LOWELL, Ark. — J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. has published a report detailing the company’s progress toward environmental, social and corporate governance performance.
“In 2022, we celebrated some incredible achievements by addressing challenges with energy and creativity while positioning our organization for long-term growth opportunities,” said John Roberts, CEO of J.B. Hunt. “Looking ahead, we remain eager to follow through on our commitments and goals to deliver on our mission to create the most efficient transportation network in North America.”
Highlights from the report are listed below.
Reducing carbon emissions
The company announced in 2022 that it was “setting an ambitious goal to reduce carbon emission intensity 32% by 2034 (with a 2019 baseline),” the report noted.
Specifically, J.B. Hunt officials are focusing on three areas to reach their emission-reduction target: incorporating alternative powered equipment into its fleet; expanding the use of biogenic fuels; and improving fuel economy (diesel powered miles-per-gallon “MPG”).
“Achieving the company’s ambitious target is dependent on significant progress with the development and availability of new industry technology and the infrastructure needed to safely enable their day-to-day use on an industry-wide scale,” according to the report.
J.B. Hunt also converts over-the-road highway freight to rail intermodal, which it says reduces a shipment’s carbon footprint by an average of 60%. J.B. Hunt operates with more than 116,000 53-foot containers supported by company-owned chassis and tractors, with plans to expand to as many as 150,000 containers in the next two-to-four years, the report noted.
In 2022, company officials said they avoided an estimated 3.6 million metric tons of CO2e emissions by converting over-the-road loads to intermodal.
It also helped company drivers avoid an estimated 3.5 million empty miles through J.B. Hunt 360, its multimodal digital freight marketplace.
Powered by a people-focused culture
“J.B. Hunt considers an inclusive workplace essential to fostering company growth and innovation,” according to the report. “Throughout 2022 and 2023, J.B. Hunt has earned several national recognitions for its people-focused culture, including three from Newsweek for its efforts to advance diversity, women and job starters.”
The company hosts six overall employee resource groups (ERG), with a collective total of 5,000-plus ERG members, that provide support networks for female, LGBTQIA+, veteran, Latino, African American and Asian American and Pacific Islander employees and “promotes a sense of belonging for everyone,” the report notes.
Advancing supply chain education
After J.B. Hunt’s five years of continuous support to the University of Arkansas, in August 2022, the Sam M. Walton College of Business Program for Supply Chain Management was named as the J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management.
Through a new $1.5 million commitment to Sam M. Walton College, “the company aims to advance innovative, supply chain-focused initiatives, studying factors such as inclusion, sustainability, thought leadership, education, and innovation,” according to the report. “It will also support research, internships, scholarships and case competitions in supply chain management.”
In 2022, J.B. Hunt awarded a total of $250,000 in scholarships to 100 recipients as part of the company’s new scholarship program, the J.B. Hunt Scholarship Program for Families. The application-based scholarship program is available to dependent children or grandchildren of J.B. Hunt employees who currently attend or plan to attend an accredited two or four-year college, trade school or vocational school. The company continued the program in 2023, and a new class will be announced later this year.
Additional achievements
J.B. Hunt was one of the first industry carriers to publish a Sustainability Report in 2020.
Additional highlights from the latest report reflect the company’s investment in core foundation areas and include:
- Increasing usage of biogenic fuels by 6.9 million incremental gallons in company assets.
- Creating the J.B. Hunt Inclusion Office and Inclusion Council to ensure that inclusion remains a key component of creating exceptional employee experiences.
- Taking delivery of the first company-owned Class 8 electric Freightliner eCascadia truck and incorporated it into operations.
- Celebrating the second and third company drivers who achieved five million safe miles driven.
- Representing drivers at the U.S. Department of Labor Hall of Honor induction ceremony recognizing all essential workers for their dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By continuing to invest in our people, technology and capacity, we are creating a strong company that delivers for our customers and communities,” said Shelley Simpson, president of J.B. Hunt. “Developing an inclusive culture is what fuels our innovation and positions us to best serve the diverse world in which we operate.”
Linda Garner-Bunch has been in publishing for more than 30 years. You name it, Linda has written about it. She has served as an editor for a group of national do-it-yourself publications and has coordinated the real estate section of Arkansas’ only statewide newspaper, in addition to working on a variety of niche publications ranging from bridal magazines to high-school sports previews and everything in between. She is also an experienced photographer and copy editor who enjoys telling the stories of the “Knights of the Highway,” as she calls our nation’s truck drivers.
