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Profile: Meijer
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Number of employees: 62,675
Winner,
2007 SmartWay Excellence Award
Meijer is a privately-held company operating 181 combination food / general merchandise stores (Super Centers) in the Midwest with stores located in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky. Meijer has been credited with pioneering the Super Center concept in the US. Meijer stores average 200,000 square feet with over 195,000 items. The Meijer fleet operates in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
The Meijer fleet:
- Utilized single wide tires on tractors and trailers;
- Governed road speed to 63 MPH;
- Geared the vehicles to cruise speed;
- Implemented progressive shifting programming into the ECM’s of its trucks;
- Electronically limited idle time with an automatic engine shut off after four minutes of idling;
- Uses a fuel additive, a bio-diesel mix and is testing a bio-degradable oil additive;
- Installed aerodynamic mirrors, roof fairings, cab extenders and side fairings to streamline the tractor profile; and
- Is testing trailers with side skirts to reduce wind drag under its trailers.
Meijer is actively promoting SmartWay with its dedicated carriers by communicating the benefits of joining the SmartWay Transport Partnership through messages on its Traffic Management System (TMS), Meijer’s carrier communication system. Meijer was recognized at its Tipp City, Ohio Distribution Center by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters for the company’s efforts to reduce road congestion in the I-70/I-75 corridor, resulting in reduced emissions.
“We’re proud to be a SmartWay partner. It keeps us current with industry best practice. It also provides a clear indication to our customers and our communities that we’re concerned with being cost-effective and good environmental stewards.”
Mark Murray
President of Meijer