About Us

In 2023, Estes partnered with Watershed, the leading enterprise carbon accounting platform. This partnership allowed us to create our first-ever carbon footprint for Scopes 1 and 2. We will use this footprint to analyze our emissions data, identify emissions hot spots, inform new reduction targets, and help us to manage our carbon output more effectively.

Estes has partnered with SMC3, a center of expertise for LTL pricing data and technology solutions, to begin developing a shipment-level allocated emissions reporting standard in 2025. Having allocated emissions is important for customers because it allows them to make more informed, sustainable choices by understanding the environmental impact of their shipments, ultimately helping them meet their own sustainability goals and reduce their carbon footprint.

Estes is excited that we will be the first LTL carrier–and one of just six companies–to participate in Remora’s inaugural carbon-capture pilot. Remora is building carbon-capture devices that can be retrofitted to the tailpipe of virtually any semi-truck and can capture up to 80% of the truck’s CO2 emissions. Remora sequesters the captured carbon by selling it to end-users such as concrete producers, who use CO2 in the concrete-curing process. Once it’s available on the open market, this innovative hardware and technology will be a game changer.

Estes also employs these carbon-reducing practices:

• Investing in route optimization software: We use route optimization software to organize all our scheduled delivery stops into the shortest, most efficient trip possible; we also work to maximize every load to ensure that we’re minimizing empty miles
• Improving engine efficiency: When a machine needs less engine power to perform its function, it burns less fuel, emits less CO2, and eats up less fuel-production energy; we have developed a deliberate equipment-investment strategy that allows us to keep our equipment in top condition and our engine efficiency at an optimal level
• Managing driver performance: We’ve installed cutting edge Samsara systems in our tractors to monitor driver performance and ensure the best fuel economy; studies show the most efficient drivers get about 30% better fuel economy than the least efficient drivers
• Conducting pre-trip inspections and training: We offer resources to address industry best practices for increasing driver efficiency, such as proper tire inflation, optimal shifting, speed management, and idling-shutdown tools

Better driver efficiency and newer, more efficient equipment mean less greenhouse gas emissions and millions of dollars in fuel cost savings. Our Driver Efficiency Score measures drivers across idling, coasting, and RPM to promote more fuel-efficient driving techniques, which in turn help reduce our carbon footprint.

In 2004, Estes demonstrated our commitment to eco-sustainability by becoming one of the first trucking companies to join the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership.

This innovative collaboration between the freight industry and government improves energy efficiency and security while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. SmartWay gives carriers the tools to verify the benefits of fuel-saving vehicles and equipment, and at Estes, we use SmartWay-approved vendors for purchases of new tractors, trailers, and tires.

Whether in our shops, terminals, or in our trucks, we conserve natural resources through:

Recycling metal: We send all of our scrap metal to recyclers, keeping tons of waste out of landfills nationwide.

Recycling water: We protect groundwater by having a licensed disposal company collect and recycle our used antifreeze, oil and oil filters in an environmentally responsible manner.

Improved shop cloths: We conserve water and electricity—and help keep detergents and other chemicals out of the environment—by replacing washable cloth shop rags with biodegradable, paper-based clean-up sheets.

Paper conservation: We have greatly reduced our company-wide paper consumption through the use of paperless docks at 149 terminals, and by providing customers with paperless e-commerce solutions (online shipping forms and EDI and Web Services).

Refurbished parts and components: We use rebuilt/remanufactured components when repairing units, including starters, alternators, brake shoes, transmissions, differentials and other parts.

LED lighting: All equipment purchases use LED lighting. This long-life lighting technology has significantly reduced the number of light bulbs we discard every year. We have LED lighting in 60% of terminals, with ongoing efforts to increase this number. We also are implementing daylight harvesting systems which utilize natural sunlight to reduce the need for artificial lighting by automatically adjusting indoor lighting based on available daylight.

Repurposed materials: Our nationwide network of freight terminals reuses cardboard and pallets as dunnage to help secure customer freight during transit.

Recapped tires: We have extended tread life and reduced waste by recapping more than 600,000 tires since 2019.

We follow environmentally responsible procedures to keep harmful pollutants out of the air and groundwater in the communities we serve:

Nonhazardous cleaning solutions: Our shop facilities use a nonhazardous solution for parts cleaning to minimize waste disposal. And to help protect groundwater from contaminants, no chlorinated solvents are used in our shops.

