GMA Trucking Buyers Alliance Aggregates Demand for Zero-Emission Trucking, in Partnership with Smart Freight Centre

Innovative buyers’ alliance applies a proven model to drive the decarbonization of heavy-duty trucking, seeks input from carriers in designing first collective procurement

August 29, 2024 (Washington, DC) - Smart Freight Centre (SFC), an international non-profit organization dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from freight transportation, has formalized a strategic partnership with GMA Trucking, a zero-emissions trucking program led by the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA). SFC will contribute its sector-specific expertise in road freight decarbonization and book-and-claim systems to support the GMA Trucking buyers’ alliance in achieving its goals. The alliance, which launched in September 2023, includes companies such as PepsiCo, Meta, eBay, REI Co-op, and Green Worldwide Shipping, all committed to advancing decarbonization in heavy-duty road transport. Alongside the announcement, GMA Trucking released a request for information (RFI) to guide its upcoming procurement process for zero-emission trucking service attributes, utilizing a book-and-claim model.

“Heavy duty trucking accounts for more than 3% of global carbon emissions.  Yet, as in other hard-to-abate sectors, deployment of decarbonized solutions has been painfully slow,” said Kim Carnahan, GMA CEO. “With this announcement, GMA member companies have the opportunity to take demand aggregation where it’s needed most, applying the book-and-claim model to road freight in order to rapidly accelerate the adoption of zero-emission trucks.”

GMA Trucking and its member companies aim to overcome traditional decarbonization hurdles by utilizing a book-and-claim system for heavy-duty road transportation attributes similar to those already deployed in other markets, such as renewable electricity certificates (RECs), sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc), and, recently, maritime services. Such systems have proven catalytic to market adoption and acceleration of critical technologies and offer a replicable model to drive the decarbonization of other high-emitting industries.

GMA Trucking is preparing for its first pilot procurement of zero-emission trucking service attributes, a process expected to launch in fall 2024. Targeting preliminary volumes from battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles of up to 110 million ton-miles (or seven million miles with a weighted average payload of 14 tons) per year, the RFP will help GMA Trucking members purchase attributes to make progress towards their greenhouse gas targets and send a strong demand signal to carriers, OEMs, and infrastructure providers to continue investments in zero-emission transportation services. The system will draw from the guidance within SFC’s Market Based Measures (MBM) Framework, a foundational document for logistics book-and-claim that will ensure GMA Trucking aligns with best practices.

“Smart Freight Centre has been focused on book-and-claim systems for many years because they create the flexibility needed to drive greater investment into low-carbon transportation solutions,” said Christoph Wolff, CEO of Smart Freight Centre. “Our Fleet Electrification Coalition also channels aggregated demand for electric trucking services towards collaborative real-world projects. We look forward to contributing our tools, guidance materials, and expertise to help this program succeed and more rapidly decarbonize the road freight sector.”

To inform the RFP design, GMA Trucking has launched a brief request-for-information (RFI) for carrier responses. The RFI seeks to gather information on existing zero-emission vehicle deployments, interest in expanding ZEV fleets, experience with renewable energy and green fuels, and preferences around multi-year offtake terms. To help those interested in responding to the RFI, GMA has scheduled a webinar for September 17 at 12PM ET to provide further information on the application of book-and-claim systems for road transportation, how to respond to the RFI, and how to prepare for the RFP.

Through its pilot RFP, GMA expects to select one or more carriers from which to purchase trucking service attributes over a multi-year period. Following the pilot RFP and project contracting, GMA will run recurring RFP processes to help its members purchase zero-emission trucking service attributes on an ongoing basis, growing in scale and scope over time, and helping the road freight sector more rapidly achieve net zero emissions.

Potential respondents who are interested in learning more about the GMA Trucking RFI are encouraged to attend the upcoming webinar. Freight operators are also invited to respond to the RFI by October 11, 2024. More information about GMA and additional cross-sectoral decarbonization opportunities can be found at gmacenter.org or by emailing trucking@gmacenter.org.

About GMA

The Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) is a US-based, globally focused non-profit. Through innovative book-and-claim systems, new and creative procurement approaches, and demand aggregating buyers' alliances, GMA catalyzes and scales the uptake of low-carbon goods and services within carbon intensive industries such as aviation, maritime, trucking, cement and concrete, and chemicals. With collective decades of experience in environmental markets and alternative fuels and materials, GMA works to standardize new, green markets and forges mutually beneficial partnerships between climate-focused companies, suppliers, and mission-aligned non-profit organizations to channel funding to critical climate technologies in pursuit of accelerated sectoral decarbonization. For more information, please visit gmacenter.org.

About SFC

Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is an international non-profit organization focused on helping shippers to decarbonize by standardizing methods for emissions accounting and reporting including transportation-focused book-and-claim systems, as well as supporting shippers to select and implement decarbonization strategies. Its work in book-and-claim systems centers on emissions accounting and reporting, providing guidance in its Voluntary Market Based Measures Accounting Framework as well as its assurance program. In road freight, SFC aggregates demand for electric trucking services in specific regions and use cases, bringing together shippers, logistics providers, and fleet owners towards collaborative partnerships and projects.