SmartWay Certification: What It Means for Your Fleet

Fuel represents one of the largest operating costs for any commercial trucking fleet, typically accounting for 30 to 40 percent of total expenditures. Every incremental gain in fuel economy translates directly to the bottom line. That is exactly why the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership program exists and why an increasing number of fleet managers are making SmartWay-verified tires a procurement requirement.

What Is the EPA SmartWay Program?

SmartWay is a voluntary public-private partnership launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2004. Its purpose is to help the freight transportation industry improve supply chain efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The program provides a framework for companies to measure, benchmark, and improve their freight transportation operations.

Within the SmartWay ecosystem, the SmartWay Verified Technologies program evaluates specific products, including tires, aerodynamic devices, and idle-reduction systems, that demonstrably improve the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and trailers. When a tire earns SmartWay verification, it has been independently tested and proven to reduce fuel consumption compared to a baseline standard.

How Tires Earn SmartWay Verification

Tire manufacturers that seek SmartWay verification must submit their products for rolling resistance testing conducted according to one of two internationally recognized standards:

• SAE J1269 — The Society of Automotive Engineers standard for measuring tire rolling resistance under controlled laboratory conditions using a force method on a test drum.
• ISO 28580 — The International Organization for Standardization standard, which provides a comparable force-based measurement method and is widely accepted globally.

Both test methods quantify the energy a tire loses as it rolls under load. To earn SmartWay verification, a tire must demonstrate rolling resistance values at or below the EPA-established threshold for its category, whether steer, drive, or trailer position. The testing must be performed at an EPA-recognized laboratory, and results are reviewed by the EPA before verification is granted.

The Fleet Benefits of SmartWay-Verified Tires

Measurable Fuel Savings

Fleets that switch to SmartWay-verified tires typically see a 3 to 6 percent improvement in fuel economy compared to conventional tires. For a Class 8 truck traveling 120,000 miles per year at six miles per gallon, a 5 percent improvement saves roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel annually. At current fuel prices, that translates to $3,000 to $4,000 in savings per truck per year. For a 100-truck fleet, the cumulative impact is substantial.

Environmental Compliance and Reporting

Shippers and carriers who participate in the SmartWay program are required to track and report their emissions performance. Using SmartWay-verified components, including tires, directly improves a fleet's SmartWay score. Increasingly, major shippers such as large retailers and consumer goods companies give preference to carriers that demonstrate strong SmartWay performance when awarding freight contracts.

Shipper Preference and Contract Competitiveness

As sustainability targets become standard across corporate supply chains, carriers that can demonstrate environmental responsibility through SmartWay participation gain a competitive advantage. SmartWay-verified tires are one of the simplest, most cost-effective ways to improve a fleet's environmental profile without sacrificing performance or uptime.

How SmartWay Tires Reduce Rolling Resistance

Achieving low rolling resistance without compromising traction, tread life, or durability requires sophisticated engineering across multiple dimensions of tire design:

• Compound engineering — Advanced silica-enhanced rubber compounds and optimized polymer blends reduce hysteresis, the internal energy loss that occurs as the tire flexes under load, while maintaining grip in wet and dry conditions.
• Tread design — Optimized tread patterns, rib geometry, and void ratios minimize the energy spent deforming the tread as it contacts the road surface. Shallower tread depths on trailer-position tires further reduce resistance where traction demands are lower.
• Casing construction — Stiffer sidewall and belt designs reduce flexing and energy loss. The tire's overall profile and footprint shape are engineered to distribute load evenly, reducing localized deformation.

Hanksugi takes this engineering further with proprietary Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis, a computational modeling technique that simulates tire behavior under real-world loading conditions. FEM analysis allows Hanksugi engineers to optimize the tire's shape, contact patch geometry, and internal stress distribution under load, resulting in lower rolling resistance, more uniform wear, and reduced fuel consumption across the tire's full service life.

California CARB Requirements and SmartWay

In California, the Air Resources Board (CARB) has implemented the Tractor-Trailer Greenhouse Gas Reduction regulation, which requires 53-foot or longer box-type trailers operating on California highways to use SmartWay-verified low rolling resistance tires or EPA-verified aerodynamic technologies. This regulation applies to both California-based and out-of-state fleets operating within the state.

For fleets that travel through or operate in California, equipping trailers with SmartWay-verified tires is not optional but a legal compliance requirement. Violations can result in penalties of $1,000 or more per occurrence. By standardizing on SmartWay-verified tires across all positions, fleets simplify compliance and avoid the risk of regulatory fines during roadside inspections.

Fleet Sustainability Reporting

Beyond fuel savings and regulatory compliance, SmartWay participation supports broader fleet sustainability goals. Many fleet operators are now required to report carbon emissions data to customers, investors, or as part of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks. SmartWay provides a credible, EPA-backed methodology for quantifying emissions reductions.

Using SmartWay-verified tires generates documented data points that can be included in sustainability reports, customer scorecards, and ESG disclosures. This makes SmartWay verification not just an operational decision but a strategic one that supports the fleet's positioning in an increasingly sustainability-conscious marketplace.

Hanksugi: Full Product Line SmartWay-Certified

Hanksugi's complete lineup of commercial truck tires for the U.S. market carries SmartWay verification. Every model in the USA catalog, including the HS78 FARAON long-haul steer, HS88 drive, HS84 all-position, and HS86T trailer position, has been independently tested and verified to meet EPA rolling resistance thresholds.

This full-line certification means that fleets running Hanksugi tires across all wheel positions benefit from SmartWay compliance without exception. Combined with Hanksugi's advanced compound technology and FEM-optimized casing designs, the result is a tire program that delivers measurable fuel savings, regulatory compliance, and competitive total cost of ownership.