippers (PDF) (2 pp, 220K, April 2019, EPA-420-F-19-014)
- Packaging Reduction for Shippers (PDF) (2 pp, 207K, April 2019, EPA-420-F-19-015)
- Route and Network Optimization for Shippers (PDF) (2 pp, 204K, April 2019, EPA-420-F-19-016)
- Endnotes for A Glance at Clean Freight Shipper Strategies (PDF) (7 pp, 467K, April 2019, EPA-420-B-19-004)
The Endnotes document includes citations for all references in the "A Glance at Clean Freight Strategies for Shippers" technical bulletin series.
Take a moment to review the A Glance at Clean Freight Strategies resources for logistics companies found on the SmartWay website. Resources that are especially complimentary of two strategy bulletins on this list include Load Optimization for Logistics Companies (pdf) Route Optimization for Logistics Companies (pdf)
Professional Association Links
Industry trade associations are a great resource for the most up-to-date information about these strategies.
- Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is a trade association that educates and advocates for the retail sector.
- The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) provides education, research, connections, and professional growth for supply chain professionals.
Share Your Achievements
EPA encourages SmartWay Partners to share their achievements and participation in the SmartWay program with their customers, clients, stakeholders, and stockholders. There are several ways Partners highlight achievements:
Best Practices for Sharing your Participation in SmartWay
Read this page for guidance on how to communicate your participation in the Partnership.
Featured Partner Profiles
EPA frequently develops profiles of SmartWay Partners that provide examples of effective freight supply chain sustainability measures.
- If you have a strategy, policy, or solution to a significant freight sustainability challenge that you would like to share with your industry, email your interest (smartway_transport@epa.gov) with the subject line "Interested in becoming a Featured Partner" to be considered.