Episode 27 | The Catalyst Series: How C.H. Robinson Scales Low-Emission Freight with Alternative Fuels and Book and Claim

In freight decarbonization, no company can do it alone.

In this episode of Smart Freight Conversations, Andy Golding speaks with Tom Fisher, Global Alternative Fuel Program Director at C.H. Robinson, about how collaboration across the logistics ecosystem can help turn ambition into action.

Key topics discussed:

• Building strong foundations through measurement and efficiency

• Why collaboration across shippers, carriers, and partners matters

• Book and Claim as a way to unlock scalable emissions reductions

• The role of the Electrifying Drayage Alliance (EDA) in accelerating zero-emission freight solutions

• Creating the business case for low-emission transport

• Why we need action over “analysis paralysis”

Whether you're beginning your sustainability journey or looking to scale existing solutions, this episode shares practical insights from strategy to execution.

Explore our courses and other educational resources here.

#FreightDecarbonization #Logistics #SupplyChain #Sustainability #AlternativeFuels #SmartFreightConversations

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hello and welcome to another episode of Smart Freight Conversations, where we share interesting and important updates and insights on freight decarbonization and the drive towards a zero emissions logistics industry. My name is Andy Golding. I'm the Director of Strategic Services here at Smart Freight Center, or SFC, as you'll hear us call it, and I'll be your host for today. In this episode, we are exploring how large-scale logistics platforms are enabling decarbonization across complex global networks connecting shippers, carriers, and partners to drive scalable low emission freight solutions. Whether you are working to decarbonize complex supply chains or looking to scale low emission solutions, this episode and this conversation are going to offer a bunch of practical insights from both strategy to execution. Joining me for this conversation is Tom Fisher. Tom is the Global Alternative Field Program Director of CH Robinson. Tom, thank you so much for joining me today. Let's drive in to today's episode. To start us off, could you maybe tell us a little bit about CH Robinson and your role within the organization?

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Yeah, first of all, thanks for having me, Andy. Great to see you again. CH Robinson is a global logistics leader that helps companies solve their complex supply chain problems. On a global scale, we work uh with 83,000 customers and um 450,000 contractor carriers across different modalities such as LTL, uh, truckload, drayage, uh, real ocean, air, and customs. Uh, on an annual basis, uh, we uh move more than uh 37 million shipments or 23 billion in freight. Uh, and in my role, um, I am uh leading our alternative fuel program globally, uh, where we offer um uh decarbonization solutions for our customers uh when we move freight for them across the globe. And I specifically focus on uh road, uh ocean, and air. Uh and in my role, uh it's quite diverse and challenging. Uh, on a daily basis, I'm uh dealing with uh shippers to help them on their uh sustainability journey and also working closely together uh with our carriers that provide us the uh low emission transport services uh in order to uh offer those low-carbon uh uh solutions uh when we want to decarbonize together with our shippers.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

You said complex, and then you said upwards of 37 million shipments, and my brain is going, yeah, definitely complex.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Yeah, definitely, and it's uh it's it's a lot indeed, and uh that's why uh we really truly believe in collaborating uh with our partners uh because in order to push our industry uh forward, uh it is really important to strengthen our relationships uh with all the stakeholders that we engage with. And I think that is the really cool thing about my role. Uh, we have that, let's say, triangle, we work together as CHROMS with our customers and shippers, but also there's a second layer around it where we work closely together with fuel providers, uh charging uh infrastructure providers, uh audit companies, uh registries, uh basically the whole ecosystem around that that works together with our uh customers and our carriers. Uh, and then there's a third layer around it with uh regulations, uh organizations such as uh Smart Freight Center, uh incentive programs globally, uh that help us to really uh work together on that. And uh if we don't connect those different layers, it is sometimes really hard to solve those complex uh supply chain uh uh challenges that are out there. Uh, but it's also really exciting because uh it gives me the opportunity uh to uh deal with different types of stakeholders with different needs and connecting the whole ecosystem together on a global level. Um, so my day-to-day can look really different. Uh maybe one day I'm dealing with our customers in Asia Oceania, and uh the next moment I'm having a meeting with a local uh truck company uh where we're uh deploying an electric vehicle solution for one of our customers uh in the state in the United States.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

So at least it keeps it interesting.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

For sure, for sure. It's really dynamic, yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Your world is complex, you're solving complex problems. We also know that no one company can decarbonize logistics alone. Like the name of the game is collaboration and cooperation. You have a very interesting place in the market as CH Robinson, but you also have a very interesting place in terms of your role and the alternative fuel program. I would love to understand obviously the alternative fuels program exists for a very real reason. So let's get better fuels on the roads. What are some of your most meaningful achievements so far in reducing emissions across freight and logistics?