Smarter wash systems: Many of our wash systems feature oil-water separators, plus closed-loop applications that minimize discharge to sewer systems. For facilities without wash systems, outside contractors reclaim all wash water. We’ve also eliminated the use of acids in our trailer-washing process to help prevent metals from seeping into the groundwater.

Stormwater capture: Estes employs stormwater control measures and best management practices (BMPs) to achieve stormwater discharge permit compliance and general stormwater compliance for all facilities.

Refrigerant capture: When servicing air conditioning units, we always capture Freon and other harmful refrigerants to ensure their disposal in an environmentally friendly manner.

Better tank systems: Most of our in-house fueling facilities use above-ground tank systems, which meet or exceed all federal, state and local regulations. Many are equipped with canopies to help prevent storm-water runoff, as well as card readers that limit potential spillage.

Maintenance: We follow more efficient schedules for routine vehicle maintenance, which reduces the amount of waste oil to recycle.

Mosquito prevention: Our mounted wheel program helps prevent the buildup of standing water in tires, which eliminates breeding sites for mosquitoes that carry disease-causing viruses.

Wheel refurbishing: We’ve reduced the use of aerosols in our shops by sending our wheels to responsible outside contractors for restoration.

Earth-friendly parts washing: Shops feature self-contained sinks for washing vehicle parts, which help prevent oil and chemicals from entering the environment.

Rack-stored batteries: We store our vehicle batteries in special racks that collect acids and other hazardous chemicals.

Estes invests in solar energy as a nonpolluting, renewable resource that delivers reliable power year-round. So far, we have installed solar-power systems at our terminals located in:

• Joliet, IL
• Baltimore, MD
• Elkton, MD
• Greensboro, NC
• Lakewood, NJ
• Pine Brook, NJ
• West Middlesex, PA
• Williamsport, PA
• York, PA

In late 2024, Estes plans to install a solar-powered system in Norfolk, VA.

We make responsible decisions about fuel usage. From route-planning technology to ensuring we carry freight as efficiently as possible, we work hard to minimize our trucks’ fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

• Better fuels
  • Compressed natural gas (CNG): Our fleet includes 180 trucks that run on emission-reducing compressed natural gas; 70 of these run on renewable fuel
  • ULSD fuel: Our standard trucks use only ULSD (Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel) fuel, which reduces the emission of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides
  • Biodiesel: We use B5 blend biodiesel in some states
  • Conversion to propane: Our forklifts have been converted from gasoline/diesel to propane
  • Conversion to electric: We’re now using 12 electric tractors and over 300 electric forklifts, all of which emit no harmful fumes and release no greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, while we continue to invest in and expand our electric fleet across our network

• Optimizing fuel efficiency
  • PrePass and EZ Pass: Our drivers utilize PrePass and EZ Pass to bypass weigh stations and toll plazas, meaning trucks spend less time idling
  • Efficient driving: Every tractor is equipped with computerized Samsara hardware that records driver inefficiencies that can waste fuel, such as long idle, excess speed and over-RPM metrics
  • Fuel economy monitors: Trucks are equipped with technology for tracking and measuring fuel economy; we can then address any issues that might lead to wasted fuel
  • Improved aerodynamics: We have installed aerodynamic skirts on long-haul trailers to cut fuel consumption up to 5%; our equipment also features air shields, rear wheel covers, and mud flaps, which further improves vehicle aerodynamics
  • Reduced oil consumption: We use synthetic lubricants for all drivetrains (transmissions and rears) to reduce friction and improve fuel mileage
  • Low-profile tires: We have converted our entire fleet to low-profile tires to reduce rolling resistance and lower fuel consumption
  • Speed management: Power-unit speed ranges from 65 to 67 mph to increase vehicle fuel mileage
  • Weight reduction: By using aluminum rather than steel fuel tanks, we reduce power unit weight by 65 pounds, which improves fuel economy
  • Card-locked fuel systems: We use card-locked systems for our vehicles to foil wasteful, unauthorized access to fuel; our systems also employ breakaway hoses to help prevent potential soil and water pollution from fuel spills
    
    
• Smarter Route Planning
  • Innovative route-planning software: We use sophisticated route-planning software to ensure that we’re carrying freight as efficiently as possible, thereby limiting greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary fuel consumption
  • Fewer empty loads: Through better engineering and improved technology, we've reduced our truck fleet's percentage of empty miles since the mid-2000s; that mitigates our carbon emissions footprint and helps control costs for our customers
  • Intermodal transport: To help reduce our carbon footprint, we utilize rail when appropriate