Sustainability: Going Green

DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express green transportation company

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is based on the simple principle that everything we need for our survival and wellbeing depends directly or indirectly on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions in which humans and nature coexist in productive harmony. This allows the fulfillment of social, economic and other requirements for the present and future generations. Sustainability is important to making sure that we have, and will continue to have, the clean air, the water, materials and resources to protect human health and our environment.

DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express Commitment to Sustainability
The nature of our transportation and logistics business generates a large share of greenhouse gases. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, to increasing our effectiveness and capacity, and to being innovative in such a way that we make a positive impact on society and our collective future.

This means managing for the short and the long term by developing strategies that balance competition and cooperation, and by providing a service that meets social and environmental needs. For us, sustainability needs to be about ‘greening’—because businesses and communities depend on healthy, productive ecosystems. We have made it our mission to be the leader in our industry. We invite you to share in this pursuit. Read about our Fuel Conservation Program.

DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express solar sufficient icon

Our Achievements

  1. We have purchased carbon offsets in sufficient quantity to operate our warehouses in Honolulu, Maui, Guam, Kona, Seattle and Los Angeles (Rancho Dominguez) on a carbon neutral basis for 2020. See all of our Carbon Neutral Certificates.

  2. Our corporate headquarters, Honolulu, Guam and Maui facilities are totally solar sufficient, drawing no or minimal additional energy from the electric grids.

  3. We have 2% sky lights at various facilities to use more natural lighting.

  4. We meet the California Air Resources Board’s “sparklist” requirements.

  5. We are working to estimate our carbon footprint for all our trucking operations and are taking steps to reduce our carbon emissions. See GreenWay Miles Testimonial.

  6. We are an active partner with Smartway, a U.S. Government EPA partnership with truckers, to improve our use of fuel and oil efficiency, and reduce our emissions. See all of our SmartWay Certificates.

  7. In our Los Angeles headquarters, we have installed 10 charging stations for employees to use for charging electric vehicles.

  8. We have installed lower-energy usage models for lighting, converted our Corporate Headquarters and Honolulu terminal lights to LED and use timers in both terminals to increase the energy effectiveness of our HVAC and lighting systems.

  9. We recycle paper in our Los Angeles corporate headquarters, our San Leandro facility and our Seattle facility. In Los Angeles, we also separate and recycle wood, plastic, metal and cardboard.

  10. We replaced our networking and computer server infrastructure after 2010, dropping energy consumption by 33% - 38%.

  11. Our Hawaii and Guam computer system is designed to allow our employees and customers to be virtually paperless.

  12. DHX is a Green Supply Chain PartnerIn 2024 we were named by Inbound Logistics as a Green Supply Chain Partner. As one of the 75 leading companies being profiled, we are regarded for truly “walking the walk” when it comes to commitment to supply chain sustainability and a partner you can turn to when seeking green supply chain management and logistics.

GreenWay Miles

DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express Greenway Miles Certified Carrier

DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express has proudly been a certified green member of GreenWay Miles for the past ten years. During this period, we have successfully reduced our facility emmissions by over 75%. We will continue to do all that we can to help reduce our carbon footprint on the planet.


DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express GreenWay Miles Certificate of Carbon Audit

Testimonial

June 12, 2024

“DHX has reduced total carbon emissions* 63 percent since their initial baseline audit in 2011,” explained Joe White, owner of GreenWay Miles. “That reduction is even more remarkable when you consider that the emissions of two facilities have been added to the original audit.”

GreenWay Miles conducted DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express’ first carbon audit in 2012 for operating year 2011. At that time, total carbon emissions were 1,369 tons for the five warehouses originally included. The most recent audit (2023 full year operations) calculated carbon emissions at only 509 tons.

“We measure our footprint every year,” explained Kane McEwen, President of DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express, “and since 2020 have purchased offsets that allow us to operate seven warehouse facilities on a carbon neutral basis.”

Each year location managers collect and report energy consumption from their facility’s use of natural gas, fuel oil, propane, service vehicles and electricity. GreenWay Miles uses that data to calculate tons of carbon emissions from each energy source. Once calculated, DHX purchases carbon offsets in amounts equal to what each location has emitted in the year audited, providing them the ability to operate those facilities on a carbon natural basis.

“Audits provide the metrics needed to define how effectively we are reducing our emissions,” explained Kane. “All of our larger facilities are solar powered and that has contributed significantly to our emissions reduction.”

GreenWay Miles commends DHX President Kane McEwen continued commitment to track and reduce carbon emissions at his warehouse facility. “Providing carbon neutral operations at our warehouses is simply the right thing to do”, said Mr. McEwen, “for our customers, our environment and the generations that follow.”

Joe White signature

Joe White, Owner, GreenWay Miles


*Carbon offsets are investments in projects that reduce carbon emissions.


DHX/DGX Fuel Conservation Program

MANAGEMENT

  1. We published No-Idling Policy, No Out-of-Route Policy and MPG goals for drivers. We sent a letter out to drivers explaining the new policy and MPG goals and how they tie into our Sustainability Policy.

  2. We monitor and manage individual truck MPG actual-to-goal performance. We compare driver performance on same-model equipment and use the “bottom 15%” technique for managing and coaching worst performing drivers.

  3. We look for rotation opportunities and place highest MPG equipment on longest runs based on miles/month. Likewise, if we have idle equipment, we ensure it is always our lowest MPG performing equipment.

  4. During orientation, we train drivers on sustainability and review the above-mentioned policies/MPG goals and below-outlined driver activities to reduce fuel consumption.

DRIVER ACTIVITIES TO REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION

  1. Reduce idling. Take every opportunity to shut off the engine. Each idle hour burns 8/10 of a gallon of fuel. A 100-truck fleet that reduces idling by 2 hours per truck per week will save 40,000 gallons of fuel per year, about $150,000 in cash, and will eliminate a volume of carbon emissions that would fill 4.7 fifty-three-foot trailers.

  2. Reduce highway top speeds. This may involve use of speed governors. Reducing speed by one mile per hour equates to an approximate mileage increase of 1/10 mile per gallon.

  3. Improve driving techniques. How a truck is driven has a significant impact on MPG. Fuel-conserving driving techniques include Smooth Shifting and Braking, Block Shifting (ex: from 2nd to 5th gear), Cruise Control and Progressive Shifting (upshift at lowest RPM possible).

  4. Maintain correct tire pressure. Check tire pressure frequently. Truck tires inflated 10 pounds per square inch (PSI) below recommended air pressure levels can reduce truck fuel economy between 0.5-1.0 percent.

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