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Yeah. Um, it's been a really exciting journey so far. Uh in 2020, I was asked to uh build a new carry ecosystem uh team in uh in Europe um that allowed me to build products and services that provided added value to our uh road carriers that we worked with in uh in Europe. Uh so uh I started developing a uh fuel product, uh payment products, loyalty programs, uh basically everything that added value to our uh relationships with the carriers that move freight for us across uh across Europe at that time. And um that allowed us to uh build a really strong uh foundation in order to start our alternative fuel program because it allowed us to connect all those different layers and uh um uh build on that foundation in order to then uh incentivize carriers when they would adopt uh in this case uh H300. Uh and that would then allow us to also offer uh low emission transport services to our customers that were willing uh to invest in order to lower their carbon footprint. And I think that is an extreme team uh or a great achievement as a team uh altogether because it was something totally new for us. But without those foundation blocks, uh if you're just starting on your decarbonization journey and you don't have a solid foundation, it is really hard to make an impact. And I think I'm extremely proud on what we achieved with that uh team. Uh and now, especially since we are expanding uh and also offering this on different modalities or on ocean and air, uh, it uh adds another um uh solution that we can provide uh to our customers, but also really collaborate with our carriers because if we don't uh stimulate them to uh uh invest in those kind of low emission transport services, we don't get any anywhere. So that's why we have a really important role in the ecosystem to facilitate that and help each other and uh push our industry forward.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

I think I like the framing that you use of being a facilitator. So you've done all the work, you've laid the foundation, you've put down all the groundwork to build this ecosystem, build these relationships, and essentially put in all the building blocks to now stimulate the whole market to move. My question is why? And obviously it's a loaded question. This is smart freight conversations, we're talking about decarbonization, but beyond regulation or compliance, what motivates C. H. Robinson to take a leadership role in freight decarbonization?

SPEAKER_00 7:55

Yeah. Um, sustainability has always been a core of our day-to-day operations because uh we build resilient, resilient, efficient uh supply chains for our customers. So, a strong fundament for that is to look into uh to create uh with a lean operating model to uh create efficiencies and eliminate waste in how we move freight across uh the globe. So, a really good starting point on that is like helping our customers measuring the carbon footprint. It is really important to understand uh where is the customer uh currently in their stage, or maybe they're just beginning their sustainability journey, uh, to understand where they are. Secondly, then we look into okay, what can we actually actually already achieve in terms of uh rerouting, consolidation, reducing empty miles, kilometers uh in order to already lower that carbon footprint. And once we achieve that, then we can actually look into uh strategies uh where uh can we utilize those cost savings that we achieve for our customers to reinvest in uh low emission transport services. Because we have a large uh network uh all over the globe, we have really good visibility on where uh that investment would have the highest uh return on their investment in terms of when they're going to lower the karma footprint. So that is really great that we can help our customers on that uh because it also allows them to achieve their sustainability goals. A lot of our customers are really active and they have uh ambitious goals, uh, and specifically around scope 3 emissions. It's a really uh challenging uh uh scope in order to uh lower your carbon footprint. And that's why it's so important that we collaborate all together because we cannot do this uh uh uh alone. Uh, it also helps us to uh strengthen those relationships with the different stakeholders in the ecosystem, uh, and it also creates a strategic advantage for those stakeholders that we're participating in uh because uh it puts us ahead, it helps us to innovate. Uh, and uh with our capabilities, uh we develop uh smart technologies that helps us to uh make uh our organizations and a stakeholder that we work with uh future-proof.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

And uh future-proof resilience, these are such important topics and gaining traction and importance by the day. But also you mentioned strategic advantage, and what we're seeing more and more is sustainability is moving from a spotlight topic to what's the business case? Like, give me, show me the business case, show me the strategic advantage. And I feel like the work that you're doing and also the perspective that you have because of the vast network that you look out on, puts you in a brilliant place to help companies understand this is the strategic advantage, this is the business case, and here are all of the reasons why you want to invest in resilient supply chains.

