Nussbaum wins 7th consecutive and 13th overall award for leadership in fuel efficiency and sustainability.
HUDSON, IL—For the seventh consecutive year, the editors of Heavy Duty Trucking have named Nussbaum Transportation an HDT Top Green Fleet, honoring its continued industry leadership in sustainability.
For Nussbaum, efficiency is part of stewarding the resources entrusted to the company. That belief showed up across the fleet in 2025 and continues to drive the work planned for the year ahead.
Highlights of Nussbaum’s recent sustainability efforts include:
- A fleetwide average of 9.27 MPG in 2025—well above typical Class 8 performance —supported by 72.5% cruise-control usage across the fleet, compared to a 48% national average.
- A fleetwide idle rate of just 11%, achieved through strategies like Merlin solar panels on 100% of fleet trucks and ongoing driver coaching. Two trucks testing lithium iron phosphate battery systems saw a 72.5% idle reduction and shed 540 pounds of weight each. All 80 new trucks purchased this year will be outfitted with the system.
- Extending trailer lifecycles to 13 years, reducing resource consumption, with a path toward 14 and eventually 15 years.
- A 10% year-over-year reduction in tire-related expenses ($145,000), cutting waste through better maintenance practices, wide-based tires, automatic tire inflators, and smoother driving habits.
- Aerodynamic and drivetrain improvements, including extended top spoilers now standard on new trucks (up from 25% to 52% of the fleet) and a near-complete transition to more fuel-efficient 6×4 axle configurations.
- Testing new methods & technology, including extended oil-change intervals, remote brake-pad-wear monitoring, and enabling maintenance coordinators in the shop to flag critical tire alerts before they cause downtime.
Looking ahead, Nussbaum plans to take delivery of 80 fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadias built for improved aerodynamics and efficiency, expand solar power to its West Maintenance Facility, and continue working with OEMs to identify and adopt new fuel-efficient technology. The company’s long-term goals include maintaining 9 MPG fleetwide while striving toward 10, and pulling fleetwide idle below 10% on the way toward zero.
Heavy Duty Trucking has honored fleets for sustainability with its Top Green Fleets award since 2013. Each year, the publication’s editors invite the industry to nominate fleets—or enter themselves—to recognize work in fuel efficiency, freight efficiency, emissions reduction, alternative fuel and powertrain adoption, environmentally friendly facilities, and other sustainability initiatives.
About Heavy Duty Trucking
Heavy Duty Trucking, a Bobit Business Media brand, has been serving the trucking industry for over 100 years with award-winning editorial content on all aspects of running a successful trucking fleet.
About Nussbaum
Nussbaum is an industry leader in over-the-road freight transportation. Since 1945, trust and integrity have guided our operations as we serve our customers and employees with a level of care and integrity unique to Nussbaum. In 2018, we began a new journey as an ESOP, giving our people an ownership stake in the company. As employee-owners, we are purpose-driven to create a positive impact with every interaction and maximize Nussbaum’s potential for ourselves, our families, our customers, and our partners. For more information on our award-winning services and top-paying driver careers, visit nussbaum.com or nussbaumjobs.com.
Contact
Nussbaum Marketing Department | marketing@nussbaum.com | p: 309-260-3423
