As a responsible corporate citizen, Penske is committed to minimizing our environmental impacts everywhere we do business. Our team of environmental professionals has developed innovative and efficient ways to ensure resources are provided for nearly 1,430 field locations to prevent or reduce environmental impacts, protect our associates and achieve 100% compliance with local, state and federal environmental regulations.
Electric Vehicles
Penske is at the forefront of the commercial electric vehicle (EV) movement and has been supporting the use of alternative fueled vehicles for nearly 30 years. For the past decade, our focus has also been on expanding the availability of EVs in our fleet for rental, leasing and logistics customers. Today, new commercial vehicles for the Penske EV fleet are being designed and developed at a rapid pace. We've also been busy working with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), investing in battery electric trucks and building heavy-duty electric high-speed charging stations, as well as training our technicians, all while testing everything in real-world applications with our customers. For more information on how Penske is leading the way for electric fleets, visit our EV page.
EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics proudly participate in and support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport partnership as affiliate, carrier and logistics partners. The SmartWay Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight sector designed to improve fuel efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions and improve energy security.
In 2022, Penske Logistics was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay program as a High Performer in the Truck Carrier Carbon Metrics and Logistics Freight Management categories, where we rank in the top 10% amongst all carrier partners, and the top 5% of all logistics partners, respectively.
As affiliate partners, Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Truck Rental are committed to promoting the SmartWay partnership and educating our customers on the benefits of membership. Since joining the program in 2008, Penske has educated countless customers about the program through speaking engagements, meetings and webcasts. Most importantly, Penske helps customers spec and operate their vehicles to ensure they are demonstrating the performance improvements inherent to the SmartWay partnership, and even assists customers in completing their annual models detailing their performance for the prior year.
Penske encourages everyone in the transportation and freight industries to become involved with EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership. For details on how to get started, please visit the
SmartWay website.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Penske engages an independent third-party consulting firm to perform a global greenhouse gas inventory for Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics. Our GHG inventory quantifies carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) used as refrigerants. Since 2008, Penske has been measuring and managing GHG emissions sources from our fleet, facilities and value chain operations. The annual GHG inventory is third-party verified and allows Penske to identify the primary sources of GHG emissions and target reduction efforts to those sources that represent the largest impacts.
EPA Green Power Partnership
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics proudly participate in and support the EPA's Green Power Partnership. The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages businesses and communities to utilize renewable energy as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. Penske is one of more than 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of renewable power annually. Penske has continuously increased its usage of renewable power since joining the Green Power Partnership in 2014, reaching 40% for U.S. operations in 2022.
Penske also established a lighting retro-fit program to convert the lighting systems in existing facilities into energy efficient fixtures. New facility construction automatically incorporates this high-efficiency LED lighting. Other initiatives include motion sensors for interior lighting and energy auditing to identify additional opportunities to reduce energy consumption.
Waste Stream Management/Recycling
Penske's environmental services department dedicates considerable attention to managing and reducing waste streams normally associated with truck vehicle maintenance and truck fueling activities. The waste management program is designed to minimize waste generation, recycle wastes that are generated and ensure proper disposal to limit their impact on the environment. We recycle virtually all streams, including:
- Several million gallons of used oil and thousands of drums of used oil filters every year
- Used antifreeze
- Parts washer solvent
- Spent batteries
- Scrap metal
- Scrap tires
- Cardboard
Waste disposal vendors are periodically audited by Penske, and are required to meet strict requirements in order to demonstrate that they comply with environmental regulations and are good corporate stewards.
Penske manages its solid waste by continually monitoring solid waste volumes, right-sizing our dumpsters and instituting recycling programs for cardboard, paper, organics, plastic, glass, aluminum and wood.
Renewable Diesel
In California, renewable diesel provides a realistic pathway for fleets to reduce emissions from well to wheel as the industry continues to decarbonize. Penske first piloted renewable diesel in Southern California for several months to ensure there were no adverse effects on vehicles or their operation. To the contrary, Penske found an overall net positive effect on the vehicles related to renewable diesel. Of note were reduced maintenance-related issues along with the added benefits of lower overall emissions and a cleaner fuel compared with traditional ultra-low sulfur diesel.
Penske is expanding its use of renewable diesel in California through a preferred supplier agreement with Shell Oil Products U.S. The renewable diesel provided by Shell is fully compatible with all diesel engines.
Last updated: April 2023