SPEAKER_00 11:00

Yeah, definitely. And that that helps us to also really work together on that. And I think a really crucial element in that as well is when we engage, no matter with who in the ecosystem, what kind of role do they have? Are they more procurement uh driven? Are they have do they have a commercial role? Uh is it maybe uh finance, accounting related? Uh, do they really have a uh sustainable sustainability role within that organization? Uh, because everybody has different objectives, needs, and also has a different vision. And especially in the current climate that we're currently are, it's so crucial that we keep talking to each other, understanding each other, and helping each other out on how we can solve those complex supply chain uh challenges that we have.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

And that's really where you know you've just said speaking to each other, talking to each other, working with each other, that's where that collaboration is critical because no one organization can decarbonize alone. So, with that in mind, as a global logistics platform, you are connecting thousands of shippers and carriers. Are you able to share a concrete example of how you've helped customers reduce emissions across their supply chains and what made the solution scalable?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Yeah. So I think one of the recent examples that we have uh is with a uh one of our uh shippers uh that have a really uh complex supply chain all over the world. Uh, and we noticed that uh we already um had uh achieved the maximum in terms of uh direct conversions, and in this case with electric trucks. Um so then it's okay, how can we actually help you achieve uh and uh your goals? Because they were really ambitious, they are really ambitious in terms of achieving those goals. So that's when our alternative fuel program came into place, uh, because um there were not enough opportunities to decarbonize uh that freight uh directly. And then we started working on collaborating. Okay, what if we uh within our network have other electric trucks operating that we then can uh utilize a book and claim uh methodology according to the MBM framework to allocate those uh CO2E reductions that we achieve and allocate that to the shipper that uh help them to achieve their sustainability goals? And it's something that is really important. Then, also, how do you then explain that um your electric truck is maybe not moving directly your uh freight, but it's happening somewhere else within our own CHROMS network with one of our other carriers that wants to invest in electric trucks, but maybe we don't have customers in that area that uh want to move freight on electric trucks, and that empowered us to actually uh onboard that carrier and utilize those dead electric trucks because that is a really crucial element. We need to create a real strong market signal that it is possible. If we're not going to allocate freight to carriers, whether they operate on the road or on the ocean side or on the air side, to show that there's uh um uh demand for it, then we will never continue as an industry, and we really need to push each other in order to do that. I need to be creative as long as everything is uh transparent. And I think a really crucial element in that story is that everything that we do is audited. We utilize a registry so that a customer knows that when they receive um a certificate with the achievement that we did together, that they know that it adheres with the strongest industry standards and also it affords any uh double counting uh um while we allocate um uh everything via registry.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

And I think that's such an amazing example of book and claim in practice, because I I I believe that book and claim is a wonderful opportunity. Admittedly, it's a developing story itself, but it's an incredible opportunity to get decarbonization benefits, even if you're physically removed from where that is happening. And I think more stories like this are needed because it's not just the we did the thing and the emissions, you know, the emissions happened physically elsewhere. It's we did the thing, it's transparent, it's been certified, it's all there's a registry supporting it, it's all above board. And I think that is the thing that would create comfort in people's minds to know, aha, this is another solution that exists on the table. And I think it actually puts a whole it opens up a whole new room of potential solutions because it removes the physical barriers. To shift gears slightly, Tom, I'd like to talk about the Electrifying Dreadage Alliance or the EDA. Uh, you, C. H. Robinson, have been involved in the EDA initiative. And I would love for you to explain a little bit about what the project aims to achieve and how this collaboration between logistics providers, carriers, and partners can accelerate zero emission drayage operations.

SPEAKER_00 15:56

Yeah. Um it's a great initiative uh that is uh that helps us to really uh put our efforts together with the stakeholders that we work and collaborate with uh to push our industry uh forward. Um we started uh deploying uh in the ports of LA, uh Long Beach and Rotterdam on a daily basis electric truck capacity. Um we started doing this as of December 2025, and even though we might not have shippers directly uh who are willing to put their containers uh on uh those electric trucks, we still said, okay, let's go to the carriers. The capacity is available, they're investing in equipment in order to actually help us, and if we then don't allocate that freight to them, then there's no real business case again for those carriers. So, how can we then collaborate and making sure that we can operate those electric trucks on a daily basis? And I think that is what the electrifying drage alliance really helps us to bring the whole ecosystem again together uh to collaborate on that uh part. Um, one thing that I really want to mention is that it is possible. Uh, there are no limitations, it's about just having a conversation with all the parties involved and coming up with a solution design that works for everyone. Um, our carriers um uh need to invest in new equipment that can be two to three times more expensive. So the capex costs for those carriers increase rapidly. If they then don't uh get a clear uh uh business around it, they will never scale off the debt because if they need to go to financial institutions in order to finance those new assets, uh the financial institutions will look at the balance and say, okay, well, you invested in it, but on the other hand, we don't see that you are actually leveraging that to the full extent. So why are you going, are you even capable and solvable to invest in new equipment? And that's why it's so crucial that we collaborate on this initiative because there is a real sweet spot within drayage along all the ports that can that we can utilize in order to move more freight on electric trucks. Um, it helps to the ports to achieve their goals, it helps to uh uh create uh clean air around um uh the areas of the ports, uh, and it really gives a really strong market signal that uh let's do it together and let's put those electric trucks to work.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

And I think that's that's another reason why we need alliances like the electrifying drage alliance because there is a business case and there is meaningful opportunity for all parties, but who moves first, who takes the risk versus how do we do this together? How do we drive this forward as an alliance versus in in single lanes?

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Yeah, we're we're really good at analyzing problems, and at a certain stage, you can come to an uh analyzes paralyzed in a way. Yeah. And that's why it's so crucial that we move forward, take initiative, and let's do it together. Uh, because otherwise we never push our industry uh forward and uh and create that signal to the market that it is possible. And we really hope that uh altogether with all the the stakeholders that are involved in the alliance, that we really create a snowball effect that helps us and allow us uh to actually uh make it work uh across the globe.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

And at this point, in terms of where our planet is, where our climate is, we cannot afford to be stuck in analysis paralysis. We need to be taking action, like we really need to be driving actual change. Tom, in terms of scaling zero emissions freight solutions, what are from your perspective are some of the biggest barriers to scaling these solutions? And I know we've spoken about a couple of them already, but I'd love to hear from you, you know, especially from a drage perspective, a short haul tracking. Maybe let's get a little bit more specific around what's getting in the way and what needs to change across infrastructure policy and the logistics and ecosystem as a whole to move this along faster.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Yeah. Uh we already talked a bit about uh the capex costs that are going rapidly increasing for carriers that actually invest in that uh equipment. And then in if they don't receive the business in return, it makes it really hard uh to scale. So having clear incentives for those carriers that actually invest in that equipment will help them to utilize those trucks more. A really important aspect of utilizing EVs is that you um uh create efficiencies along it. If a truck is not moving, it's not delivering, uh, it's not bringing any money uh uh on the table uh for those carriers. So uh smart uh initiatives such as in the ports of LA and Long Beach, uh you have a green lane where uh green trucks don't need or uh EVs don't need to wait uh in a waiting line in order to pick up their containers. So that makes sure that uh those carriers uh have a really high utilization rate and can actually move more freight. Another uh incentive might be to uh offer uh a lower price when entering uh uh the terminals, uh, because in certain ports there are fees uh that uh that are implemented. I'm I'm not in favor for adding a surcharge for other carriers that use those uh low emission transport services, because it adds only extra cost to their operations. And we need to understand that all the carriers that operate in this space, and now we're talking about drayage, but also on the ocean and the air side, the upper mar operation margins are really thin. So if we're going to add extra costs and um and not not going to incentivize the ones that are actually taking actions, it also doesn't give a real clear signal to the market. Giving those incentives makes the business case work easier and it also Can convince carriers like, hey, if you invest in this equipment, you can actually move more containers so you can grow your business, you can become more efficient. And this is something why it's so crucial to uh we talked about those three layers that I'm uh acting belong to get those parties all involved and explain the case. A lot of our uh stakeholders might not be dealing with the carrier directly, or uh might not be dealing with with a shipper. So they're different interests in in their own business case. And if we don't explain that to them and uh explain the the rationale about why we do things, yeah, we are working in a parallel universe in a way uh to decarbonize. And we need to break those barriers by collaborating and showing uh why certain actions are taken and why certain actions might not be a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

And it's really, in a way, uh the curse of knowledge, right? You what is obvious to you given the view that you have on the market to a small segment of the market may not be obvious at all, and that's why breaking down these barriers, these knowledge barriers, creating that context, painting that bigger picture, suddenly everybody can see, oh, there are multiple wheels turning here that are all trying to move us in the same direction.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

Yeah, I think I think one of the big learning lessons that we experience is as well, you need to diversify your supply chain. You cannot count on one solution, and that's why it's so important to have different fuels and perspectives, but also to utilize as a strategy as it helps to operate your uh business uh in a lean way and it it makes you flexible in case uh the circumstances uh change.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

Yeah, which is so that you need to diversify so that you can remain resilient, actually. Yeah, yeah. So, Tom, just very quickly, we know we're talking about taking action and we're we're starting this conversation from the perspective of we are already doing things, but what about for people who are just getting started? What is the role of education and training in decarbonization from your perspective? And how are you making sure that the people that you're working with or the people that you're trying to get to shift are well educated and know enough to actually take steps and take action?

SPEAKER_00 24:15

Yeah, a really important aspect on that is that anybody who takes the bold decision to make an impact or starts on this journey should be encouraged and should be supported. I truly believe that everybody who is acting in this industry has the best interest in the achievements that they want to uh accomplish uh when uh when deploying decarbonization strategies. Having access to uh platforms that show what is possible, having uh business cases around that, showing real-life examples what you can achieve, is really crucial. On top of that, education I think is also really important that it's accessible. So make it accessible for uh stakeholders who want to start this journey so that they know what to look into and what to look out for. Every business model that we uh work with, no matter where they are in the value chain, uh in the supply chain, uh, has a different interest and might also have a different role that they can leverage. Yeah, having that really that clear distinction visible for everyone, will understand them easier to show where they can make an impact. Um, having videos, having literature out there really helps to uh navigate you through the landscape because at the beginning it can be really challenging to look out for. So when I started my sustainability journey, Smart Trade Center was a great resource for me because there were publications out there uh on how to utilize it, uh uh to read on, uh to learn from. And that's why it's so uh important that is that that's open and accessible. And then if you want to make a next step, um then there are great courses available also via the academy uh that help you to then actually turn those levers and make it more concrete to make those next steps and uh push uh push yourself but also our industry forward.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Yeah, and I thank you. I really agree with what you've said there. It's there are a lot of amazing free resources out there that exist. The Smart Freight Center has written many papers, um, many reports, the GLEC framework, for example, the market-based measures framework, but also we have a lot of free educational media, which is possibly an easier, softer landing uh starting point for people who just want to understand, for example, book and claim, which can be a complex topic. We have a lot of free resources available, as well as some trainings available at the Smart Frade Center Academy. And so there is a way to get started. It is really just about taking that step, doing the thing, getting action going. And so, Tom, last question before we wrap a one-sentence sum-up. If somebody listening to this episode is inspired and going, I need to take more action, where do they start?

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Start connecting, utilizing uh your network, and start having conversations with different stakeholders to understand what is needed in order to help you embark on that journey. Uh, and yeah, reach out. Uh, I'm available, uh, reach out to other stakeholders. The community that we have over uh here and in the world uh within the sustainability space is really incredible. It feels like one big family because a lot of people are facing the same challenges. Yeah, and it is really nice to talk with peers, hearing that they have the same challenges as you. So you're not the only one in the room, actually. And that is really inspiring to hear because it's also, in a way, a sort of therapy uh and and learn from each other and navigate and pivot and uh help each other out.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

I love that because I think it's so true. It can feel extremely isolating, uh, especially if you're just getting started on the journey. You can generally feel like everybody else is so far ahead of me, or nobody else is here with me. And it can feel very, very lonely, but it's not. Um, just you just kind of need to pop that bubble, get in touch, join a community, and find a group of like-minded people. And I think that that is the magic of what Smart Freight Center does is Smart Freight Center can convene so many different parties from across the logistics industry to come together, have meaningful conversations, share experiences, and as you say it, just not feel so isolated as an individual in this in this decarbonization space. Tom, thank you so much for this conversation. I've really enjoyed speaking about the importance of resilience, how we need these real life examples, practical solutions, incentivization. I've really enjoyed the practical aspect of this uh conversation. So thank you so much for spending some time with me.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Thank you for having me and uh up to the next one.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

Yes. If you'd like to learn more about any of the topics that we've discussed today, head over to academy.smartfreightcenter.org and you can find a bunch of free resources as well as training courses available for you. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Smart Freight Conversations. If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, share it with your colleagues, share it with your network. And remember, you are not alone. If you are just getting started on your decarbonization journey, join a community like Smart Freight Center. And I promise it won't feel quite so lonely. Until next time, thank you for listening.